|
Advanced Voting Visit to Johnson County Election Office
Monday, March 30th, 2009
By J.R. Claeys
I met today with Brian Newby, the Johnson County Election Chair, during advanced voting at their main office in Olathe. Brian is overseeing a massive voting operation in Johnson County as one of the four appointed elections commissioners in the state. In most counties, the county clerk is the chief elections officer.
During the local elections his operation is slowing down considerably as advanced voting has slowed to a trickle. Brian tells me he expects turnout around 20 percent based on absentee ballots returned so far and the advanced voting numbers at the office.
After showing me the elections office, which includes a warehouse full of rolling suitcases prepped with voting materials, we talked about the voting process in Kansas and how the operations on the ground can be improved.
I asked him about the realities of the HAVA voter identification requirements for first-time voters and the effect Voter ID has at the polling place. I share his concerns over confusion at the polls when the list of acceptable forms of ID grows to over 17 types that have varying rules. For example, a utility bill is acceptable, but not a cell phone bill. My answer to this problem is requiring all voters present a government-issued photo identification card at the polls. Brian has yet to hear a complaint from someone asked for an ID.
We also discussed other types of fraud that are possible and the measures taken to prevent things like double-voting, voting in both Kansas and Missouri in the same election, and removing the deceased or non-residents from the polls.
There is no doubt in my mind after talking with Brian that there are laws that need to be changed to allow him to do the job of protecting our vote. He is doing the best he can with what he has, but he and all of our election commissioners and county clerks are limited in their efforts by our current laws. We need Voter ID, we need proof of residency and citizenship at registration and we need well trained, non-activist poll workers who are versed in the rules and procedures on Election Day.
Brian also has an initiative online called jocopolo.com that shows newer voters where to vote and what options are available for advanced and absentee voting. The site is a partnership with sponsors that allows Brian to run ads driving new voters to the site. I believe this is an important trend in elections in Kansas. Targeting new voters to get them engaged early will keep them voting for a lifetime.
 Text JOINJR to 41411 for Updates!
|
|
|
