Election delay gets attention
By Skip Cauthorn

July 16, 2004
 
State election officials say a backup plan for Election Day in the case of disaster or a terrorist attack will likely be a topic of discussion soon due to recent talks on the federal level.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned last week of terrorist activity related to the upcoming presidential election.

A terrorist bombing in Spain came just before the March 11 election, when Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar was unseated by his socialist opponent. Spain subsequently pulled out of Iraq.

Federal elections officials have asked for guidance since there is no mechanism for postponing a federal election.

Some states have the ability to move an election under certain circumstances.

Tennessee does not, according to Brook Thompson, the Tennessee coordinator of elections.

“There is nothing in state law to address this. It’s not even contemplated in the state code,” Thompson said. “Just because the conversation is taking place on the federal level, my guess is we’ll have that conversation on the local level.”

Ray Barrett, Metro’s interim administrator of elections, said Nashville hasn’t had to deal with postponing an election for any reason in his 20 years of supervising voting machines countywide.

The only time in recent history that an election in Tennessee was delayed was last year following a devastating May tornado that hit Jackson, Thompson says. Jackson and Madison County had to seek a court order to postpone for two weeks a May election that was to be held the day following the disaster.

The state Division of Elections, which is under the Secretary of State’s office, plans to have discussions with Attorney General Paul Summers regarding what, if anything, should be done, said Thompson.

Barrett said often there are concerns about the weather but elections have always gone on as scheduled. Typically, generators are on standby in case of an electricity outage and Metro’s voting machines may be battery powered, he said.

General Jerry Humble, director of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security, says Tennesseans will be safe at the polls and that, for now, the debate is only on the federal level.

“The national elections, that has to be steered from the national [level],” Humble said. “It’s a little premature at the state level. … But I'm assessing that and I will work that out with the commissioner of safety and local law enforcement.”

Security will be enhanced and precautions taken at polling sites regardless of national implications, Humble said.

“I haven’t been contacted by election officials because I don’t think we’ve got a problem here,” Humble said. … “If I get intelligence in Tennessee we’ll take the necessary steps.”

Early voting starts today for the August 5 primary and will run through July 31. The general election, including the presidential vote, will be Nov. 2.