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Presidential Election Day 2008: A Peek Behind the Curtain
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On the day
after the historic November 4, 2008
Presidential Election, CNP welcomed Conny B.
McCormack, former registrar of voters
for Los Angeles County, and John Fortier,
the principal contributor to the AEI-Brookings
Election Reform Project for a snap review of
Election Day with regard to outstanding
provisional and absentee ballots, lines at
polling places, voter ID laws, and machine and
pollworker performance throughout the
country.
The two election experts reported that Election Day appeared to have gone fairly well under the ultimate stress test of high voter turnout.
McCormack and Fortier discussed the stress that had been placed on America's election administration process in advance of Election Day, with record-breaking voter registration. Although the widely varying methods by which individual states consider a voter's eligibility lengthen and complicate the electoral process, this variation could ultimately point the way to future improvements. The online voter registration system developed in Arizona and Washington, for instance, helped restore integrity to an election process which is often criticized for being cumbersome and prone to error.
After the problems that occurred in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election, the Help America Vote Act enacted by Congress to provide sweeping reforms for the electoral system. HAVA provided federal funding to purchase voting machines, while mandating a shift away from punch card voting systems in favor of more advanced electronic models. A key element of HAVA's reforms was the creation of provisional ballots, which allow voters who would normally be ineligible to vote because of procedural reasons to submit a ballot for future review, drastically decreasing instances of disenfranchisement due to administrative oversight or voter error.
Fortier pointed out that the number of Americans voting early and by mail is rapidly increasing, with over a quarter of American's voting early in 2004, as compared to only 5 percent in 1980. While this trend can increase turnout by making voting more compatible with people's lives, it also heightens the possibility of voter or administrative error. Additional reforms, such as the need for national voter registration list to keep track of who can vote and who has already submitted their vote, and the consolidation of hundreds of smaller polling places into centralized "super-centers," could help alleviate some of this strain.
McCormack emphasized the importance of management in reforming the voting process. Proper management can mean the difference between a poll-station which is orderly and efficient, and one which is chaotic and prone to error. Many times ballots are not counted because voters are guided to the wrong precinct, or because the ballot counting and registration procedures are disorganized or overwhelmed.
In conclusion, Fortier asserted that more changes must be made. States are currently focusing on ID reform, as well as the need to back up electronic voting machines with paper copies. He hopes to see registration reform on both the state and federal levels and particularly a larger governmental role in the process.
The two election experts reported that Election Day appeared to have gone fairly well under the ultimate stress test of high voter turnout.
McCormack and Fortier discussed the stress that had been placed on America's election administration process in advance of Election Day, with record-breaking voter registration. Although the widely varying methods by which individual states consider a voter's eligibility lengthen and complicate the electoral process, this variation could ultimately point the way to future improvements. The online voter registration system developed in Arizona and Washington, for instance, helped restore integrity to an election process which is often criticized for being cumbersome and prone to error.
After the problems that occurred in Florida during the 2000 Presidential election, the Help America Vote Act enacted by Congress to provide sweeping reforms for the electoral system. HAVA provided federal funding to purchase voting machines, while mandating a shift away from punch card voting systems in favor of more advanced electronic models. A key element of HAVA's reforms was the creation of provisional ballots, which allow voters who would normally be ineligible to vote because of procedural reasons to submit a ballot for future review, drastically decreasing instances of disenfranchisement due to administrative oversight or voter error.
Fortier pointed out that the number of Americans voting early and by mail is rapidly increasing, with over a quarter of American's voting early in 2004, as compared to only 5 percent in 1980. While this trend can increase turnout by making voting more compatible with people's lives, it also heightens the possibility of voter or administrative error. Additional reforms, such as the need for national voter registration list to keep track of who can vote and who has already submitted their vote, and the consolidation of hundreds of smaller polling places into centralized "super-centers," could help alleviate some of this strain.
McCormack emphasized the importance of management in reforming the voting process. Proper management can mean the difference between a poll-station which is orderly and efficient, and one which is chaotic and prone to error. Many times ballots are not counted because voters are guided to the wrong precinct, or because the ballot counting and registration procedures are disorganized or overwhelmed.
In conclusion, Fortier asserted that more changes must be made. States are currently focusing on ID reform, as well as the need to back up electronic voting machines with paper copies. He hopes to see registration reform on both the state and federal levels and particularly a larger governmental role in the process.
