Let’s avoid an Election Day like 2000

By Kevin C. Peterson  |  in the Boston Globe August 22, 2004

IGNORE THE HOOPLA about swing states and battleground territories in the presidential election. The reality is that the contest between President George Bush and Senator John Kerry will likely hinge on a more important theme: electoral justice.
Given the public's shattered confidence in elections since the 2000 presidential race, the important issue for Americans in November should not be which candidate wins, but whether our democracy has survived unbruised.

In a democracy each citizen has the right to vote. When this right is infringed upon because of race, ethnicity, age, disability, class or gender, democracy is substantively weakened.

In the countdown to Election Day, Americans are challenged to ask a series of critical questions: Will electoral justice be achieved at the polls, assuring that each citizen is granted an uninhibited right to vote? Or will the nation face an electoral meltdown similar to our experience in 2000? Are we sure that safeguards have been put into place to protect against voter intimidation, misdirection, and confusing tactics? Will a nonpartisan Election Day emergency infrastructure be in place to address Election Day breakdowns, large and small?

To be sure, some changes have been achieved since 2000 assuring electoral justice on voting day. The recently enacted Help America Vote Act seeks to replace old voting machines, provide access to disabled voters, and insure voters are educated.

But is this enough? And is it timely enough to have an impact in the upcoming election? Probably not.

In order to assure that each voter is accorded fair treatment at the polls in November, national and local civic energies should be summoned in a collective, collaborative, and nonpartisan effort.

Here are five efforts that can be put into practice in the interest of ensuring democracy on Election Day:

 Federal, state and local governments should thoroughly train all Election Day workers to assure a smooth voting process. Each poll worker should be instructed on how to cope with breakdowns, large or small.

 Local governments should maintain a standard that allows each voter to cast a ballot, notwithstanding questions over voter qualification. Ballots that are questioned at the polls should be allowed as provisional votes, which will be checked for their authenticity after the polls have closed. For those who have knowingly committed voter fraud, swift prosecution should be the response.

 Voters should be provided with a receipt validating their vote. This would give voters some confidence that their ballot was recorded. It could also be useful as proof of participation in a tightly contested race.

 Each voter should be provided a voter's bill of rights at the polls that clearly explains the election process and provides contact information in case of voter rights violations.

 National and locally based nonprofit organizations ranging from conservative think tanks to racial advocacy organizations can monitor and report Election Day irregularities. National youth organizations, like City Year and YouthBuild, as well as associations such as the ACLU and the NAACP, can serve as electoral ambassadors at the polls to assist confused voters.

While a perfect democratic process is impossible to attain, every effort should be made to minimize Election Day breakdowns, errors, or injustices. The likelihood that there will be errors, accidents, or willful practices of electoral injustice is a potential reality. Without a clear, transparent electoral process, we all lose.

Kevin C. Peterson, senior fellow at the Center for Collaborative Leadership at the University of Massachusetts, is founder and director of New Democracy Coalition, a Boston-based organization focusing on civic policy, civic literacy, and electoral justice.