The mission of the Oregon Voter Rights Coalition is to restore public ownership and oversight of elections, and to ensure the fundamental right of every American citizen to vote and to have each vote counted as intended in a secure, transparent, impartial, and independently verified election process.
CA: Riverside County needs to find fix for myriad voting troubles
Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 12/03/2006 - 8:21pm.
Blue-ribbon panel is just what voters deserve to insure a smooth election
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061203/OPINION01/612030323/1004
The Desert Sun
December 3, 2006
Democracy deserves better.
The problems voters in the Coachella Valley and around Riverside County encountered trying to cast ballots were inexcusable and should not happen again. Fortunately, the county's Board of Supervisors is putting together a blue-ribbon panel to investigate what happened and make recommendations to prevent this from happening.
It is the first time that the supervisors have taken such a step, which speaks volumes about the enormity of the problem Election Day. The panel is a welcome and necessary move. Voters need - and deserve - answers.
Voting is a fundamental right. Unfortunately, too few citizens exercise that right, preferring to sit out the election rather than participate.
Trouble all around
But this year, many who tried to participate ran into trouble. The lines to vote were unusually long this year - and not because voter turnout was unusually high, but because ballots were printed out after voters completed them electronically. Some voters left polling places in frustration before voting because the lines were too long. The lines were so long in Sun City Palm Desert that voters who had waited in long lines were still voting when polls were officially to close.
In some places in the valley, polling places ran out of ballots and election machines ran out of paper.
The results from 100,000 absentee ballots were not tabulated for several weeks.
Here's how it went wrong
How could so much go wrong?
Riverside County Registrar of Voters Barbara Dunmore has been too quiet about what happened. We certainly understand that her office has been busy counting ballots.
We know that she is preparing her own report on the election fiasco.
But we also had hoped to hear more from her by now - at least a strong acknowledgment that too many voters had a bad experience.
A citizens group, Save R Vote, will present its own report Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors meeting.
City clerks in the valley have told the Registrar of Voters that they are willing to help in the future to avoid problems.
The clerks suggested a meeting with the registrar - another welcome move.
We hope all the scrutiny will prevent these problems from besetting the next election.
Voting is so essential for a strong democracy that there is no room for error.
The Registrar of Voters needs to get it right next time.
VIDEO: “Protecting Your Vote”
