Criticism overdone on reigons' voting readiness

It's become a tradition before every major election. Advocacy groups swoop into battleground states, accuse government officials of sloppy planning and predict chaos on Election Day. Already-frazzled voter registrars go on the defensive, bristling at any question posed about their preparations.

Once reliably Republican in national contests, Virginia has historically been spared the drama, but not this year. Its status as a swing state has drawn scrutiny from a variety of political and non-profit organizations. The most recent examination is from the Advancement Project, a civil-rights group based in Washington, D.C.

A report released last week concludes that Norfolk and Virginia Beach lack sufficient numbers of voting machines and poll workers to handle the heavy turnout expected for the presidential election. The group says resources are stretched most thin in precincts with large minority populations.

Leaders of the Advancement Project provide a valuable role as election watchdogs, but they undermine their own mission by evoking an "Election Day meltdown." Such overheated rhetoric could easily discourage some people from even attempting to vote.

For their part, registrars should avoid taking criticism personally and use the report to take a fresh look at how they are allocating resources for the upcoming election.

The Advancement Project report raises legitimate concerns, but its conclusions rely on educated estimates and, in some case, outdated statistics. For example, information provided by Virginia Beach to the group this summer anticipated the city would have 1,061 poll workers. Since then, Registrar Pat Harrington has bolstered her Election Day battalions to 1,700 because of the large numbers of newly registered voters.

Similar recruitment efforts have been occurring across the state in recent weeks. On the same day that the Advancement Project released its report, the State Board of Elections announced it had reached its goal of helping to sign up 10,000 new poll workers.

Although their data are not perfect, researchers at the Advancement Project point out real weaknesses in Virginia's laws and offer some valuable suggestions on how everyone can help this election and future elections go smoothly.

What voters can do: If you are eligible to vote by absentee ballot, by all means do so. Applications are available online at www.sbe.virginia.gov. The deadline to apply is Oct. 28. Anyone whose work day and commute time totals 11 hours or more is eligible, as well as pregnant women, disabled people and caregivers. Those who do vote on Election Day should be prepared to stand in line without having a tantrum.

What election officials can do: Now that the voter registration deadline has passed, re-evaluate the distribution of poll workers and voting machines. Have plans in place for deploying extra machines and workers to precincts that may be overwhelmed by turnout. Make sure paper ballots are available in every precinct as a back-up.

What state leaders can do: Adopt a no-excuse absentee voting law, giving everyone the option to cast a ballot before Election Day in future years. Require poll workers to be distributed based on the number of registered voters, rather than the current minimum of three per precinct. Revise a state law that requires only one voting machine for every 750 registered voters in a precinct, a standard so minimal that it is meaningless. Similarly, the law requiring one booth for every 425 registered voters in precincts that use scannable ballots should be revisited. The availability of "privacy folders" for filling out paper ballots enables precincts to greatly expand capacity with only minimal costs.

Advocacy groups, registrars and state officials should remember they all have the same goal, to make sure everyone has the chance to vote. If they swear off finger-pointing and work together before Election Day, there may be no need for recriminations afterward.