ACL Live at the Moody Theater
We Must Assure Integrity of Voting Process
RECEIVED Sat., Nov. 8, 2008
Dear Editor,
On Oct. 25, KXAN reported that a voting facility in South Austin was found unlocked and unattended after regular business hours. I am quite surprised about how little press this incident received, especially at a time when the future of our nation was at a turning point. A "miscommunication" was cited as the cause of this incident. Recent history has shown us that those with the right technical know-how could tweak electronic systems and tamper with the outcome. How can we assure that the integrity of the voting process remains unscathed?
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission publishes a quick-start management guide for local election administrators to train poll workers. This guide is quite general and allows much flexibility by the poll managers implementing procedures. According to the Pew Research Center, poll workers' training, conditions, laws, and compensation vary greatly among states and counties. In Austin, election poll workers are trained and compensated by Travis County. Although the state of Texas spends $3,000 per voting machine, poll workers only get paid minimum wage. This resource imbalance might be at the heart of these safety incidents.
Evidently, the system failed in this instance. Although a knee-jerk reaction might be to blame the individual tied to this incident, a closer look may indicate a fracture in the process. Uniformity across the board is needed. A change in policy that requires in-depth, standardized national training, specialization of tasks, better allocation of resources (e.g. more incentives for training completion and Election Day attendance by poll workers), and improved safety procedures could prevent this situation from happening in the future. After all, voting facilities are as effective as the people who run them. This army of one-day workers must be given the right tools, training, and incentives so they can succeed at their jobs. Because when they do, we all win.
On Oct. 25, KXAN reported that a voting facility in South Austin was found unlocked and unattended after regular business hours. I am quite surprised about how little press this incident received, especially at a time when the future of our nation was at a turning point. A "miscommunication" was cited as the cause of this incident. Recent history has shown us that those with the right technical know-how could tweak electronic systems and tamper with the outcome. How can we assure that the integrity of the voting process remains unscathed?
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission publishes a quick-start management guide for local election administrators to train poll workers. This guide is quite general and allows much flexibility by the poll managers implementing procedures. According to the Pew Research Center, poll workers' training, conditions, laws, and compensation vary greatly among states and counties. In Austin, election poll workers are trained and compensated by Travis County. Although the state of Texas spends $3,000 per voting machine, poll workers only get paid minimum wage. This resource imbalance might be at the heart of these safety incidents.
Evidently, the system failed in this instance. Although a knee-jerk reaction might be to blame the individual tied to this incident, a closer look may indicate a fracture in the process. Uniformity across the board is needed. A change in policy that requires in-depth, standardized national training, specialization of tasks, better allocation of resources (e.g. more incentives for training completion and Election Day attendance by poll workers), and improved safety procedures could prevent this situation from happening in the future. After all, voting facilities are as effective as the people who run them. This army of one-day workers must be given the right tools, training, and incentives so they can succeed at their jobs. Because when they do, we all win.
José Medina
[Editor's note: This issue was covered in the Chronicle article titled “Can Everyone Just Calm Down?” News, Oct. 31.]
