Must Read: Influx of Voters Expected to Test New Technology
Ian Urbina of the New York Times has written an article about the problems that could occur during the November election. And although it doesn’t offer concrete solutions, it is a must read for every voter for it sheds some much needed light on what to expect on election day and can help us work towards alleviating some of the problems that might occur.
In the article, Urbina covers:
Heavy turnout, Long lines, Not enough poll workers, New statewide databases to verify voter registration, Increased wait time and long lines due to electronic voting machines, Reduction of wait times and long lines due to paper ballots, Adequate number of ballots, Paper backups in case of machine malfunction, Ballot design flaws, Early voting, Purging of voter rolls, Influx of new registrations, High turnover of state election directors, Uninformed distribution of machines and ballots (esp. in swing states like Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, which lack uniform rules for distributing machines and ballots), No fault absentee voting, Lack of oversight of the purging of voter rolls.
And while it is thorough, there are a few red flags:
Advocacy groups have encouraged voters to check their registration with election officials at least two weeks before the polls open.
Two weeks before the election is too late, especially in states where the cut off for registering is at least a month before the election. Please find out when voter registration ends in your state and check your registration accordingly.
“I’m concerned about the weak spots,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the United States Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting. “So much depends on whether there will be enough poll workers, whether they are trained enough and whether their state and county election directors give them contingency plans and resources to handle the unexpected.
