No More Hanging Chads, But Still Plenty of Problems
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 12/15/2004
Voting and civil rights advocates from across the country met in Washington, D.C. to dispel notions that this year's election ran "smoothly" and address problems that voters encountered on Election Day.
Addressing a standing-room-only crowd of more than 400 people, election experts and officials reported on several areas, including voter suppression and intimidation, electronic voting, voter registration, and provisional ballots.
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) Executive Director Wade Henderson, along with Common Cause President Chellie Pingree, moderated the event, which was organized by Common Cause, The Century Foundation, and LCCR.
Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, spoke of the tireless efforts-before, during, and after November 2-of those committed to ensuring a fair election. She reported that "Election Protection" volunteers received thousands of calls to their hotline on Election Day, fielding approximately 40,000 complaints of incidents and irregularities at the polling places throughout the country.
A recurring theme throughout the day was the lack of training and information provided to poll workers and election officials, which exacerbated many problems.
Melanie L. Campbell, the executive director and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, described in detail the lack of preparation, knowledge, and experience on the parts of poll workers.
The topic of electronic voting machines also received heavy attention at the conference. Many members of the audience questioned the security of electronic voting and recounted stories of switched votes and malfunctioning machines.
Panelists also noted this year's successes, including increases in voter registration and voter participation by minorities and young people. According to Rock the Vote officials, there were 4.6 million new young voters, and Rock the Vote itself registered over 1.4 million voters.
Voting rights advocates believe that in order to continue increasing voter turnout, more needs to be done.
Among the recommendations coming out of the conference were better training for poll workers; rules for the use of provisional ballots that make it more likely that they will be counted; same-day voter registration; an end to challengers at the polls; and full enforcement and funding of the Help America Vote Act.
Earlier in the week, People For the American Way released a report entitled, "Shattering the Myth: An Initial Snapshot of Voter Disenfranchisement in the 2004 Elections," which detailed how voter intimidation and suppression contributed to the disenfranchisement of voters, especially African-American, Latino, and lower income communities.
