Our Primary Report in the News

by Eric Marshall

On Tuesday, the St. Louis American ran a story featuring Lawyers’ Committee Executive Director Barbara Arnwine and the Election Protection 2008 Primary Report: Looking Ahead to November. Arnwine spoke about the report, saying it "demonstrates that most of the state and county and local election machinery was unprepared for a real heavy turnout...It really demonstrates that our democracy has deep fault lines and is not being administered well...We are not prepared. We actively count on a low voter turn out and count on voter apathy."

The story continues by citing examples of issues covered in the report:

• In Pennsylvania’s Delaware County, one voter was told the voting machines at her precinct were set for Republicans only. The voter was not able to cast a vote.
• Finally, in Pennsylvania, a caller reported a polling location with only three voting machines and no printers working. Voters were leaving without being offered emergency ballots.
• In the Georgia primary Feb. 5, a man allegedly from the secretary of state’s office walked around in a uniform and a gun asking people if they belonged there. He left within 10 minutes after a call to the secretary of state’s office, Arnwine says.

The story concludes by summarizing our plans leading up to November:

A team of lawyers and other volunteers that make up Election Protection Legal Committees will be meeting with heads of electoral boards, secretaries of state as well as the U. S. Election Assistance Commission in order to report problems and work out solutions, she says.

Meanwhile, the report recommends: Improving poll worker training; ensuring proper protocols for dealing with election machinery breakdowns; guaranteeing that all eligible registrants make it on to the registration rolls; and widely publicizing correct requirements and restrictions about voter identification and other procedures.

"We’re very, very on top of this," Arnwine says. She adds that they have not ruled out court action if necessary.

"If we can tell in advance that a jurisdiction is not properly prepared and has not set up the amount of voting sites that are needed, does not have or has not set up [appropriate] election equipment, or enough poll workers in advance, absolutely, we will take whatever action is necessary."

Click here to read the St. Louis American story.