We encourage everyone who will be observing one of the components
listed below to also complete a pre-election transparency assessment.
2) Pre-election testing of the voting equipment (often known as "Logic
& Accuracy" testing): The laws governing such testing differ widely across
election jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, observers are permitted and
even encouraged to ask questions and make comments. In others, only
silent observers of the tests are permitted. Our questionnaire is adaptable
to any of these scenarios. Observing pre-election testing may take only a
few hours of time, although the testing (and thus the observation) usually
occurs during the business day. This observation can be undertaken on
either an individual or a group basis.
3) Ballot Accounting: reconciling the number of votes cast with the
number of voters signing in at the precinct. This reconciliation takes place
at the time of poll closing. The rules for observing this critical function
vary from place to place. One advantage of participating in observation of
ballot accounting is that such observation takes place after business
hours on Election Day, and therefore is a short-term, after-hours
commitment. This observation is recommended for groups that can cover
several (but not all) precincts in a county, parish, or township. However,
observation by an individual at a single precinct is also useful.
In 2004, this type of observation by a leading citizen group in Florida,
the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition (MDERC), revealed a variety of
discrepancies, including that the vote totals of one machine were
accidentally uploaded three times into the certified count. MDERC's
report, "Get It Right the First Time," was cited by the United States
Government Accountability Office. This is your opportunity to expand this
important work into your local area.
4) Early Voting: Early voting observation is similar in nature to ballot
accounting observation, except that it takes place at early voting
locations (in jurisdictions where they exist) at the close of each day of
early voting. This observation is recommended for groups that can cover
several (if not all) early voting sites in a county, parish, or township,
but individual observation is also welcome.
Two leading citizen groups, the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition and
the Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay, are working hard to plan and
implement early voting observation in parts of Florida. The more people
that we have participating throughout the country, the more we will be
able to compare and contrast various ways of implementing early voting.
This observation will take place prior to Election Day, during the period
of early voting. (Approximately 14 states do not offer early voting - so
this project would not apply to you if you live in: AL, CT, DE, MA, MD,
MI, MS, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, WA.)
5) Auditing: Mandatory manual audits in randomly selected precincts
are essential to protecting the vote. These audits verify that the electronic
voting systems (either DRE voting machines or optical scan voting systems)
are accurately recording and counting the votes.
If you live in an area that already requires both a voter-verified paper
record and routine manual auditing, this is your chance to find out how
those important tools are being implemented, and to collect information
necessary to formulate best practices for future auditing. This
observation can be undertaken on either an individual or a group basis.
To find out whether your state requires mandatory manual audits of
voter-verified paper records, please visit our audits page:
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/audits
In addition to completed questionnaires, Verified Voting welcomes
detailed descriptions of unexpected problems and supporting material such
as videotapes, photos, and the like.
Make an Impact!
On the basis of the data gathered, Verified Voting will produce one or
more reports that will feature recommendations for best practices that are
geared toward increasing both the verifiability and accuracy of our
elections. By collecting information via observation and submitting it
into a nationwide data pool, you will be laying the foundation for a
stronger democracy.
Our goal is not only to support improvement in the administration of our
elections, but also to create models for effective citizen observation.
You will be able to download a feedback survey so that you can let us
know what you found useful, confusing, or missing from the Election
Transparency Project observation tools, or make other suggestions for
improving citizen oversight of America's voting systems.
Finally, Verified Voting will produce election transparency scorecards for
as many jurisdictions as possible. This data will help identify areas in
which transparency is lacking. Those areas will then become the focus of
our efforts in preparation for future elections.
Remember: much of this observation will begin in a matter of days! Don't
wait... sign up now by e-mailing observer@verifiedvoting.org or by calling
the Verified Voting office at 415-487-2255. Forward this message to other
individuals and groups that you think might be interested. Democracy
needs you. The time to act is now!
###
listed below to also complete a pre-election transparency assessment.
2) Pre-election testing of the voting equipment (often known as "Logic
& Accuracy" testing): The laws governing such testing differ widely across
election jurisdictions. In some jurisdictions, observers are permitted and
even encouraged to ask questions and make comments. In others, only
silent observers of the tests are permitted. Our questionnaire is adaptable
to any of these scenarios. Observing pre-election testing may take only a
few hours of time, although the testing (and thus the observation) usually
occurs during the business day. This observation can be undertaken on
either an individual or a group basis.
3) Ballot Accounting: reconciling the number of votes cast with the
number of voters signing in at the precinct. This reconciliation takes place
at the time of poll closing. The rules for observing this critical function
vary from place to place. One advantage of participating in observation of
ballot accounting is that such observation takes place after business
hours on Election Day, and therefore is a short-term, after-hours
commitment. This observation is recommended for groups that can cover
several (but not all) precincts in a county, parish, or township. However,
observation by an individual at a single precinct is also useful.
In 2004, this type of observation by a leading citizen group in Florida,
the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition (MDERC), revealed a variety of
discrepancies, including that the vote totals of one machine were
accidentally uploaded three times into the certified count. MDERC's
report, "Get It Right the First Time," was cited by the United States
Government Accountability Office. This is your opportunity to expand this
important work into your local area.
accounting observation, except that it takes place at early voting
locations (in jurisdictions where they exist) at the close of each day of
early voting. This observation is recommended for groups that can cover
several (if not all) early voting sites in a county, parish, or township,
but individual observation is also welcome.
Two leading citizen groups, the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition and
the Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay, are working hard to plan and
implement early voting observation in parts of Florida. The more people
that we have participating throughout the country, the more we will be
able to compare and contrast various ways of implementing early voting.
This observation will take place prior to Election Day, during the period
of early voting. (Approximately 14 states do not offer early voting - so
this project would not apply to you if you live in: AL, CT, DE, MA, MD,
MI, MS, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, WA.)
5) Auditing: Mandatory manual audits in randomly selected precincts
are essential to protecting the vote. These audits verify that the electronic
voting systems (either DRE voting machines or optical scan voting systems)
are accurately recording and counting the votes.
If you live in an area that already requires both a voter-verified paper
record and routine manual auditing, this is your chance to find out how
those important tools are being implemented, and to collect information
necessary to formulate best practices for future auditing. This
observation can be undertaken on either an individual or a group basis.
To find out whether your state requires mandatory manual audits of
voter-verified paper records, please visit our audits page:
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/audits
In addition to completed questionnaires, Verified Voting welcomes
detailed descriptions of unexpected problems and supporting material such
as videotapes, photos, and the like.
Make an Impact!
On the basis of the data gathered, Verified Voting will produce one or
more reports that will feature recommendations for best practices that are
geared toward increasing both the verifiability and accuracy of our
elections. By collecting information via observation and submitting it
into a nationwide data pool, you will be laying the foundation for a
stronger democracy.
Our goal is not only to support improvement in the administration of our
elections, but also to create models for effective citizen observation.
You will be able to download a feedback survey so that you can let us
know what you found useful, confusing, or missing from the Election
Transparency Project observation tools, or make other suggestions for
improving citizen oversight of America's voting systems.
Finally, Verified Voting will produce election transparency scorecards for
as many jurisdictions as possible. This data will help identify areas in
which transparency is lacking. Those areas will then become the focus of
our efforts in preparation for future elections.
Remember: much of this observation will begin in a matter of days! Don't
wait... sign up now by e-mailing observer@verifiedvoting.org or by calling
the Verified Voting office at 415-487-2255. Forward this message to other
individuals and groups that you think might be interested. Democracy
needs you. The time to act is now!
###
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