Election Observing #1

Written by: Stephen Schuck on Oct 26, 2006 4:53 PM EDT

Member

You have either:
1) observed Whatcom County election return processing recently (read on and tell me where I messed up)
2) received the training, but not yet observed (this discusses my experiences during one early session)
3) not yet received training (this is an effort to get you to sign up, many DfA-msters already have)

Media hype gets us all excited about joining campaigns, sending money, phone calling, etc., etc. In reality, this effort is all worthless if you can't trust the counting procedures. Whatcom County's decision to implement all vote by mail guarantees a paper trail. Being an election observer provides an opportunity to see how our votes are being processed. It has increased my confidence in the process significantly. The opportunity to observe is mandated by state law, but few take the time to do so. The purpose is less to catch errors than to indicate to the people who do this grueling work that voters are interested in its quality.

Training occurs shortly before each election, in the Auditor's office (County Court House), and lasts about an hour. It is a slide show (with opportunities to ask questions) that does nothing more than give an overview of the various processes that you are likely to see. It qualifies you to observe, but imposes no obligation to do so. Each major party schedules times when their observers will be present (there seems to be nothing to prevent trained observers from showing up whenever they want). Observing is intentionally partisan (so the stake holders are represented) without influencing the results.

Becoming trained is something that DfA-msters can do at almost no cost. Call Roni Beall (Dem observer coordinator) 756-1405 to get on the list for the next training (date/time not yet known). Scheduling yourself to observe is a completely separate issue.

Ballot processing (sort-of) ends with counting on Election Day (there is no counting before, and the first tally is produced after 8:00pm - more on counting later). However, many preliminary activities occur before actual counting:

Each ballot envelope is first unsealed by cutting across the top (nothing is removed) and registered into a "Batch", the size of which depends upon where it came from (post office, office drop box, curb drop box, satellite drop boxes (election day only), etc. A bar code on the envelope identifies the envelope (not the contents) to the computer. When the batch is closed, the computer's count is compared with a hand count of envelopes and becomes the first entry in a control sheet that continues with the batch throughout the process. After each subsequent step a hand count assures that the batch remains intact. In each subsequent step the computer determines the processing order, preventing the batch from getting mixed up.

Then the batch is reprocessed by comparing each envelope's signature with a computer image taken from the voter registration form. Signatures that appear not to match are flagged for later exception processing by the Canvassing Board (county functionaries from outside the Auditor's office who oversee the process) and the voter may eventually be asked to come in and review the problem. The batch is then stored (fireproof vault with electronic key) to await the opening.

Meanwhile, the opening is prepared. Whatcom County has 119 precincts distributed among 3 Legislative Districts (39 (1 precinct, east end), 40 (south) and 42 (north). A separate ballot style is printed for each precinct (the stub that you were instructed to tear off identifies the precinct). Without that stub, a human has great difficulty identifying where the ballot came from. Ballots within a batch come from all over (they enter a batch with no sorting whatsoever), so nothing about a batch can imply any bias. Batches are hard to lose, because they are numbered sequentially by the computer, which complains if any go missing. As ballots are later removed from envelopes, some will be found to be invalidated, others valid but uncountable. The uncountable ballots are rewritten and verified multiple times to assure that the voter's intent was transferred (all these odd-ball ballots are kept with the batch, NOTHING is thrown away). Rewriting requires a supply of extra ballots for each precinct, which are prepared beforehand. I only observed the preparation of the extra ballots, not yet ballot opening.

These are the only parts of the process that were running on Wed.25.Oct.

My responsibilities were to keep quiet, not interact with the staff, ask clarifying questions only to the supervisors, and be interested. It was tedious (as is much of Democracy), but worthwhile. I'll be back there, and then back here. I hope to see you participating at the next election, if not before.

TAFN

Steve Schuck, "Organizer", DfA-Bellingham

Don't forget Citgo - Northwest at Birchwood, also in Ferndale - non-Arab gasoline (and decent prices)

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Location: Bellingham, WA 98225