The New York Times article titled Why Americans Can’t Vote, published on April 16, 2016 by its editorial board, paints a bleak picture of the current state of the electoral system. The main argument focuses on recent trends in primary elections following up to disenfranchise voters from participating in November for the Presidential elections, backed by incidents such as Maricopa County polling places fiasco and the state of the technology, process and law governing the national elections. Even with the truth in its report, the article fails in its estimation of its points.
In Maricopa County, the voters did wait in long lines for hours into midnight. The Justice Department has already started investigating the incident. 12 News reported that County Recorder Helen Purcell admittedly misjudged the turnout and accepted her faulty decision as a miscalculation to reduce the number of polling places from 200 in 2012 to just 60 in 2016 primary. The locals noted that such an inconvenience occurred for the first time in their county, and Purcell herself has been organizing elections there for 27 years. She is prone to errors as any human being is, and also feels proud of the citizens who patiently waited to cast their important votes. Therefore, the rare fiasco didn’t discourage Maricopa County citizens from casting their votes.
County Supervisor Steve Gallardo refuses that budget was the concern behind the incident, by saying to Thinkprogress.com that the state would have fully reimbursed the cost. He also said that a study is under way to find out that the minority voters weren’t discouraged by the incident. He wants to be absolutely certain of the truth in claims that the voting rights of minority communities were targeted. He further noted that the entire incident demonstrates the need to restore federal oversight of state elections. With lessons from the incident, state officials like Gallardo and Purcell have taken full responsibility to ensure better polling arrangements in the future.
The voting equipment are not entirely obsolete, as mentioned in the article. Firstly, the voting systems are designed according to the standards set by U. S. Federal Commission. Problems with voting equipment rarely go unnoticed by local election officials, who then immediately write an emergency letter to the concerned authority. In 2000, the punching machine fiasco was immediately responded with upgrades to new optical scanners. The congress has now funded up to $3.9 billion dollars to replace the voting machines. Votingnews.com reports that in July 2015, a legislation was passed to put Secretary of the State at the helm of election equipment upgrade. The bill was passed at the Board of Elections, which previously had the power, couldn’t get past financial and logistical challenges in machine upgrades. Many states have already initiated the upgrade process. As reported in Gainesville.com, Ken Detzner, the Florida Secretary of State, has ordered 30 of 67 counties in the state to upgrade election equipment. Measures are in place to ensure that the upgrade doesn’t defamiliarize voters with the voting process. MSNBC.com reports that Virginia spends $28m in 2014 to replace old touch screen machines with digital scan machines, a latest technology which enables paper ballot backup in case of equipment failure. Hotlines, made to receive reports from voters regarding the election process, are also answers questions regarding the voting equipment. Arizona is also funding for upgrades. In a report to Arizona Capital Times, Eric Marshall, the Election Director of Gila County, said that old machines were used for as long as they were durable. He also noted that they faced fewer problems when in use.
The early deadline in changing party affiliations in New York has definitely upset several voters. In a report in The Guardian, Tom Connolly from New York State board of elections says that the voters can still contact the New York Legislature to change the deadline. The changing of the Voting Rights Act, first passed in 1965, by e Supreme Court is not meant to allow states with history of discrimination to push back minority voters. In a report by Brennan Center for Justice, we learn that the Act is simply being revised as new coverage formula is needed in new conditions. The tighter process of voter identification ensures the person casting vote is an authentic American citizen, and put the frauds at bay.
The New York Times article is right in pointing at various challenges present in the election system, but has clearly failed to critically evaluate views differing from its own. There are evident flaws in its solutions. Online registration may not be very effective in authentically identifying the voters. Early voting is an attractive solution to increase voter turnout, unless it becomes opted by maximum number of voters. Various states have come far ahead in the implementation of the solutions the article offers in modern technology and workforce training. Therefore, there is more than just one good reason for the voters to show up and cast their valuable votes in deciding the future of our country.
Works Cited
Board, Editorial, The. "Why Americans Can’t Vote?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Resnik, Brahm. "'I Screwed Up' Recorder Says after Voting Disaster, Won't Resign." KPNX. KPNX-TV, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Ollstein, Alice. "County Supervisor: 'Unanswered Questions' In Why Arizona's Election Went So Wrong." ThinkProgress RSS. CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS ACTION FUND, 25 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Kiefer, Michael. "Justice Department to Investigate Maricopa County in Election Fiasco." Az Central. 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
Curry, Christopher. "County Replaces Old Voting Machines." Gainesville.com. Gatehouse Media, Inc., 27 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Johnson, Eric. "Arizona Looking to Upgrade Voting Machines Ahead of 2016 Elections." Arizona Capitol Times. The Dolan Company, 20 Oct. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Roth, Zachary. "Virginia to Spend $28 Million to Upgrade Voting Machines." Msnbc.com. NBC News Digital, 16 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
"Rhode Island: Voting-machine Upgrade under New Jurisdiction | Providence Journal." The Voting News. Verified Voting Foundation, Inc., 17 July 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
"The Voting Rights Act: A Resource Page | Brennan Center for Justice." The Voting Rights Act: A Resource Page | Brennan Center for Justice. New York University School of Law, 4 Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Carpentier, Megan. "Early Primary Deadlines Frustrate New Yorkers Left Unable to Vote." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 12 Apr. 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
