"Why is Election Reform Still Important and What Remains to be Done?" --
Ray Martinez III gives remarks at NCSL Election Institute in Aspen, Colorado
Last November, Ray Martinez III, former commissioner and vice chairman of U.S. Election Assistance Commission, addressed state legislative election committee chairs at The Legislatures and Election Reform Institute held at the Aspen Institute in Aspen, Colorado.
The title of his address was, "Why is Election Reform Still Important and What Remains to be Done?" Mr. Martinez began by candidly assessing the state of election reform since the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Through HAVA, federal standards were established to: allow a voter to correct mistakes and verify votes selected before the ballot is cast and counted; accommodate disabled voters in each precinct; deter fraud; establish statewide voter registration database systems; and require provisional voting for any voter whose name is not on the voter rolls or whose eligibility is challenged at the polls. HAVA also established and authorized funds for states to replace outdated voting equipment.
"Clearly, HAVA represents the most sweeping changes to the process of election administration in our country's history, moving from a system largely -- in some places, exclusively - dominated by local decision-making, to one in which the presence of local, state and federal entities must co-exist in full partnership. Therefore, it is accurate to describe HAVA -- as many have done -- as a paradigm shift…. [t]he fact is that in the last 5-6 years, the business of election administration has been fundamentally transformed -- perhaps reborn -- for better or worse (and personally, I believe by and large, for the better)."
Looking at the 2006 election, the first election cycle in which all of the HAVA requirements were due to be fully implemented, Mr. Martinez quoted a report by electiononline.org that described the 2006 elections as one in which, "[t]he margin of error did not exceed the margin of victory." He further noted that 2006 represented progress in the area of improved voting systems and provisional voting, and in the continued central role of state and local officials in the administration of elections. Nevertheless, he outlined a critical roadmap of remaining issues that require serious attention. It included:
- Training. The need for better training of poll workers and election administrators with respect to voting technology and procedures;
- Technical Expertise. The need for internal or independent technical expertise personnel such that municipalities and counties no longer rely too heavily upon vendors for technical expertise;
- The Changing Face of Election Administrators. An escalation in turnover among election administrators in light of increased certification requirements has led to younger, more tech-savvy administrators taking the helm, but they will need a support structure of continuing professional education and certification -- something that today, for most jurisdictions, is the exception rather than the norm.
- Voting System Security. In short, greater testing, more stringent access controls and enhanced physical security of voting systems are prudent practices for jurisdictions to implement.
Turning to the final question -- why is it so important for legislatures to adopt effective election reform -- Mr. Martinez noted that the demands of executing a modern election will only increase over the coming years. "This is inevitable based upon increased societal mobility, a growing diversity in the U.S. population, and the heightened complexity of election administration." Moreover, a vibrant democracy must be as responsive as possible to its citizens and must diligently work to prevent disenfranchisement. Finally, state legislators have the responsibility of managing change in a reasonable and rationale manner so as not to drive down voter confidence in the overall integrity of the process. "Continued collaboration and continuous dialogue is essential to ensuring that public policy matches the real needs of our voting process," he noted.
Ray Martinez III is currently the Government Relations Director at Rice University. Prior to joining Rice University, Mr. Martinez operated a public policy and government relations firm, the Martinez Policy Group, in Austin, Texas and served as adjunct faculty at the University of Texas (Austin) LBJ School of Public Policy. He also served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House under former President Bill Clinton.
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