Election “Teach-In”

To the editor: With local media present, members of the Pike County Democratic Committee held the first in a series of “Teach-In”s at the Pike County Board of Elections on Apr. 18. In addition to Commissioner Karl Wagner, the County Clerk, and other officials from the Board of Elections, a technician from Diebold, the manufacturer of the electronic voting machine used in Pike County, was present to answer technical questions. After a demonstration of the electronic voting machine and its use in the upcoming Primary Election, participants in the Teach-In focused on questions pertaining to voter suppression and voter disenfranchisement. Among these were questions related to the use and availability of provisional ballots at each polling place and the tabulation of absentee ballots. Teach In participants were at pains to educate Board of Elections officials on the long lines at polling places. They described two hour wait times to vote by voters at some polling places and wondered aloud whether this was not voter disenfranchisement. Surprise and concern was expressed by some when the Director of the Board of Elections suggested it was a voter’s responsibility to wait on line as long as it took. In the words of one mother present with her two young children, “I’d like to vote, but you know sometimes I can’t wait that long. There’s car pooling and other obligations when you have small kids.” Various participants in the Teach In offered easily implemented options to reducing such wait times and the long lines resulting from the lack of training evidenced at times by salaried polling place personnel. While the Director of the Board of Elections defended her staff, Teach In participants pointed out that they themselves had served as unsalaried and unpaid Poll Watchers and could easily document various incidents of incompetence due to poor training. There was strong disagreement as well when officials with the Board of Elections called the Teach In “adversarial.” Teach In participants expressed frustration and dismay. In the words of one participant: “It seems to me that this is exactly what the Board of Elections needs to hear. If, indeed, the Board of Elections is interested in making it easy for voters to cast their votes and have those votes count, then this is exactly the sort of feedback the Board of Elections needs to hear. Calling this adversarial only calls into question the Board of Elections commitment to free and clear elections. After all, this is a democracy we’re trying to run here.” Concern was voiced too about the fact that there had been no response to the letter submitted by the Pike County Democratic Committee to the Board of Elections on Apr. 1. Participants observed that this delay hardly encouraged confidence. It seemed to those present that the only way to have their questions answered was to show up in person, so as to remind Board of Elections officials that making it easier to vote serves the interests of all: Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, alike. Additional Teach Ins are planned both to assess polling place incidents during the upcoming April 22 Primary and then again in anticipation of the General Election in November. Julius Litman, Chairman Pike Democratic Committee