| Local Info Advanced Search View Cart | |||
![]() |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Recent newspaper editorials have called for a resolution to well-documented problems with voting machines and I couldn't agree more. Voters should know, however, that responsibility for fixing the system isn't with local clerks, but with state and federal officials. In fact, the only reason the machines have functioned as well as they have is because of the hard work, dedication and professionalism of your city and township clerks. They have used everything from silicone to duct tape to hold these new, so-called "state-of-the-art" machines together and keep them running properly. They spend hours before each election preparing each machine, testing and re-testing them. As one local clerk has said, even after testing, "we hold our breaths" to see if they'll keep working. Surveys done by our office after every election since communities were required to purchase the machines has shown problems in the double-digits - failed motherboards, bad printers, power issues. Some machines won't accept ballots. Others crunch up ballots like accordion fans. In the Presidential Primary election, of 495 voting machines used, clerks reported problems with 14.9 percent of them during preparation or on Election Day. After the 2000 presidential election, federal officials spent billions of dollars to overhaul America's system of voting, but too little oversight created a worse debacle. Machines have design and manufacturing flaws. More than 2,000 wheels had to be replaced on the machines immediately because they were so difficult to move. Another example? The new machines jam so easily that every 50 votes or so, many election workers literally have to empty the bins or at least pat down the ballots on every machine. Voters wait. In early 2007, local clerks in the Oakland County Clerks Association asked for a recall of the AutoMARK machines, which help disabled voters mark their own ballot in privacy - a very worthwhile goal. According to precinct worker reports, however, many haven't worked well since communities were forced to purchase them as part of the federal Help America Vote Act. (HAVA) Since 2006, our office has advocated for local clerks, calling, meeting with and writing to state officials, congressional leaders, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the vendors themselves, pushing to have problems resolved. Local communities will bear the burden of these machines for years to come and the responsibility of keeping them working. The original warranties expire on the voting machines and the AutoMARKS at the end of this year. Communities will have to pay between $133 to $388 per machine annually for new warranties - and this for some machines that had problems the minute they were unpacked. The answer? Local clerks have done all they can. They believe so strongly in voting, in Democracy, that they've worked very hard to keep the system going. It's because of their diligence that every vote counts. Their hard work and ingenuity should be applauded. Meanwhile, state and federal officials must acknowledge these problems, hold vendors' feet to the fire to make necessary repairs and work to extend original warranties. Ruth Johnson
On Jan. 15th, you'll have an opportunity to have your vote count and your voice be heard in Michigan's presidential primary election. The timing was unfortunate for a number of reasons, but thanks to a lot of scrambling, determination and hard work by your local clerks and our elections team, polling places will be open and waiting. A few things to keep in mind as you head to your local precinct:
There's plenty not to like about this election, but it is part of our system of Democracy. Vote. Ruth Johnson MAY 2007 MAY 2007 MAY 2007 |
||||||||||
| County Home | Info A-Z | Departments | Jobs | Online Services |
| © 2002- Oakland County, Michigan | Privacy/ Legal | Accessibility | Contact Us |