Monday editorial: Bracing for Election Day
In 36 days, millions of Americans will head for schools, churches, civic centers, libraries and fire houses in their communities to cast ballots in one of the most important elections in recent memory. What they find waiting for them when they get there — a fair, efficient process or a chaotic one — will depend on how well officials have managed an enormous number of new voter registrations, whether they’re prepared for a correspondingly high voter turnout and whether they have plans in place to deal smoothly with increased numbers of voter challenges by political party operatives at the polls.
States all over the country have been reporting surges in new voter registrations. In Missouri, for example, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan reported that there have been 170,000 new registrations since the Feb. 5 presidential primary.
The crush is so intense that election officials in St. Louis County, which has more voters than any other Missouri jurisdiction, has been unable to comply with a state law that requires registrations to be processed within seven days, according to a story last week by the Post-Dispatch’s ace political reporter Jo Mannies. The backlog, officials told her, stands at about 20,000.
In Illinois’ Madison County, for example, officials told Ms. Mannies that voter registrations have been coming in at the rate of about 1,500 per week. The normal number is 1,000 per week.
Thousands of new voters are not the only issue. Americans tend to be a restless lot, changing residences every few years on average, and this year, the increase in home foreclosures is adding uncertainty to the situation.
On top of all the legitimate problems, there is the disturbing matter of political gamesmanship and dirty tricks that can throw roadblocks in voters’ paths.
Several recent news accounts have reported on organized and aggressive partisan plans to discourage, disqualify and challenge voters, ostensibly to ensure compliance with voting regulations. Past investigations, however, have suggested that the intent of many these efforts is to suppress vote totals in predominantly Democratic areas and tilt elections in favor of Republican candidates.
Whatever their intent, these efforts have the potential to create havoc at polling places, at local election boards and in state election offices around the country.
Reports from Michigan and Ohio, for example — both, like Missouri, hotly contested states — indicate that partisan activists have hatched plans to use lists of properties in the process of foreclosure to challenge voters who are registered at those addresses.
According to overwhelming evidence from virtually all impartial studies, so-called voter fraud is an extremely rare occurance, especially at polling places on election days. Election officials of all parties need to be vigilant to make sure Election Day challenges are legitimate and not cynical attempts to manipulate the system by intimidating voters and clogging up the process.
Voters can help minimize problems and streamline their own polling experiences by checking the status of their voter registration now — especially if they have moved in recent years.
Voters who have access to computers can use the website of the Missouri Secretary of State to determine if their registration is up to date and double-check the location of their polling place. Otherwise, they should call their city or county election board without delay. In Missouri, registration for the Nov. 4 election closes Oct. 8. In Illinois, it’s Oct. 7.
On Election Day, if properly registered voters still find themselves challenged by election officials at their polling places, they should insist — courteously and patiently — that the officials check the accuracy of their information with records at election board headquarters.
If problems persist — on Election Day or before — call the Missouri Secretary of State’s hotline: 800-NOW-VOTE.
One more important point:
Missouri law requires voters to identify themselves at polling places, but it does not require photo identification — although, judging from incidents in recent elections, some poll workers still seem to be confused about that.
If a poll worker insists on a photo ID, you’re within your rights to decline. Acceptable IDs under Missouri law include utility bills, bank statements or official government documents that include a voter’s name and address.
Most election officials are members of the community who volunteer their time and energy to serve their fellow citizens. They deserve our respect and our thanks.
At the same time, there is no excuse for failing to process all voter registrations in a timely manner. There is no excuse for polling places lacking sufficient voting machines to allow voters to cast their ballots in a reasonable amount of time. And there is no excuse for being unprepared to deal with malfunctioning technology — or with malicious attempts to pervert the system on which the legitimacy of representative democracy rests.
(Pictured: Katrina Harmon, a fifth grade teacher, takes time to grade students papers as she waits in line to vote at Whiteside School in Shiloh in the 2004 general election.. Harmon got in line at 4:30 and was still waiting at 6:30.–ODELL MITCHELL JR. POST/DISPATCH)
It would be nice if, when people do move they make it a point to update their voter registration as part of the move-in process. My family and I have always made it a point to do this when we moved. If people would keep their registration up to date and vote in all elections, not just every four years, they wouldn’t have the problems described above.