INSIDE WASHINGTON/ County groups meet about election system

Hoping to take steps to reform the nation’s election system after the recent controversy in the presidential race, local leaders will meet this month to discuss ways to prevent the chaos and confusion from happening again. Working under the formal title of the National Commission on Election Standards and Reform, the group of 21 academicians, county officials, election administrators and representatives of civic groups are charged with examining voting procedures nationwide and making recommendations to improve the system.

The commision, organized by the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks, met in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10 and will meet several times over the next two months to discuss the matter. “Like many of our fellow Americans, county officials are concerned about the state of elections in America today,” says King County (Wash.) Council Member Jane Hague, who also serves as NACo’s president. “Since county governments are in charge of elections, it’s up to us to take leadership on this important issue. The American people deserve the best election system possible.”

Local officials want to make sure they are able to offer their input to federal and state lawmakers who have indicated they are interested in pursuing legislative remedies to correct flaws in the country’s election system. “I think we need to reiterate to the country that what we have in place is a great process,” says Mecklenburg County (N.C.) Commissioner Becky Carney, a member of the election commission. “But it is also time now to take a different look at it to make it better.”

Already, several congressmen and senators have pledged to offer legislation in the 107th Congress to reform the election system. Lawmakers in Florida, the epicenter of the 2000 election controversy, also are talking about ways to change their state’s election system. The Florida controversy set off a chain reaction across the country, with local and state officials now examining their own election procedures.

“We are going to take a look at what is going on in Congress, and we may want to define what the federal government’s role is in the election process,” says NACo Executive Director Larry Naake. “We have a point of view that this is the responsibility of the state and local governments. We are going to look at that, but at the same time our goal is to improve the election process.”

The commission’s recommendations are expected to be presented to Congress, the president and state legislatures to help shape future legislative initiatives. “I would hope there would be some guidelines established that would assist the Congress, because I know that it is going to come up with legislation to correct the problems,” says Pinellas County (Fla.) Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd, another commission member. “Congress doesn’t have the solutions. The solutions will have to come at the state and local levels.”

Among the items discussed at the January meeting were which voting machines are the most accurate; whether there should be a standard ballot; how federal funding might help; and whether a national standard for polling hours should be created.

NACRC Executive Director Ardis Schmitt says the commission will review what has happened this year and help correct those problems. She adds that the commission also hopes to highlight effective election procedures that are in place across the country so others may use them as models for their own communities.

To some extent, that is already taking place among NACo and NACRC members who are talking about the highs and lows of the 2000 election in an e-mail discussion group, Naake says. NACo’s Web site, www.naco.org, will serve as a central location for offering advice and suggestions.