Despite headline, voting went smoothly

By: TRENA BOONSTRA - Commentary | Thursday, November 9, 2006 8:48 PM PST ∞

Tuesday I arrived home around 10 p.m. after having worked as a precinct inspector at an Escondido polling place. This was the most stress-free experience I have had working at a polling place, and I thank my co-workers and the voting public.

But I was stressed Wednesday morning when I read the headline blazed across Page A-4 of the North County Times: "Some voters encounter glitches at the polls." The story continued for about one-third of a page pointing out the problems some voters had and spending lots of time on problems from two years ago. At the very end was a brief reference to the fact that there were many reports of trouble-free voting around the county.

Why couldn't that headline have highlighted the successes of the voting process for most people rather than first of all pointing out the difficulties? It seems the reporters went out intent on finding problems; sure enough, they did. I realize the voting experience wasn't problem-free for everyone, but it was for most. Tell the world that first.

All votes should be counted, and all voters should have confidence in the system being used. Tuesday we had the full range of voters. Some came ready to use the machines, others were apprehensive. Some came with skepticism and cynicism. But they came to carry out their privilege and responsibility. At our polling station, voters left with a positive or at least significantly improved assessment of the experience.

We had 110 paper ballots available. We used only three and those were for people who had to vote provisionally because of questions about registration or residence. We had one sight-impaired voter who used the headset/keypad feature of the touch screen machine.

Those voters who had the best experience were those who came prepared, carrying their sample ballots. It took the prepared voter five to seven minutes to complete the process. A perusal of the sample ballot would also have given people information about what to expect as they approached the machine.

Concern was expressed about the possibility of tampering with the machines. There are safeguards. For instance, the machines are issued to one worker's custody. The key, operator cards, and encoder cards for the machines are issued to a different worker. We are not allowed to set up the machines until Election Day morning, and at that time two workers must verify that the seals on the memory cards of the machines are intact. The first voter is asked to verify that all ballot settings are at zero. This zero start as well as all votes are recorded both on a memory card and on a paper backup. Voters can see the paper record of their votes as it is printed. All voters have to sign the roster. At the end of the day, the number of signatures must balance with the number of votes recorded on the machines and the number of paper ballots used.

Any system has room for fraud. However, registrar employees and polling place workers take their jobs seriously, and all take an oath to uphold the Constitution and carry out their responsibilities honorably. Let us encourage the voting process rather than putting it down.

Escondido resident Trena Boonstra has worked as a precinct inspector three times.

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