RE: Super precincts and e-voting

["Paul Tiger" <tigerp@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Doug - et al,

BC combines a bunch of precincts. In the past it has been done based on past
voter turn out and the availability of judges. In rural no-wheresville this
has been okay, I worked one at the north end of the county one year. We
spent most of the time reading and talking (could have been sleeping).
In 2002, my precinct was combined with another based on voter turn out from
the year before. It was a mistake in my view. Rocky Mtn Elementary had a jam
of people all of the time. When I went to cast my ballot there were about
100 adults in the tiny school library with lines out all the doors. The poll
workers were slammed trying to keep things separate.

One of the problems that BC has always had is poll workers. No body wants to
participate. Before you jump on the idea of combining precincts you'd better
have a thought about logistics and manpower. I don't think that BC is ready
for this.

Could be okay with DREs that can keep track of voter ballot style, but DREs
are the problem for all the other reasons that we are tackling.

Paul Tiger

-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Grinbergs [mailto:saule@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 8:48 PM
To: bcv@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Super precincts and e-voting

Searching my BCV mailbox for "super precinct", I find no messages with this
term, so I thought I'd bring up the topic. As mentioned in this article,
some see super precincts as a way of saving money. Note, though, the
statement about live network connections to prevent multiple votes by one
person. (Doing a Google search for "super precinct", remarkably few searches
turned up, and none in Google News.)

---
<http://www.sptimes.com/2003/09/05/Pasco/County_may_switch_to_.shtml>
County may switch to 'super precincts'

The system, which would replace neighborhood precincts, could save money and
require fewer poll workers.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer
(c) St. Petersburg Times
published September 5, 2003


NEW PORT RICHEY - Supervisor of Elections Kurt Browning is toying with the
idea of creating "super precincts" for the 2006 elections, replacing 151
specially assigned polling places with 20 or 30 sites where any voter could
cast a ballot.

Browning outlined the idea at a County Commission budget workshop Thursday
during which he described his ongoing efforts to curb costs and increase
efficiency.

"You cut down on the number of poll workers you need. You cut down on the
amount of equipment you need," Browning told commissioners at the West Pasco
Government Center.

The idea would require some technical safeguards. To ensure that no one
votes more than once at different sites, each super precinct would need a
live connection to a master computer network, Browning said.

But perhaps the biggest challenge, he said, would be selling the idea to
voters used to their own neighborhood precincts. Voters might have to drive
a little farther to cast their ballots at a super precinct, Browning said,
but most people drive even farther to do their shopping and other errands.

"It's going to take a change of mind-set," he said.

Browning started exploring the idea after Congress passed the Help America
Vote Act in 2002. Among other things, the law requires all precincts to be
handicapped-accessible, which would mean renovations for some Pasco County
precincts in church and community club buildings, he said.

In the meantime, other state and federal election reforms are requiring more
training for poll workers, Browning said. Workers once needed three hours of
instruction; now some require up to 15 hours of training, including classes
on conflict resolution and disability awareness, he said.

The super precinct concept seems to solve both problems, he said, by
limiting the number of sites that might need renovations and the number of
poll workers needed to staff them.

Commissioners were supportive of the idea Thursday, although Browning has
not yet developed the specifics or come up with a cost estimate.

Commissioner Ted Schrader had one suggestion, though: Make sure the super
precincts sit on the county's bus routes.