Daily Voting News For August 4, 2008

Today’s featured article begins: “Although the United States prides itself on its commitment to democracy, its electoral system hardly qualifies as world-class. Putting aside the well-documented problems with electronic voting, hanging chads, and inept ballot designs—we are a country that does not even ensure that its polling places have sufficient ballots, adequate staff or enough space to avoid lengthy lines on election day. During this past Democratic primary season, state after state was “surprised” by larger than expected voter turnouts; it was as if the only people who were not aware of heightened interest in the elections were those in charge of ensuring enough ballots. We are now three months from the November elections. Have cash-strapped states further consolidated precincts so as to virtually guarantee long waits to vote? Is anyone ensuring that enough ballots will be printed to address a likely historically large turnout? If past experience is a guide, unless focus is placed on these issues now, expect what happened in Ohio in 2004 to be replicated across the nation this November.” ...

**"Daily Voting News" is meant as a comprehensive listing of reports each day concerning issues related to election and voting news around the country regardless of quality or political slant. Therefore, items listed in "Daily Voting News" may not reflect the opinions of VotersUnite.Org or Scoop.**

John Gideon
Co-Executive Director
VotersUnite.Org
www.votersunite.org

"To encourage citizen ownership of transparent, participatory
democracy." The Creekside Declaration March 22, 2008

© Scoop Media