Voting Problems in the 2008 Presidential Election
Feature Story by Antoine Morris - 11/6/2008
Despite record setting turnout across the country for this year's presidential election, flaws in the nation's electoral system still persist. More than 130 million people voted, either at the polls on Election Day, during early in-person voting, or by absentee ballot. This added up to 64 percent of the electorate, the highest percentage in generations, as well as surpassing the record for total numbers of voters, set in 2004 when 122 million people voted.
But news reports from around the country spoke of long waits, absentee ballots not reaching voters, voter suppression and intimidation efforts, and voting machine break downs.
Millions of voters were issued provisional ballots when their voting eligibility could not be determined at the poll. Such ballots are often not counted, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
In Velda City, Mo., poll workers set up only half of the available voting machines, creating seven hour wait times at the polls. College students in Florida and Pennsylvania received text messages that Election Day was postponed or that voters with unpaid parking tickets will be arrested at the polls. Similar paper fliers were circulated in Virginia.
Given the prevalence of voting machine breakdowns in Indiana, the Service Employees International Union filed a complaint in circuit court to ensure that backup paper ballots would be available to voters, a requirement under state law.
Experts say frequent voting machine malfunctions and confusing voter ID requirements often reduce voter turnout and undermine public confidence in the electoral system. A 2004 survey by AccuPoll, a manufacturer of electronic voting equipment, found that 44 percent of respondents had little confidence in electronic voting machines and another 75 percent said there should be a paper trail record of votes.
In a recent series of reports, the Brennan Center advocated for the enactment of several reforms to improve our voting system. In "Is America Ready to Vote? State Preparations for Voting Machine Problems in 2008," (pdf) the Center recommended that all polling sites have an adequate supply of emergency paper ballots in case of machine malfunctions or to reduce long waits. To prevent incorrect totals, poll workers should ensure the number of ballots casted match the number of voters as reported by voting machines and sign in books. All tallies should include a verifiable paper record to guard against machine error.
In "Universal Voter Registration," (pdf) the Center recommends establishing a universal voter registration system for eligible citizens as soon as they turn 18. To anticipate the needs of a mobile society, the Center recommends more states adopt election-day registration and create statewide database of voters to avoid the need for constant re-registering by people who have simply moved.
In its 2007 report "Long Road to Justice," (pdf) the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) recommends more resources within the Department of Justice be devoted to thoroughly investigating deceptive practices, such as telling people to vote on the wrong day, and other voter suppression tactics in addition to promoting efforts that make it easier, not harder to vote.
LCCR President and CEO Wade Henderson said "Congress should act swiftly to reach an agreement on legislation that will deal with the extensive problems that continue to plague our nation's electoral systems, but without discriminatory provisions that could disenfranchise minority, elderly, student, poor and disabled voters."
