Overcoming Structural Barriers to Participation
Burck Smith
While voter turnout rose 6% in the 1992
presidential election, it is fair to say that we are living in troubled democratic times.
Despite the increase, only 56% of the eligible population voted in the presidential
election. This figure regularly drops into the twenties and teens for non-presidential,
state, local and primary elections. Furthermore, political cynicism is rampant among
today's electorate, further alienating the public from democratic process.
The promotion of citizen participation in
elections depends on at least three factors: 1) the existence or lack of structural
barriers to registration and voting; 2) the quality and quantity of political information
and citizen deliberation; and 3) the competitiveness of elections and the caliber of the
candidates. Here I will address the existence of structural barriers to citizen
participation in politics.
Enforce the National Voter Registration Act
The May 1993 passage of the National
Voter Registration Act significantly reduced structural barriers to voter registration.
Although, the innovations addressed by this hearing relate to voting, rather than
registration, the single most important thing that Congress can do now is to enforce state
compliance with the National Voter Registration Act. The Center for Policy Alternatives
released a report in August 1994 identifying approximately a dozen states who have done
nothing toward implementation. Once implementation is accomplished, the issues addressed
by today's hearing will represent the next set of election administration reforms.
Telephone voting, electronic balloting,
early voting, absentee voting and mail balloting are the cutting edge programs in election
administration. These programs benefit anyone who encounters difficulty voting at a
conventional polling place. Examples of beneficiaries include the elderly, people with
disabilities, those who work odd hours, those who are out of town on election day and the
average, harried voter. These programs should be actively supported to the extent that the
costs are reasonable and the integrity of an election would not be compromised. These
programs mentioned today fall into two categories -- current and future innovations.
Current Innovations
Like components of the National Voter
Registration Act, early voting, innovations in absentee voting and mail balloting are all
programs that have been successfully tested at the state level. Texas has had an extensive
early voting program for seven years, and Colorado and Oklahoma both allow early voting to
a lesser extent. At least ten states allow voters to vote absentee without specifying a
reason, and Washington state allows voters to automatically receive an absentee ballot for
every election.
Fifteen states already employ mail
balloting in selected elections, and Oregon has even held a statewide all-mail election. [In
July 1995, the Oregon governor John Kitzhaber vetoed legislation that would have replaced
all polling places with mail ballots, arguing that the measure deserved more study -
editors.] . Some states are also allowing early votes to be cast in
"satellite" offices. Texas established early voting polling places in Wal-Marts
and at shopping malls, and Dade County, Florida has satellite locations for absentee
voting.
These reforms have been proven to be
enormously popular with the public, and, in the case of mail balloting, often less
expensive than traditional elections. In 1985 surveys that accompanied two mail ballot
elections in Washington and Montana it was found that more than nine of ten respondents
preferred using mail ballots.
Future Innovations
Picture this: a low-income single
mother rarely leaves the house after work because of the fear of leaving her children at
home alone. However, despite this woman's isolation she can discuss access to child-care
facilities in an on-line discussion group, read about current state and federal
legislation at another internet address, e-mail her federal and state legislators and vote
from the home or work. By providing accessible political opportunities, these kinds of
technologies have the potential to reinvigorate citizen participation in politics.
Telephone voting and electronic balloting
are innovations that are hungered for by the public. A survey published in the October
1994 issue of Macworld, a respected computer magazine for Macintosh users, revealed
that 67% of consumers indicated a strong or moderate level of interest in electronic
voting. Furthermore 20% of respondents indicated that they would pay up to $10 for the
provision of such a service.
Although the public's interest has been
piqued, the practicality of such a system is, as yet, undetermined. Its viability will be
determined by the process through which it can guarantee a citizens' constitutional right
to a secret ballot, its ability to maintain the integrity of an election, its cost, its
accessibility and the capabilities of the information infrastructure.
Telephone voting demonstrations in New
Mexico successfully proved that a secret ballot and electoral integrity can be maintained
when voting remotely. On the other hand, cost to boards of elections, accessibility to the
public and capabilities of the information infrastructure remain important obstacles to
electronic elections. But they could be surmounted as the cost of the necessary computer
hardware and software continues to fall, modem and computer use becomes more widespread in
American homes, public institutions like libraries and schools provide more access to the
information superhighway and construction of advanced telephone and cable television
continues to advance.
Given that the hardware, software and
infrastructure will soon be available to accommodate electronic elections, Ed Weems,
President of Election Technology Corporation and Center for Policy Alternative Governance
advisory board member, estimates that the technological components of electronic voting
will be available in three years. He also cautions that it may take fifteen years to
implement because of political resistance.
Despite the need for electoral innovation,
a cautionary note must be sounded. What if the isolated mother mentioned earlier lives in
a neighborhood where the information infrastructure will not support the transmission of
the desired political information?
While the potential of communications
technologies is extraordinary, there are dangers. Congress must take particular care to
use technology to connect rather than to isolate. In addition, non-traditional voting
programs, like electronic voting and absentee voting, need to be thoroughly explained and
publicized so that all people will have access to these opportunities. This is
particularly relevant to any innovation that relies on technology to improve access.
We need to be aware of the democratic
potential and pitfalls that await us in the information age. But because of the dire need
to increase public participation in the electoral system, any innovation that makes voting
more convenient and is responsive to the public should be fully explored.
Burck Smith delivered this testimony to
the House Subcommittee on Elections in September 1994 in his capacity as Governance
Program Coordinator of the Center for Policy Alternatives, a non-profit, non-partisan
voice for progressive policies in all fifty states. For information on the Center,
contact: 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20009 (202) 387-6030.