Vote-Counting: Fix It

The ballot box is the foundation of American democracy, but like democracy itself the nation’s electoral system has never been perfect. Now we know it can be distressingly frail.

From coast to coast, the way America votes is plagued by technical glitches, human error, muddled rules for counting and recounting and, in a few cases, outright fraud. Florida is not unique, but it became the pivot of the presidential election through extraordinary circumstances no one had envisioned.

As Times reporters found during an extensive survey, the election system suffers nationally from long-term neglect and mismanagement. This doesn’t usually matter because most elections are not such close contests or of such national importance. Now, however, we know that the American voting system needs to be modernized and reformed. The hodgepodge that exists is a national scandal that allowed too many Americans’ votes to be stripped away.

The greatest hazard may be the temptation to demand a quick national fix. Yes, this is a nationwide problem, but also one of 50 separate states, one that varies widely in degree and character. The Constitution gives the power of conducting elections to the states, and that is where it should remain. The vast majority of contests are at the state or local level. Even the presidential election is merely a collection of 50 state votes to choose electors who cast the actual ballots for the national ticket.

Indeed, many will demand that we junk the electoral college in favor of a direct popular vote for president. For the first time in a century, the candidate who received the most votes, Al Gore, did not win the presidency. But eliminating the college would create its own problems: Imagine the loser in a cliffhanger popular vote, as this one was, demanding recounts in 10 or 15 or more Floridas. The direct popular vote would also cut small states out of the presidential election process by removing the voting power that the electoral college system provides them.

Reform should begin with a national commission that would propose changes to Congress to help guarantee accurate and fair national elections. It would recommend minimum standards to the states on voting equipment, qualifications and pay for election workers and the settling of counting disputes. Such a commission should also look at tightening security on the growing number of absentee ballots.

Nationally, the commission should consider, along with ensuring fair and accurate elections, ways to encourage more Americans to register and vote. One possibility is to move elections to a weekend to attract a better turnout and to allow a phased closing of polls so everyone votes before winners are projected on television.

At the state level, modernization of voting machinery is the paramount issue arising from Florida. Counties are primarily responsible for buying and maintaining this equipment but are the least able to afford it. Both state and federal governments need to help the counties. California leaders already have proposed up to $300 million this year for this purpose, and Los Angeles County has said it will kick in $100 million. L.A. County is on the right track but should wait to see what action the state Legislature takes.

Replacement of the punch-card machines used by nearly a third of all voters nationally should be the top priority. The ancient lever-style voting machines used in some other states should also be phased out. Many smaller California counties use paper ballots read by an optical scanning device that has performed well and can remain in use until the next-generation devices are more affordable.

The most promising replacement is the computerized touch screen, similar to some banks’ automated teller machines. It’s costly but was used with great success in Riverside County this year after a simple programming glitch was corrected. There is considerable talk about Internet voting from homes or offices, but that entails serious security problems and may not be practical for some years.

The encouraging part of the dismal Florida story is that much of what went wrong can be corrected. What it will take is measured, careful reform free of partisan combat.