From Now On, Make Every Vote Count
From William Lucy — Secretary-Treasurer
After casting their vote at their local polling site, many Americans proudly affix an "I voted" sticker to their clothing. It is a symbol showing that we take our civic duty seriously and that above all we believe in our country’s democracy. Unfortunately, the affirmation on the sticker is not always accurate — particularly if you belong to a minority group or live in an economically depressed neighborhood.
The voting irregularities in Florida are now well established, but what happened in the Sunshine State is hardly rare. According to The Washington Post, one of every 16 votes for the Presidency was invalidated in Atlanta’s Fulton County, which, like many of Florida’s counties, uses punch-card machines. And one in six ballots in some predominately African-American Chicago precincts was not counted.
Tragically, the same is true in precincts across our country. In fact, it is estimated that about 2 percent of all ballots (this year, 2 million votes) in Presidential elections are marked for more than one candidate or for none, mostly as a consequence of voter confusion. Whether those ballots result from uncertainty or genuine error, they are not tallied.
How can the greatest country in the world — the very model of democracy — let this travesty stand uncorrected?
Clearly, we need to take immediate steps to see that when Americans exercise their civic duty, their actions are fully and properly noted. Votes cannot be cast aside because flawed machines have deemed them worthless. Those ballots express the hopes and desires of citizens who love their country and want to pick its leaders.
Election 2000 was protracted, controversial and disheartening. It deeply divided the electorate — even more than the virtual tie in the Presidential vote indicated. It led voters to question the fairness of our elections; and bred skepticism about impartiality of the federal and state judiciaries. But perhaps some good can result.
We as a nation may now be able to reform our voting system so that never again will we question the legitimacy of "the winner." Shortly after Election Day, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) introduced legislation to study and implement alternative methods of voting. The bill’s sponsors maintain that it will result in swifter and more accurate results. Any voter who had to stand in a long line, wait for a broken voting machine to be fixed, go to another polling place or — worse yet — endure the possibility that their vote was tossed out knows that it’s high time for improvement.
The Schumer and Brownback bill proposes a two-fold remedy. First, under the bill, the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) would conduct a study of such alternative methods as Internet voting, voting-by-mail, computerized voting terminals and other means of expanding voting options, with the study to be completed no later than the end of this year. Then the FEC would create a blueprint that states could use to implement changes. Following the FEC’s work, the bill would establish a $250 million matching grant so that states could implement the method of their choosing.
The hope is that, with federal funding, more states would opt for modern and reliable methods of voting. Right now, it’s a mixed bag. The punch-card method, complete with all of its documented problems, was the tool 34 percent of Americans used in the last election. The optical scan method, which requires voters to fill in rectangles, circles, ovals or incomplete arrows next to their candidate’s name, was employed by 27 percent of the electorate; it’s easy to use, but the machine can have problems reading some of the markings. The old-fashioned lever machine was used by 19 percent of the voters, though its cost and size are making it a method of the past. Nine percent worked with an electronic screen (much like an ATM) to cast their votes; although easy to use, that method yields no physical ballot — an important entity in the event of a recount. And two percent of us voted with a paper ballot.
Although states may not agree on the best way to vote, funding — or the lack of it — should certainly not prevent a fair and accurate count. The world’s richest nation and model republican government, cannot allow that to happen. Whether he or she lives in an affluent suburb or a poor inner city, every American voter must have reason to trust the ballot process. Our basic faith in our system depends on it.
