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L.A. Registrar 'Not Closed to Idea' of 'Pilot Project' to Hand-Count Paper Ballots
BRAD BLOG Asks Dean Logan and Leon County, FL's Ion Sancho About Experimental Election Night Program for Small Number of PrecinctsQ&A's on That and a Few Other Points of Note, Documented on Video During Recent Appearance in Los Angeles by Both Election Officials...BY Brad Friedman
7/30/2008
I had the opportunity to ask an important question of both the legendary Leon County (Tallahassee), FL, Supervisor of Elections, Ion Sancho, and Los Angeles County's no-longer-interim Registrar of Voters, Dean Logan, last week here in Los Angeles.
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Of most important note, I wanted to know if either of them would commit to a hand-count of ballots in a handful of precincts this November, on an experimental basis, on Election Night. The count, in such a "pilot program" as I described it, needn't be the official count, but could later be compared to the results as reported by both counties' optical-scanners, since both L.A. and Leon County use paper ballots for their non-disabled voters.
As I've advocated to a few other election officials in the past, hand-counting in this small, experimental way would help us all to begin to compile data about the effectiveness --- or even, lack thereof --- of transparent, polling-place based HCPB (Hand-Counted Paper Ballots) on Election Night, as many Election Integrity advocates have called for...
While HCPB is still done in a few, often smaller jurisdictions around the country --- perhaps most notably, and successfully, in some 40% of New Hampshire precincts --- the practice has been routinely dismissed by doubters who charge that hand-counting at the polling place is impractical in large jurisdictions (e.g., Los Angeles, the country's largest) or in places which have lengthy ballots with many candidates and ballot initiates (eg. California).
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Hand-counting in a handful of precincts around the country this November, on an experimental test basis in such pilot programs, would allow us to begin to compile data as to the effectiveness and accuracy of HCPB. Doing so in a number of counties and in a number of states is, as I see it, a rather reasonable and practical step to take, if the necessity of citizen ownership, oversight, and transparency in elections is ever to be fully realized.
I have no idea what the results, good or bad, might be. That's why such experiments are necessary and, as I see it, quite reasonable. As a framer, and original signer of the Creekside Declaration, calling for "citizen ownership of transparent, participatory democracy," I'd heartily encourage such pilot programs all across the U.S. this year.
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While Logan declined to commit to such a pilot program then and there, understandably, he responded that he's "not closed to that idea" and further pointed out that he's carried out such experiments in the past.
"I'm not gonna stand here and make a commitment to a specific pilot project, tonight," he said. "But what I will say is I have a history, both here and in my previous work in Washington, of doing pilot projects. So I'm not closed to that idea."
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http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6233