Greene County Elections in Ohio Still Need Some Work

Greene County in Ohio needs to do more to ensure its poll workers are knowledgeable, the machines are trustworthy and reliable and the election process in general has a strong internal integrity. This article is a review of my experience on Election Day, Nov. 6. The results? Greene County still has some work to do to ensure that its prepared for the 2008 presidential race.

If one were to read Greg Palast's books on the past two presidential elections, or Google election fraud, one would find that there has been a great concern over the integrity of America's elections. My state in particular, Ohio, has faced numerous allegations of election irregularities. Some counties refused to certify new voting machines unless they left a paper trail. Warren County was accused of improperly sequestering ballots in the 2004 election. When I was registering voters in Montgomery County to vote during that time, I had more than one refused, stating that in the previous 2000 election, their names were not on voter rolls despite having voted in the same precinct for years. All of them were African American. None of them had been permitted to vote in that election. My very own Greene County, the subject of today's review, had issues in 2004 with the proper and official way to recount, as reported by election observer Evelyn Robeson.

I know all of this at minimum because I just researched and wrote an online voter's guide for Greene County. As a part of this I also knew my rights when it came to voting and the new voter ID requirements law. In the past elections there were complaints regarding the fact that certain precincts, predominantly minority precincts, were requiring ID, while others were not. Those who could not produce ID were turned away. There were others charging vote fraud where people who were not registered, or were not even alive, were voting in elections.

Lo and behold, Ohio has a new voter ID law, requiring identification of some type to be produced for EVERY voter, no exceptions. I assume, though I can't prove, that this law was put into place to assure that voting ID requirements are fair and to reduce fraud. Others may challenge that it is to reduce the number of people, who otherwise are valid voters but may be unable to produce ID-such as the homeless or others who may vote liberal. This of course is just the rumor mill.

Regardless, I knew from both the Greene County Board of Election's website and Ohio's Secretary of State website that I would be able to vote with my driver's license despite it showing a previous address. This was a good thing since the complexities of my life would make it harder, and more physically painful (though not impossible) to produce proof of current address. Thus, this rule made it easier for me to participate in democratic elections.
As I approached the large field house, I thought about the previous elections. Tensions were high, it was rainy, and the police had been called to prevent a group of Democrats from passing out information within a certain number of feet at the polling place.

Today, it was chilly and windy. The sun brightened the white stuccoed façade, and greened the grass passing beneath my feet. As always, when I entered I was blinded for a moment before my eyes adjusted. I quickly exited to hold the door open for an elderly woman with a cane. It was then I realized I had been holding my breath.

It wasn't a big presidential election, and I didn't really even know what was on my precincts ballot. I was more absorbed with the ballot of a town 10 miles down the road. Still, I somehow felt that having this vote, and having it go right, with proper integrity, knowledgeable poll workers, and reliable machines was really important. I wanted my vote to count, even if it was just for city council. I was in doubt that it would.

It was a little bit of doubt. I believed just as equally if not more that it would as wouldn't. But in a democratic election, distrust of the process is a bad omen.

As I walked in the narrow hall near the bleachers, I noted that they had voter's rights posted conspicuously in two different places. They had a warning not to vote twice, they had a notice that state issue 1 didn't gather enough signatures, and they had two lists of voters' names-- one for each precinct, and the voter identification rules.

Again this notice confirmed that my driver's license "as is" would be accepted (as long as I provided my driver license number or last 4 of my social), and this time I learned that it would be accepted so that I would get a regular ballot, NOT a provisional ballot. ( I had assumed so, but had not seen it written anywhere before). I felt more confident.

Then I checked the precinct rolls. I panicked. My name wasn't on it. I remember distinctly voting at table 3 in the last elections....

So I turned around. Sure enough two lists, three tables. The third must have been mine. I approached the table. They checked my name. Sure enough, there was my recognizable signature next to my current address. They asked for ID. I pull out my license and handed it to them, ready to provide my driver license number. Sure enough they said my ID was not valid to vote because I didn't have a current address, and then asked me for one of the other forms of ID showing my current address.

Huh?

"No, no", I said. "I just wrote an article on this. I checked the rules before I came in. I can vote using this license".

The lady said, "Well we'll give you a provisional ballot".

My face went white. The dreaded provisional ballot. The ballot that I had heard could be cast, but did not have to be counted. It was the dead letter box of voting, the "Let's make you feel good about getting to vote, even if it does mean your vote may not matter."

I insisted that I was entitled to get a regular ballot. She insisted I was entitled to get a provisional ballot. I wasn't sure what to do. I had a choice. Go to my car and get a utility bill and have this be over, or push the issue, even if it meant stirring up trouble.

Going to the car would be easier in terms of satisfying them, but would be more painful for my back and neck. It would also let them out of their responsibility to know the voter ID rules, and the next poor slob that came along in the same situation, but without alternative ID would either go home and may not return to vote, or inappropriately get the dreaded provisional ballot.

Pushing the issue could potentially get me in trouble. Maybe if I refused and we came to a stalemate, they'd call the police to escort me out. Maybe they'd get mad at me. Maybe it'd be tense, and I might run into these people around town elsewhere. Maybe I'd have to spend extra time I didn't have for the day calling the board of elections, or the secretary of state asserting my rights. Maybe....I wouldn't get to vote. Then again, if I could get it resolved, then the poll workers would appropriately understand the law, as they already should, and apply it correctly to the next person who may not feel like pushing for their rights.

I made my choice.

"No. It's listed on the wall over there, and on the Secretary of State's website. I'm allowed to vote on a regular ballot." We went back and forth until she called over a man to confer with him. He whipped out their instructions to prove me wrong.

"If you want to make an issue of it, we'll just look it up." Immediately I could tell they were reading the wrong section. The license requirement permitting a previous address was buried in the list of acceptable documents, instead of at the top as in all of the lists I had read.

The poll workers were reading only the first requirement, current ID, then moving down to the provisional section. I had to point out the exact paragraph to the man. To his credit, he said that I was probably right, though he didn't agree with that provision.

Unfortunately, in spite of having this pointed out to the other female poll worker, she insisted that it was the provisional ballot that applied not the regular ballot. I didn't know how much clearer it could be. Still she insisted the two sections were contradictory. Finally they decided to call a higher office. The man told the higher up I had provided a driver's license with a non-matching address and that I was refusing to provide any confirmation of current address.

I was concerned. The paper on the wall clearly stated that if an ID with a previous address was given, but the voter refused to give the last four digits of the driver's license number or social security number AND refused any more address identification then they would be given a provisional ballot.

However, I was not refusing to give those numbers. I quickly corrected him, and to his credit he relayed that. I could hear the woman's voice over the phone as she checked me on the voter rolls. She informed him I would be allowed to cast a regular ballot.

He informed the original poll worker who took my information. They wrote my entire driver's license number down instead of the last four digits. However, at this point I was tired and didn't protest.

I signed the form, was given an electronic card, and was off to vote. Except my voting card wouldn't read. I had to get it reloaded. Finally I cast my vote, wary of the machine. (I really dislike voting machines. I don't believe the people in charge are providing enough safeguards). The machine printed a paper ticket of my vote, and then kept it. I don't like that either. I believe I should be given a voting receipt as well. However, my educational deed was done. I participated in the election. I grabbed my sticker and prepared to head home.

Then I got suspicious. Why were the poor predominantly black precinct rolls not up on the wall? I went to the other two tables and checked the voter maps. In reality, the majority of my neighborhood was in the first precinct (not mine), so it was in fact listed. It was at that point I realized that the third precinct's rolls were simply posted on the opposite side of the gym, behind the machines, out of sight from the entrance.

I also noticed that seven of the poll workers were white while only two were black. It seemed disproportionate to the neighborhood's make-up. If it were a volunteer venture, then whoever volunteers is who you get. Perhaps that was the racial make-up of volunteers. Yet, the other poll worker had said he was paid to be there. I asked the second table how volunteers were chosen. They mistook me to be interested in volunteering. They took my name and expressed that they were always in desperate need of volunteers

Just as I had not realized until later that I was going to do some poll activism, I didn't realize until that moment that I considered poll working so important that it was something I would like to do. My question seemed answered, all seemed fair, and they had my number if they wanted my help.

I don't for a minute believe the poll workers were trying to disenfranchise me, or null my vote. I don't think there was anything intentional about it. In fact, prior to voting I had let the poll workers know that even though I was a pain, I did appreciate their time spent there. Still, how many people across the state, counting on the stated ID provision, are being handed provisional ballots instead of regular ones?

My questions answered, I walked out the door. My inquiries were satisfied, but I left distinctly feeling that Greene County is not quite ready to ensure that 2008 will be conducted as fair and balanced elections with a strong procedural integrity.

Recommendations:

1) Poll workers need specific education regarding the anomalies in the voter ID law.

2) All precinct lists be listed together at the entrance.

3) All voting machines provide a paper trail, including a receipt to the voter.
Please feel free to give your own experience by leaving it in the comments or writing your own article and leaving the link in the comments.

Sources:

Evelyn Roberson's Testimony as a Greene County election observer

http://ohioelection2004.com/PDFHost/041231roberson.pdfSecretary of State Voter ID page

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/id/index.htm

Greene County Voter Identification Law Notice

http://www.co.greene.oh.us/BOE_New_Voter_Identification_Law.pdf

Election Fraud Ohio, List of Alleged Election Fraud Complaints.

http://fairnessbybeckerman.blogspot.com/2006/09/evidence-of-fraud-and.html

Documentation to the secretary of state describing and requesting investigation into complaints of election fraud, including Warren County's actions in sequestering votes on recount.

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/HRE412A.html

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Greg Palast; 2003

Armed Madhouse, Greg Palast; 2006

http://www.gregpalast.com/