N.J. ballot process improves but still falls short
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
BY KATHY HENNESSY
Associated Press

New Jersey has made the voting process more accessible to more people, but the state still has a way to go to comply with new national voting standards, federal and state officials said yesterday.

Five counties still use older lever-style voting machines and three other counties do not have machines that are accessible to the blind, according to Attorney General Peter Harvey. New Jersey has eliminated language barriers to make voting easier for Hispanic residents and is working to register more voters. 
 The reforms are part of a national push led by former New Jersey Secretary of State DeForest "Buster" Soaries, now head of the federal agency charged with preventing the ballot problems like those that led to confusion and controversy in the 2000 presidential election.

"New Jersey has done a very effective job to date," said Soaries yesterday at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.

As chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, Soaries is charged with doling out $2.3 billion to states to comply with the federal law. New Jersey, which has received $17 million, is slated to receive an additional $40 million.

The commission doesn't have regulatory authority but oversees the reform, offers advice on technology and distributes money to states to buy new voting machines.

In New Jersey, many of the planned reforms, such as installing new electronic voting machines, will not be completed in time for the November election. Experts warned state officials to stay away from new equipment before a major election to avoid a possible machine malfunction, Harvey said.

Some New Jersey efforts are more developed. A public service campaign to encourage voter participation, featuring entertainers Jason Alexander, Billy Baldwin and Doug E. Fresh, will begin airing on television stations in August.

Getting the state's election system to comply with the federal standards has been time-consuming and a vast undertaking, said state officials.

"This has been a colossal task," said Harvey. "I've made it a priority."

It hasn't been any easier on the national level. Soaries has expressed frustration with the low priority given to improving the nation's election system. The Election Assistance Commission was given such a small budget there wasn't enough money to rent office space. Soaries and the three other commissioners were appointed nine months after the panel was created.

Recently, Soaries came under fire when he asked how the nation would respond if a terrorist attack was carried out during a national election.

"I just don't think we ought to wait until Nov. 2 to make the decision," Soaries said.

Among the most startling things Soaries has learned in his new position is just how little is known about the election process, including how many people vote in any given national election. His plan is to create a central database to assemble the information.

"We hope to collect more information on what happens on Election Day than we ever have before," Soaries said, referring to this year's election. "We have such a paucity of information that anything we propose now is a best guess."