We all have a part to play to get this country turned around. This November 7th, and in the time left before these historic elections, we all have to do everything we can to help. For me, the single most frightening thing to happen is a loss in confidence about how the votes are counted, and how access to the polls is unequal. I care that we have honest elections even more than I care about who gets elected, and that is saying something. I wondered what to do ON election day. Should I drive people to the polls, stand on the side of the road with a sign, or what?
Well, I was inspired by AlanF and HistoPresto. You see, I want to get a closer look at how the polls actually work. Besides that, I think that managing this new technology is going to overwhelm the Poll Workers. So I signed up in Seattle... More under covers...
First of all,
It's Easy to sign up. In Seattle, you can call The Poll Worker Coordination Office at (206) 296-1606. For those of us that live in Democratic Strongholds, it is CRUCIAL that the pools function properly. As is apparent from Ohio in 2004, and this point is crystal clear, many people did not get to vote due to long lines and technical difficulties at the polls.
I talked to Kortney Kinzer, Poll Worker Coordination Assistant in Seattle, and she gave me the following facts:
1. The Average age for poll workers in Washington is 71. I'm not saying that is necessarily a problem, but for the most part, people in that age group are still having a hard time adjusting to technology. At the very least, it's not really intuitive for most of them.
2. In Washington you have the option to vote by mail. For all of you: do this, and do it early every election so you can get out there and help on election day. You should not be using election day to vote.
3. At the poll, voters have a choice (again all of this is in Washington, where Sam Reed, our Secretary of State is by all accounts doing an excellent job, and incidentally he is a member of the republican party). You can vote using a paper bubble form using the accuvote machine (this is how the mail-in ballots are counted), or you can use the tough screen Machine
4. All the Machines are Diebold, but there is a verifiable paper trail for all the votes. The touch screen machine in use is called the "AVU", or accessible voting unit. These machines are designed to help disabled people vote confidentially. You can even put on headphones and vote with an audio guide. The paper trail goes into a sealed receptacle and can be counted manually later.
5. I signed up to be in charge of that Machine, as I figured it was the most complicated. You see, like a lot of people here, I've got a way with touchy machines, I clear paper jams, and fix angry computers all the time. I think that if there were enough of us in clearly Democratic Districts, (and PLEASE if you live in Darcy Burner's district, we need every vote to be counted) to help out, many of the expected problems could be avoided if enough highly capable people were working at the polls.
Please consider this. In Washington, you have to go to a 4 hour class, and you have to be at the polls at 6 am. If you are in a state that requires I.D., offers provisional Ballots, etc. I think you could have a direct impact in making sure everyone who wants to gets to cast a ballot. These will be the front lines, and our first line of defense against election rigging. For those who have a beef with the way votes are counted, come see for yourself. We should all compare notes after the election is over.