IOP Talks Voting At Conference

Institute of Politics (IOP) members discussed ways to improve the voting system at a national conference this week, ultimately deciding that organizations like Rock the Vote and Citizen Change: Vote or Die! are not enough and that the government ultimately carries the responsibility for making the voting process friendlier to young people.

Two representatives from the IOP—Leslie V. Pope ’06 and Kennedy School of Government graduate Jennifer C. Phillips—presented their qualms with the voting system to the biannual meeting of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) in Washington D.C. last Saturday.

Specifically, they asked that state governments streamline their voting processes and absentee ballot registration procedures.

“We’re trying to say, ‘Don’t disenfranchise students from their right to vote,’” Phillips said. “It was a cooperative effort. Some are big [recommendations] and would take legislation.”

The recommendations focus primarily on changing the absentee ballot system. They asked for the creation of uniform application deadlines nationwide, and the elimination of requirements for first-time voters, dubbed “marooned” voters, who in certain states are required either to register or vote in person.

“You can’t make it simple enough,” Pope said. “If you’re fifty-five and voting for decades, you don’t remember how difficult it is for first-time voters.”

Pope, formerly the co-chair of the National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement committee at the IOP, also said that the extensive identification requirements for “marooned” voters—which are the law in five states—are unnecessary in light of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), a piece of federal legislation that passed in 2002.

“HAVA has a tremendous amount of regulations, and protection from voter fraud,” Pope said. “We don’t need the older [laws] at the state level anymore.”

The IOP decided to investigate absentee ballot issue after receiving a large number of inquiries on their website and hearing about more difficulties during November’s presidential election. The information they received came from Harvard as well as 18 other universities from across the country.

Phillips said some of the stories were extreme enough to merit investigation: one student, who had registered when he was eighteen, led efforts to increase voter registration at his high school, and even voted in previous elections, was told he had never registered when he applied for his absentee ballot.

Romina Garber ’06, a Miami native who is also a Crimson editor, publicized her difficulties with voting in her monthly column in The Miami Herald. The column, entitled, “This is No Way to Treat an Eager First-Time Voter,” included an account of her numerous failed attempts to have her absentee ballot sent to her Harvard address.

“It’s kind of freaky when a computer has no recollection of your information twice,” Garber said.

But Garber also said that she is unsure what systematic changes would prevent situations like hers from occurring in future elections.

“I don’t know what to attribute the problem to,” she said. “Maybe to incompetence of the Miami-Dade election office—unless it’s corruption.”

Phillips attributed the problems to a swell in new voters overwhelming the system, which exposed the problems in the existing registration and absentee ballot processes.

“There were record numbers of first-time voters, meaning that there were unbelievable amounts of paper,” Phillips said. “I think the systems were overwhelmed. I don’t think that’s an excuse—it was an explanation.”

Phillips said that the legislative changes might be difficult to pass, unless the secretaries of state feel pressured by the federal government to take action.

“That’s part of the follow-up,” she said. “The willingness of the secretaries of states and endorsement of NASS depends on if they think they will be forced into it by the federal government.”

In addition to legislative recommendations, the IOP suggested that the secretaries of state take administrative initiatives—such as more sophisticated websites with separate sections for college students, and help desks similar to one that was offered on the IOP website—in order to make nationwide access easier.

According to Pope, thefacebook.com hosted a link to the IOP website on its homepage, which attracted hits from students all over the country.

Pope feels that administrative techniques like this one should be emulated on a larger scale.

“It has to do with taking this from a smaller level that worked and taking it to a national level,” Pope said. “But ultimately, the responsibility shouldn’t fall on non-profit groups. It’s the responsibility of the government.”

—Staff writer Monica M. Clark can be reached at mclark@fas.harvard.edu.