By Robin Carnahan
Elections are a miracle.
Even in the best of times, they depend on a deep well of trust in institutions and humans to play by the rules and administer the election process fairly and effectively.
It’s a risky business to get right and complicated all the more by growing cyber-security threats as well as the decentralized nature of U.S. elections, which are run primarily by local officials often juggling elections as one of several competing responsibilities.
As a longtime elections and good government geek, I think there’s nothing more important than well-run elections that accurately reflect the Declaration of Independence demand for the “consent of the governed”.
Through the years, I’ve observed elections (20+ countries), overseen elections as Missouri Secretary of State (10 statewide elections including a few recounts), been on the ballot as a candidate (6 times), worked on dozens of campaigns, and voted in countless elections of all kinds. But, this year the challenges on the horizon for election officials, candidates, and voters are unlike anything that has come before.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc and force changes to normal government functions, election officials across the country are quickly pivoting to plan and successfully pull off one of the most challenging and important elections in recent history.
Public confidence in the election results comes from trust in the process. And, trust in the process comes in large part from how voters experience (and the media reports on) that process. That’s why U.S. Digital Response is committed to helping election administrators more effectively leverage modern technology tools to make the election process more responsive to the needs of voters and election officials alike.
Teams of USDR volunteers are working with election officials across the country to address three specific COVID-19 related challenges to the administration of the upcoming election.
1. Support Poll Worker Recruitment and Training
Ensuring that in-person polling locations have enough trained staff to handle the volume of voters on election day is always a challenge. But, pandemic-related health concerns are reducing the number of experienced poll workers available to staff thousands of neighborhood-based polling locations. Election officials across the country are looking for ways to effectively recruit, train and manage these new poll workers. In response, USDR volunteers have developed easy-to-use, lightweight digital tools for online, automated poll worker applications, communication and management. These tools help poll workers get to areas of highest need and reduce the workload of election office staff.
2. Streamline and Automate Vote by Mail Requests
Pandemic-related health concerns are also changing the way voters choose to cast their ballots. During the primary season, states saw an unprecedented number of absentee and mail-in ballot requests and expect to see a similar surge in the general election.
To manage that high volume, USDR volunteers are working with local election officials to streamline vote-by-mail (VBM) application processes and digitize workflows to automate the processing and tracking of VBM requests. The USDR team has also helped design return ballot envelopes to ensure that voters can easily understand and comply with the signature and witness requirements in their states to reduce error rates and invalid ballots.
3. Inform the Public
Providing accurate and timely information to the public about election-related process changes is always important, and especially so in these uncertain times. USDR volunteers are partnering with government teams to better inform the public with up-to-date information on polling locations, contact information for local election officials, important dates, and registration deadlines. From providing templates for easy-to-access election information websites to using modern texting services, USDR volunteers are helping provide easy, modern modes of communication to help the public navigate voting in these unusual times.
Democracy and self-government depend on informed citizens participating in and accepting the results of elections. Election officials across the country are working miracles to ensure that their staff, poll workers, and the public are safe and well prepared to participate and have their voices heard this November. The USDR team is unusually well equipped to support this work by safely integrating technology tools and streamlined practices that help election administrators and voters leading up to election day. The USDR teams are pro-bono, non-partisan, and ready to respond at the speed of need during this crisis.
Election officials, government teams, and NGOs preparing for November’s elections can connect with USDR and learn more about how we can help at www.usdigitalresponse.org/our-offerings/elections-and-voting.
Robin Carnahan is the former Missouri Secretary of State and formerly led 18F’s state and local practice within the General Services Administration. She is currently a fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation and part of the Core Team with U.S. Digital Response.t
