Moderator Jorge Mursuli (People for the American Way): Good evening. I'd like to thank all of you for being here this evening and just sort of like to start by saying that we may not get the attention… election reform issues may not get the attention that we got before the election but it certainly doesn’t make it any less important… and so we’re very, very grateful for those of you that are here, we’re very eager to listen to your testimony and we should have a very fruitful evening. We’ve been conducting… the partnership of the NAACP and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under the Law, People for the American Way Foundation has been conducting these hearings throughout the state. The purpose of these hearings is to gather information to help mold our election reform agenda in partnership with all of our partner organizations. And we haven’t started here. This is an additional step in a long line of steps that reflect our commitment to election reform. Most of you know that the partners around Election Protection this past election were in all of the states all over the country. As a matter of fact, People from the American Way Foundation had over 25,000 volunteers around the country in precincts trying to learn what we could do to ensure that people’s vote was counted and that people actually got an opportunity to vote. We then produced, in collaboration with our partners, a report called “Shattering the Myth” that sort of quantified and qualified all the things that we experienced across the country. And that, of course, is available to anyone who wants it at the front desk. It really sort of gives you an overview of the kind of things we experienced. Today what we’re doing, like we did in other cities around the state – we’re giving an opportunity to those folks that possibly may not have had an opportunity to present a formal complaint and we wanted to sort of dot our i’s and cross our t’s as we sort of develop a legislative agenda. And as we sort of look for leaders around the state to help us correct the problems that still exist. Now many of you heard and possibly experienced the fact that things were a lot better this year than they were in 2000. Well, there was certainly nowhere to go but up I suppose. But we’re happy, we’re not looking for the problems, as a matter of fact we’re looking for the solutions. And our hope is that now that the partisan rhetoric is turned off we can really focus on ensuring that legislation in the state of Florida reflects the kinds of solutions that folks like yourself need in order to have your vote count in the future. And the truth of the matter is… it’s... I think I can say it’s People For’s position and I suspect it’s the position of the many organizations that are represented here today… is that, you know, when one person’s vote isn’t counted, to us that’s enough. There isn’t a magic number, one, a thousand, a hundred thousand… I don’t know what that number is. I know that when one person’s vote doesn’t count that’s enough because it’s not about someone else – tomorrow it could be your vote. So we’re very happy that you’re here. Before we introduce our panelists I just want to recognize a couple of people in the room that we very much appreciate that they’re here…
Moderator recognizes some members of the audience:
Selden Carter, national representative of AFL-CIO
Emilio Vazquez, regional director for Senator Bill Nelson
Ronald A. Brisey (spelling?), representing Representative Philip Brutus (Florida state representative)
Milton Collins, Deputy Supervisor of Elections, Miami-Dade County
Ida Corman (spelling?) Assistant Supervisor of Elections, Miami-Dade County
Arthur Anderson, Supervisor of Elections, Palm Beach County
Edina Sorrell and Jeff Tarter (spelling?) with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections
Marsha Barnham (spelling?), League of Women Voters of Broward County
Mary Mann (spelling?), United Teachers of Dade (organization hosting the hearing)
Monica Russo, SEIU
Moderator introduces panelists:
Courtnay Strickland, ACLU-Florida
Ana Cela Harris, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under the Law
Andy Rivera, the Advancement Project
Jill Hanson, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Adora Obi Nweze, National Board of Directors, NAACP
Edeline Clermont, SEIU
Reggie Mitchell, Florida Legal Director, Election Protection
<Panelists, in turn, say a few words about themselves and their mission>
Witness Arthur Anderson, Supervisor of Elections, Palm Beach County: Good evening to the panel and to the audience. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to appear before you this evening and have a few remarks. Let me say that not only is our topic of the evening one that is timely at any point in time in our lives but it’s especially meaningful to me this evening because as you know we are in the midst of the observance of Black History Month. And when I think in terms of the black historical experience in America, which of course is an integral component of the American historical experience, much of that effort was centered toward a focus on acquiring voter rights for all of our citizens – the most fundamental and basic guarantee that we have under the Constitution of these United States. You know, we should all be very grateful to the fact that much of the impetus toward voter reform in this state and nationwide originated in our outstanding county. For if it were not for the butterfly ballot, to some great degree we might not be here this evening. So, in a less than desirable fashion, we’re now moving in the right direction, which is – ultimately we want to guarantee that every vote counts. And if we think back to the 2000 elections, of course, which again very much has contributed to us being at this point this evening, we know that there was much concern, much dismay, much disenfranchisement of voters by way of the fact that every vote apparently did not count. Going back to the 2000 election in Palm Beach County, where we utilized that <inaudible> punch card ballot approach to voting we find that some 6.4% of punch card ballots went uncounted in the 2000 presidential race. However, since we have adopted in Palm Beach County the touch screen voting systems, the electronic ballots and equipment, we utilize Sequoia, again, that some .4% (a reduction of 93%) of touch screen voters did not record a vote of the presidential election in 2004. We were concerned as well you would understand that many voters either still casted <sic> a vote for president in 2000 or made some errors in casting their vote. I am reminded that 92,843 Palm Beach County voters who cast a vote by an absentee paper ballot vote or a provisional ballot vote, only .9% went uncounted in the recent presidential election. Much of the debate since we moved away from the punch card balloting, driven in large measure by <inaudible, Congress?> as well as our own state reform initiatives, the controversy has very much centered over what is best - to go with an optical scan system of voting or to go with electronic balloting equipment. As you know, some 52 counties in the state of Florida have selected the optical scan system; 15 have selected the electronic balloting equipment. There has been much debate and also, of course, legal actions brought against certain parties in this state and others that those residents in the 52 counties that have acquired the optical scan system enjoy an advantage to those in the 15 counties that did not due to the fact that as required by state law if a contested election outcome occurs you should be able to conduct a manual recount. We, of course, are not able to do that with electronic ballot equipment. And so, much debate has then emanated over that seeming disparity and that possibly residents in the 15 counties are being denied their equal rights as regarded by the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. As I’ve endeavored to address these concerns, of course, it has been <inaudible> suggested that we institute the paper audit trail and add printers to those electronic balloting machines that are currently in place. In Palm Beach County we are apparently moving in that direction. The County Commission has approved the expenditure to purchase the printers for the electronic ballot equipment when they are indeed certified in the State of Florida. Personally I have encouraged my staff, and we will be forming a technology advisory committee in the near future, that we’re welcomely open to any innovations or recent technological developments that might occur in the field. Ultimately what we want to do is ensure that every vote does count for our citizens and, although we are in the mode of moving forward with our electronic balloting equipment, we will consider any developments elsewhere and ultimately provide to our students <sic> the best remedy that is possible for them. Thank you very much.
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