Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting (2006) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
1 The Electoral System
1 The Electoral System
Pages 17-28
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 17... ...
In principle, voter registration establishes a citizen's eligibility to vote. (Voter registration includes everything that is necessary to register eligible voters and to maintain such lists accurately and completely.)
|
From page 18... ...
18 ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS ABOUT ELECTRONIC VOTING Voter Registration Precinct Definitions Ballot Definitions Voter Authentication Ballot Provisioning Balloting Absentee Voting Early Voting Precinct Voting Initial Tabulation Canvass Final Tabulation Mandatory Recounts Final Reporting Recounts "On-Demand" Auditing Recount Reports FIGURE 1.1 The electoral process.
|
From page 19... ...
(Sometimes, a number of small precincts are consolidated at one polling place, and sometimes election officials can require that all voters from certain precincts vote by mail.) A local election jurisdiction is an administrative entity responsible for the conduct and administration of elections within it, and may be a county or a municipality (a city or town)
|
From page 20... ...
. Another important concern in the ballot definition stage is accuracy -- in many elections, the ballot can be long and complicated, and election officials need to make sure that the correct ballot is prepared for each precinct.
|
From page 21... ...
. Absentee voting in particular is a cumbersome process for election officials because of the requirement that only registered voters should obtain absentee ballots, and it is time-consuming because returned ballots must be authenticated manually.
|
From page 22... ...
usually takes place some days after Election Day and refers to vote totals that have been obtained from a careful canvass of all votes by precinct, resolving problem votes, and counting all valid votes (votes cast through absentee and other preElection Day processes, votes cast on the regular Election Day, and valid votes cast provisionally during Election Day)
|
From page 23... ...
. The primary challenges for election officials in audits arise when vote tabulation systems or human vote counters are unable to infer voter intent from the marks that are recorded on ballots, resulting in uncertain counts.
|
From page 24... ...
The second component is the result of three pieces of legislation -- the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act of 1986 (UOCAVA) , and the National Voter Registration Act of 1994 (NVRA)
|
From page 25... ...
We have secured more than 3,000 polling locations, recruited and trained 23,000 poll workers, registered and updated records for many thousands of voters who are eager to participate in the General Election, and mailed sample ballot booklets to 3.7 million registered voters. On election night we will count 2+ million ballots.7 This commentary provides a quick introduction to the logistical challenges associated with running a modern election in a large, urban election jurisdiction.
|
From page 26... ...
requires states to provide individuals with the opportunity to register to vote at the same time that they apply for a driver's license or seek to renew a driver's license, at all offices that provide public assistance or services to persons with disabilities, and by mail using mail-in forms developed by each state and the Election Assistance Commission. The NVRA also creates requirements for how states maintain voter registration lists for federal elections.
|
From page 27... ...
Also, election officials must rely upon scores of volunteers or nominally paid workers on Election Day, for tasks from facilitating precinct voting to assisting with tabulation activities once the polls close. Thus, election officials need to be concerned about having enough people to staff poll sites, and they also have to be very concerned about the quality of the work that that these volunteers or poorly paid employees conduct.
|
From page 28... ...
Election officials need to comply with a web of federal, state, and local laws and regulations. They must ensure that basic federal laws, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, are followed.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.