Push for paper ballots could cause more problems than it solves
Published July 21, 2013
Editorial from Wilmington Star-News, July 20, 2013.
While a controversial voter ID proposal is getting lots of attention, the N.C. General Assembly is considering another issue that could affect how you vote. And in this case, lawmakers would be wise to leave the details to the professionals.The bill originally would have demanded that all election boards use paper ballots. Now it merely calls for a study. Presumably the sponsors, Reps. Bert Jones, R-Rockingham, and Justin Burr, R-Forsyth, are convinced that paper ballots somehow safeguard the intent of the voter better than touchscreen machines, which if not properly calibrated can malfunction.
However, “voter intent” is what caused much of the confusion in the disputed 2000 presidential election.
Trying to decide whether a partially erased mark represents the voter’s intent or simply a mistake is akin to interpreting hanging chads in Florida. The question is whether it is really necessary that all counties have exactly the same machines, especially given the cost of replacing existing equipment.
Both touchscreen machines and optical scanners that read paper ballots are certified in North Carolina. Regardless of the voting method – paper ballot or machine – state law requires that it produce a paper trail of each vote cast.
Twenty-four counties use touchscreen machines on Election Day, including Brunswick and Pender. New Hanover and Columbus counties use the optical scanner on Election Day, but New Hanover uses the touchscreens at its early-voting sites. All counties must have a machine to assist disabled voters with their selections.
In the case of the touchscreen voting machines, a paper record is visible by the voter, who can double-check how the machine recorded the vote and change his or her vote if necessary.
The paper-ballot method requires voters to mark their choices with a pencil and then feed the ballot into an optical scanner that records votes. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method, but the major difference between the paper ballot and a paper record is that an incomplete erasure on a paper ballot could void a voter’s choice in a particular race.
The touchscreen machines also reduce the amount of paper that must be handled. However, they must be correctly maintained and calibrated, which is an expense. Paper ballots allow more people to vote at once – all the precinct needs is a sufficient number of booths with a writing surface.
That said, the newest generation of optical scanners could be a very expensive purchase for counties that already use touchscreen machines. The fiscal note accompanying the original House Bill 607 estimates a financial impact of roughly $11 million statewide. Smaller counties and those using touchscreens exclusively may be harder hit than those that use both methods. But what would they do with the touchscreens if all counties had to change to optical scanners?
As a practical matter, it would seem that the State Board of Elections and its staff are better equipped than part-time legislators to determine policies to preserve the integrity of elections and to make voting as convenient as possible for the people whose civic duty calls them to the polls.
The next best thing is to study the idea some more with significant input from the state board, which is what the revised HB 607 proposes.
This bill may or may not make it through the session that is rapidly winding down. Either way, the job of state and local election boards is the same: Make sure that Election Day in North Carolina runs smoothly, that everyone who is eligible to cast a vote can do so without waiting in hours-long lines and that the equipment is in good working order to minimize errors.
