Washblog || Voting is not a "courtesy"

Voting is not a "courtesy"

By m3047
Thu Mar 08, 2007 at 04:38:51 PM PST
Section: Diary Topic: Election Integrity

I just dropped my ballot for the City of Seattle Viaduct election off at one of the Ballot drop-off locations (Interbay Evangelical Covenant Church).

After all of the representations which have been made about regional voting centers, I was a little surprised at what I encountered.

Specifically no AVU or ability to process provisional ballots.

When I asked I was told that the dropoff locations are a "courtesy" and was led to believe that they were instructed to so inform anyone who might ask.

The only list of ballots received (no Inspector's List) is a list of registration ids downloadable from King County Elections' web site and as noted there "These numbers are a courtesy to parties and jurisdictions interested in tracking races on a daily basis." ("courtesy" seems to be a popular word all of a sudden) Do they really believe that people drop off their ballots to "save a stamp"? I know from attending the post General Election meeting of the Citizens' Election Oversight Committee that the CEOC discounts any other possibility, but without an accessible Inspector's List how are voters supposed to assure that their ballot was received by King County Elections?

No Accessible Voting Units? "Accessibility" then de facto means travelling to the King County Administration Building.

No provisional ballots? I'm sure you could call them. I'm guessing another trip to the King County Administration Building.

This is on top of the overlooked question which continues to simmer, which is what people must do if their signature is challenged and the impact this has on regional voting centers which close up shop at the end of election day. The implication: take a trip to the King County Administration Building. Sure, rationally are people's signatures going to be challenged on a ballot which is non-binding (another popular word lately)? No, not likely in my reading of the tea leaves. So rather than an exercise in what the future looks like when an election matters, we will most likely go through the motions without the consequences and everybody will feel good about it and carry on with a revitalized sense of complacency.

We've heard much about regional voting centers accompanying a switch to all mail voting: so here it is, the first all mail election, and they're backsliding on this already? I am surprised; at the same time I have to ask: should I be?

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Voting is not a "courtesy" | 11 comments (11 topical)

registration id maps to ...

your name and address ...

to ... nada?

they say this is the complete set of numbers and then they tell you which numbers have voted ... ??

are the registration ids mapped to anything, or, it is just a jumble of numbers ... ha ha ha.

why do people who work in government make it so easy for the fascists to make the government types look like jack asses?

rmm.

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

by rmdSeaBos on Thu Mar 08, 2007 at 09:04:54 PM PST

* 1 none 0 *

884 914 1651... by m3047, 03/08/2007 10:24:53 PM PST (none / 0)

good competent database design = by rmdSeaBos, 03/09/2007 05:06:59 AM PST (none / 0)

benford, gauss, newton... not at this table by m3047, 03/09/2007 05:38:11 PM PST (none / 0)

I'm really glad that you're bringing this up

I have no idea how to get a handle on whether all-mail voting could possibly approach fairness -- or how to track how it's going. It all seems so incredibly opaque.

This election is a city election, no? Can we extrapolate from this how state-run elections will be?

This story, by the way, is now on the PNW Topic Hotlist "Hot Top 10" stories (as is Zappini's Washington V Washington) -- looks like it's getting a lot of readership.

by noemie maxwell on Fri Mar 09, 2007 at 03:18:00 PM PST

* 4 none 0 *

various comments by m3047, 03/09/2007 05:21:53 PM PST (none / 0)

Charades by zappini, 03/12/2007 11:48:28 PM PST (none / 0)

All Mail Disenfranchisement

Hi Fred-

Thanks for posting about this issue.

We're told that with all mail balloting we'll get regional voting centers. Maybe 9. Maybe 20. No one knows. Maybe permanent facilities. Maybe temporary. No one knows.

One issue that the self-described progressives and liberals have over-looked is provisional ballots. With the best of (partisan) intentions, the all mail balloting boosters believe it'll increase turnout and benefit the party. This despite there being no evidence, unless you count heresy from the Oregon Secretary of State's Office as "evidence".

There were ~32,000 provisional ballot Nov 2004 and ~13,000 Nov 2006. Most provisional ballots replace last mail ballots. Speaking honestly, Democrats aren't known for being well organized, obsessive-compulsive types.

Let's say 30,000 people need to vote provisionally Nov 2008. How's that going happen? With 20 voting centers, that's 1,500 people each. Ain't gonna happen.

I've asked many people many times how this regional voting center thing is going to happen. No one knows. No one has even thought about it.

One irony is that pushing all mail balloting will likely backfire, hurting rather than helping partisan efforts.

Another is that all mail balloting was supposed to save us money. Because all us temp workers paid minimum wage were a real drain on the budget. I can't imagine how regional vote centers could cost less than our current poll sites.

Again, thanks for posting about this issue.

Cheers, Jason

by zappini on Tue Mar 13, 2007 at 12:09:46 AM PST

* 8 none 0 *

did anybody *not* vote in this election?

Is there someone in Seattle who received a ballot but did not return it? You can still play an important role in democracy and the vote.

I'd like to check some non-returned registration i.d.s against the posted list of registration i.d.s of ballots returned.

Call me, leave your name, telephone number and registration i.d. Thanks..

Fred Morris
206.297.6344

by m3047 on Mon Mar 19, 2007 at 08:51:53 AM PST

* 9 none 0 *

ditto did not receive ballot and did not vote by m3047, 03/19/2007 08:57:52 AM PST (none / 0)
followup: received no contacts by m3047, 03/31/2007 07:21:07 PM PST (none / 0)

Voting is not a "courtesy" | 11 comments (11 topical)

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