Publication: Progressive Review
America Is Unprepared For Nov. 4th | |
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THE PROGRESSIVE REVIEW - May 26, 2008
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Voting Rights Advocates Say America Is Unprepared
for Massive Turnout November 4
by: Hazel Trice Edney, The Louisiana Weekly
Washington - Record turnouts at polling places across the
nation during the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton battle for
the Democratic nomination have revealed a continuation of
serious flaws in America's electoral process that could
cause a fiasco Nov. 4, according to a non-partisan report.
"The report demonstrates that most of the state and county
and local election machinery was unprepared for a real
heavy turnout," says Barbara Arnwine, executive director
of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law,
a primary partner in the Election Protection Coalition
that has manned voter protection hotlines since January.
"It really demonstrates that our democracy has deep fault
lines and is not being administered well...We are not
prepared. We actively count on a low voter turn out and
count on voter apathy."
The 15-page, "Election Protection 2008 Primary Report",
jointly compiled and distributed by the Lawyers Committee
and the National Campaign for Fair Elections, says lawyers
and other volunteers who manned voter question and
complaint hotlines over the past five months fielded more
than 5,000 calls that include complaints and charges
revealing everything from serious mechanical flaws to
apparent intentional shenanigans and voter intimidation
at the polls.
Few problems have occurred in affluent areas, but they are
mainly happening in low income, Black and Hispanic neighbor-
hoods. Because Black voters typically cast 90 percent of
their ballots for Democrats, mishaps at the polls could
cause another Election 2000-styled fiasco in the event of
a close race between the Democratic nominee and Republican
John McCain.
"Unfortunately, the encouraging story of record turnout has
been tempered by voters in each primary reporting they were
underserved by the infrastructure that supports the election
process," the report states. "While each state had a unique
set of issues at the polls, there are some common obstacles
that voters across the country faced."
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Among the worse states was Pennsylvania, where more than
1,000 calls flooded the 1-866-Ourvote hotlines April 22.
Among the complaints:
* In Pennsylvania's Delaware County, one voter was told the
voting machines at her precinct were set for Republicans
only. The voter was not able to cast a vote.
* Another Pennsylvania voter took her child with her, but
a poll worker refused to allow the child into the voting
area with her, claiming that her child "can read."
* Yet, another Pennsylvania caller said building materials
were being thrown off the roof of the polling place to
prevent voters from entering.
* Finally, in Pennsylvania, a caller reported a polling
location with only three voting machines and no printers
working. Voters were leaving without being offered
emergency ballots.
* In the Georgia primary Feb. 5, a man allegedly from the
secretary of state's office walked around in a uniform
and a gun asking people if they belonged there. He left
within 10 minutes after a call to the secretary of
state's office, Arnwine says.
* In Denton County, Texas, March 4, disabled voters were
directed to the back of the building where there was no
assistance for them to go up the stairs to the voting
area.
* Untrained poll workers, ballot shortages, registration
roll problems and confusion over voter identification
requirements. Also, some 57 percent of Super Tuesday
complaints had to do with equipment failures.
Arnwine credits the massive increase in voter turnout for
revealing the flaws in the system.
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"The irony is that pundits and columnists and people are
constantly criticizing the American electorate for not
engaging in the election process and not actually coming
and casting their votes," she says. "Yet, when you get
even a 40 percent turnout verses the historical 15 percent
turnout, the electoral machinery just crashes, it just
implodes, it can't take that amount of voting. What if
80 percent turned out?"
According to David Bositis, a senior analyst at the Joint
Center for political and economic studies, voting in
presidential primaries has been as low as 10 percent in
past years, but has gone up and down, depending on the
candidates, the issues and the excitement of the race.
"Twenty percent would be considered a really outstanding
turnout," he says.
Arnwine says the hotlines will remain alive until the final
primary June 3. Then they will reopen in August through
Nov. 4 to advise people through the registration process
as well as on general election day.
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A team of lawyers and other volunteers that make up
Election Protection Legal Committees will be meeting with
heads of electoral boards, secretaries of state as well
as the U. S. Election Assistance Commission in order to
report problems and work out solutions, she says.
Meanwhile, the report recommends: Improving poll worker
training; ensuring proper protocols for dealing with
election machinery breakdowns; guaranteeing that all
eligible registrants make it on to the registration
rolls; and widely publicizing correct requirements and
restrictions about voter identification and other
procedures.
"We're very, very on top of this," Arnwine says. She adds
that they have not ruled out court action if necessary.
"If we can tell in advance that a jurisdiction is not
properly prepared and has not set up the amount of voting
sites that are needed, does not have or has not set up
[appropriate] election equipment, or enough poll workers
in advance, absolutely, we will take whatever action is
necessary."
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