Preemptive poll-watching question regarding number of voting machines per precinct

[diva77]

I searched the California Elections code and could find nothing that stated a requirement for a certain number of voting machines per size of precinct ...

Should the following be a preemptive action item for pollwatchers in counties/states with voting machines?

If someone plans to be a pollwatcher, they should call the county registrar now, i.e. in advance of the election, to find out the number of machines to be deployed in their precinct and also the number of voters expected (based on past history and number of voters registered)...if the number of machines appears to be insufficient ahead of time, maybe pressure could be put on the registrar to issue extra paper ballots or machines.

[emlev]

1. Here's a call to action on that exact topic

at the STEALING AMERICA: Vote By Vote action website.

Help Prevent Equipment and Ballot Shortages

... Assess electronic voting machine and voting station allocation for equality. If electronic voting machines are used, find out how many machines are scheduled to be provided in each polling place. (Check number of private polling stations -- “voting booths” -- as well.) Check to see that the number of machines provided is both proportionate to the number of voters and is sufficient. In other words, precincts with more voters should have proportionally more machines. The current rule of thumb is one DRE (" touch screen machine") per 175 voters. If enough backup paper ballots are on hand, and if only machines in good working condition are sent to each polling site, that should allow all voters to cast ballots without an unreasonable wait time, even when election turnout is high.

(more at link)

It's also on the action page at StandingForVoters.org.

It was pointed out to me by a colleague that since many places have scrubbed their voter rolls as required by HAVA, there will be fewer people on the voter rolls who have died, moved away, etc. This is a secondary reason (in addition to the importance of this election) that the turnout figures will be very high. If a jurisdiction traditionally makes decisions about equipment/ballots needed based on a percentage of past turnout, they may end up with insufficient capacity if they don't adjust the figures due to the effects of scrubbing. (I hope that made sense; it was a little hard to explain.)

I do want to mention that some 'scrubbing' of voter rolls is actually necessary, but that doesn't mean that it's okay to purge voters the way it's happening around the country as a method of intentional, targeted disenfranchisement.

[diva77]

2. Is the '1 machine per 175 voters' in any state's election code? It would give

legal gravity to complaints of shortages on election day -- or in theory at least.

Great post, Emlev. Thanks!:hi:

[emlev]

3. As far as I know, there are no official rules about this...

but I haven't checked, personally.