Blog
Primary Vote Counting
March 10, 2008
So, I knew it had been a long time since I've posted anything on the blog, but i was amazed when I found it's been nearly a month. That's pretty pitiful. However, I've got a good excuse. I've been too busy to even think about posting anything on this blog.
From certying the primary results, which took way too long by the way (not by our own fault), to a fairly contentious SDEC meeting, to the opening of candidate qualifying, and now on to a visit by DNC Chair Howard Dean, to name a few things, well, it's been wild.
I have to say though, that certifying the primary has been the biggest hurdle. Matter of fact, it's been one of the biggest tests for me in the eight years I've worked for this Party. The main reason being that our state does not have a statewide central vote counting machine. The company that maintains all the vote equipment and who prints the ballots statewide, Electronic Systems and Services, does a good job considering the workload they have, but they have yet to install a statewide counter.
That means that during a primary, when the parties have to certify the results, we have to compile the printed reports from all 67 counties (by mail, fed-ex, fax, you name it) back into a computer on a spreadsheet, which then has to be delivered and certified to the Secretary of State within a very small time frame. That I can attest is much easier said than done.
You would think that in today's modern age we'd have a statewide central counter. Of course, we already have countywide central counters that compile the results from every precinct into a county total. So why then are we killing ourselves, and wasting time, compiling results in this antiquated way? I sure wish I knew the answer.
Nevertheless, this one is done, but we've got another primary coming up in June....Argh! But this is one of those facts of life that your state party has to contend with. A fact of life that nobody really knows about, and which costs your state party needless time and money and keeps us from spending our efforts on the real needs of our election process; ballot security and vote integrity.
I hate to say it, but it's almost as if keeping a statewide central counter out of Alabama is intentional. But I'm not going to lay blame on anyone, not ES&S and not the Secretary of State, because I'd like to see something done about this.
I have a lot of respect for the people who work at ES&S. More than they know. But they have the resources and equipment to implement this type of system, and it's something that they've promised through the years, but it has yet to be done.
Secretary of State Beth Chapman, a Republican, should also be very interested in getting this done, but has yet to act. It would save her staff a lot of time and energy, and would save taxpayer money because those staffers have to certify the vote after every general election in the same slow manner.
I write this blog post because something needs to happen and I respectfully ask for ES&S and the SOS to work together to see that this is done. In fact, if there's anything that I can do, or that the Party can do, we'll do it. In the mean time, I'll keep working on it and advocating for it, and I hope to report back some good news....hopefully sooner rather than later, for the sake of my own sanity as well as others.
