Jun. 16, 2003
N.C. to Improve Election Machinery
By J. Barlow Herget
RALEIGH - Three years after the 2000 presidential election, the drama of election night and Florida’s subsequent ballot battle are fodder for late night television comedians. One suspects, however, that it’s painful for Al Gore to laugh.
Gore, who clearly won the popular vote, lost Florida by less than 1,000 votes and that cost him the presidency in the Electoral College vote. The former vice president and the country have moved on, but Democrats and Republicans alike wanted to fix, figuratively and literally, the election machinery that led to Florida’s questionable vote counting.
Congress responded with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), adopted with a bipartisan vote in 2002. The act provides federal funds to states to upgrade their election systems and the machinery itself.
On June 10th, the General Assembly approved such election legislation, HB 842, the HAVA Compliance Act, for North Carolina and sent it to Gov. Mike Easley for his signature. The legislation follows recommendations from the State Board of Election’s HAVA Advisory Committee that met earlier this year and held public hearings in May.
So, what does the HAVA Compliance Act do for North Carolina voters?
It does several things, not the least of which is to provide $59.2 million in federal funds in 2003, 2004, 2005 to help pay for new voting machines, election technology and other improvements.
Other changes, according to the HAVA Compliance Act, include:
- New identification requirements to register to vote.
- New rules that allow for easier provisional voting.
- Posting of voting instructions, sample ballots and voting rights at each polling place.
- Training and civics curriculum for elections officials and interested citizens through the state Community College System.
- A voter education program for the general public that includes an Elections Help Desk, voter guides and enhanced Internet capabilities.
- Increased accessibility for voters with disabilities.
The State Board of Elections in recent years upgraded its database of voters, and it is tied into all but five of the state’s 100 counties. HAVA money will complete that task. This will help county Boards of Elections to maintain their rolls and make the statewide system uniform.
For example, the state has computer software that assigns voters to their correct voting districts. Updating this system will continue. Another improvement is the State Board’s connection with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicle’s records to insure accurate address information.
According to the State Board’s HAVA Plan, there are about 280 precincts statewide that still have old punch-card or lever machines. They will be replaced. A big expense, estimated to be $22 million over two years, will involve making voting equipment and precinct locations more accessible to persons with disabilities.
Citizens at the May public hearings asked that new and existing machinery be able to keep some type of record of votes if there is an equipment breakdown. While there is some debate over fail-safe quality in electronic systems on the market, new equipment in Maryland and Georgia performed reliably in recent elections.
A byproduct of improved voting technology has been better record keeping on campaign finances. Says one Board document, “It is now possible for anyone to search [on the Internet] for campaign finance records or voters in all counties in the state."
Don’t forget that it was such record keeping that helped catch the illegal campaign contributions in the 2000 Agriculture Commissioner’s race.
Don Wright, general counsel for the State Board of Elections, explains the approval of the HAVA Compliance Act this way: “The legislation is a product of a bipartisan effort to improve election administration in North Carolina. The bill had support from both Republicans and Democrats and the governor’s office.”
One issue not addressed in the HAVA Compliance Act is “Election Day registration.” As technology improvements reduce the time it takes to verify a voter’s eligibility, state leaders have been encouraged to allow citizens to register and vote on the same day. Recent studies indicate that the six states with “same day” registration enjoy a rate of voter participation that is considerably higher than the other 44 states.
North Carolina’s turnout in the last presidential election was nothing to brag about. According to John Gilbert, Wake County’s Board of Elections Chairman and NCSU political science professor, 2,207,133 registered voters in North Carolina didn’t make it to the polls in 2000. The HAVA Act should help change that record.
Barlow Herget served two terms on the Raleigh City Council and is, in political polling parlance, a “frequent voter.”
743 W. Johnson St.
Suite E
Raleigh, NC 27603
919.839.1200