Action | 2013 Periodic Review Chapter 60 Election Administration |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 4/25/2016 |
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I am very concerned about any expansion of the use of electronic devices in the polling place. I am concerned about the time it takes for election officers to monitor this. Last election, new voters were taking selfies and pictures of each other in the voting booths. We offered a space near the exit, with a nice background. We suggested that they might want to get their "I voted" sticker on their shirts and then take the picture. This seemed to better suit everyone. Older voters seemed very hesitant when they observed this open use of cell phone cameras in the voting spaces. Several voters complained about an observer who was seated too closely to the check in table and was using a lap top. This becomes particulary challenging when there is a dual primary and everyone is a bit hesitant and suspicious. Our elections take place in a very nice, accessible building. However there is nothing to absorb all the expected level of noise on election day. No matter how much warning we give everyone about silencing their cell phone, noise making cell phones add to the level of noise and confusion for some voters. At our site there is a range of ages from college students to the very elderly. Fequently our observers are college students or young professionals. I understand that for the younger generation, any proposals limiting their use of electronic devices seems an infringement of their personal freedom. But given that the polling place is open to all ages, we may need a compromise that benefits all, including the election officers that are trying to make the voting experience accessible to all and in a timely fashion for the many working voters in our precinct. We will always need to educate voters on who the observers are, their roles, and what electronic devices they are using and why. Let us not add to this burden for the officers of election who in this year, 2016, have an unusually heavy workload.