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August 19, 2004

Activists planning for election day monitoring

Jeremy Schwab

Around the country, voting rights activists plan to monitor polls to make sure November’s presidential election runs smoothly.

In Boston and nine other Massachusetts cities, the voting rights group MassVOTE aims to enlist 200 volunteers to monitor polling locations.

The monitors will be on the watch for poll workers who give false information to voters, either knowingly or unknowingly.

During last year’s Boston City Council election, poll workers at numerous locations reportedly looked at voters’ ballots — a violation of privacy laws.

Workers told people that they had to vote for four at-large candidates, which was not true. Supporters of Felix Arroyo waged a bullet-vote campaign in which voters voted just for Arroyo in order to give the Latino incumbent a better shot at winning re-election.

While concerns regarding access and voting rights of disabled people, immigrants and other people of color crop up in every election, this year’s presidential contest is causing activists increased concern.

The election is expected to be close, and many see the decision between Republican President George Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry as crucial to the country’s future direction.

Adding to the tension is the not-so-distant memory of the controversy over the Florida recount following the Bush versus Al Gore election in 2000. The excising of thousands of African Americans from the voter rolls left a sour taste in many black people’s mouths and made voting rights groups more watchful for foul play.

Although Massachusetts is expected to go easily to native son Kerry, MassVOTE and other nonprofits involved in the poll monitoring emphasize that minorities and immigrants may face discrimination or other barriers.

“We really feel that voters in Massachusetts, even though they are not in a swing state, should have the right to vote freely and clearly,” said BostonVOTE Program Director Atiya Dangleben. “What happened in Florida happened in Boston and in cities across the Commonwealth. Sadly, it happens every year. Voters are turned away, maybe told to go to other polling stations. Votes are spoiled. Voters are told to leave not knowing they have the right to language assistance or to a provisional ballot if their registration was lost.”

Staff at MassVOTE and the Chinese Progressive Association plan to hand out ballots in six different languages so that immigrants entering the polls can read a copy of the ballot in their native languages before navigating the English version, as federal law only requires Boston to print ballots in English and Spanish.

Meanwhile, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights will provide volunteers to field calls on Election Day from poll monitors or voters who witness improper polling procedures.

MassVOTE staff aim to impact the system beyond simply watching for improper polling procedures, however.

“Probably the biggest aspect is finding what is wrong and seeing what needs to be changed about our system,” said MassVOTE Policy Director George Pillsbury.

The group plans to issue a report sometime after the election detailing recommendations for election reform.

While staff plan to ask poll monitors for their input, the MassVOTE staff already have strong opinions about what should be changed.

“We are looking to create election-day registration,” said Pillsbury. “It should be easy. People bring their address and i.d. and they register to vote.”

Pillsbury said that seven states already use election-day registration.

“Those seven states have five- to ten-percent greater voter turnout than other states on average,” he said.

MassVOTE staff also advocate allowing employees to take two hours off on election day so they can vote, and promoting more voter education.

“These are unnecessary barriers sometimes imposed by people who don’t want people to vote,” said Pillsbury.

 

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