Ensuring That Votes Count

Election 2000 in Florida: Could it happen here? -- The title of an Orange County Grand Jury report completed in the wake of the controversial 2000 presidential election.

“Uncounted O.C. Ballots Discovered” -- The headline on a recent story in The Times describing how 7,991 absentee ballots from the county’s Nov. 5 election went missing and were discovered just hours before the state deadline for certifying election results.

Fortunately, the lost-and-found ballots didn’t change outcomes of races in Yorba Linda, Anaheim, San Clemente, Westminster or Fountain Valley. So the county was spared embarrassing mentions on the national news and serving as fodder for late-night talk show monologues.

But the county can’t breathe easy when it comes to casting future ballots. The recent breakdown was the latest in a string of embarrassing miscues, including incorrect sample ballots, mislabeled candidates and political parties, improper Vietnamese translation, missing fiscal analyses in voter pamphlets and a shortage of Spanish-language ballots at some poll locations.

The 2001 grand jury report makes it clear that technology alone won’t prevent problems. Proper training for county staffers and volunteers is necessary to make elections flow smoothly.

County supervisors had been planning to review new voting technology even before the ballots went missing. The board on Tuesday will discuss three options for replacing the existing system, which relies on punch cards that are hand-fed into counting machines -- some of which are 30 years old.

The new systems would probably have prevented the misplaced ballots that marred the Nov. 5 election. But technology also promises to free up the county’s Registration and Voting division’s staff to focus on other problems. Fewer volunteers will be needed to conduct elections because the machines will allow a consolidation of multiple precincts into a single location. County workers will be able to focus their efforts on training volunteers who staff voting booths, and have more time to ensure that ballots include the right information. And, because there won’t be punch cards, chads and other opportunities for error, the vote tally should move more smoothly.

Replacing the old system will cost residents about $25 million. This could be the time to take the plunge, because the county seems to have funding in line.

The state Voting Modernization Act of 2002 will contribute some of the needed funds, and county officials expect the incoming Republican-dominated Congress to make good on a federal pledge to provide additional money.

The county should revisit the grand jury report in light of the recent breakdown and ensure that any useful recommendations are being pursued. Voters who take the time to study the issues deserve to know that their votes count -- and will be counted in a timely manner.