[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S10654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IMPROVING ELECTION PRACTICES FOR NOVEMBER 7TH

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, there has been much discussion and debate 
over the last 6 years on the best way to modernize the way we run 
Federal elections. As a result of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, 
HAVA, the Election Assistance Commission, EAC, a bipartisan independent 
agency, was created. One of the EAC's duties is to serve as a 
clearinghouse of election administration information for the use of 
election officials, the information of voters, and the good of our 
democracy.
  The Election Assistance Commission has recently released four 
documents that serve as an overview on good election administration 
practices in preparation for the November 7 Federal elections. States 
are making the final push to implement the new election administration 
requirements enacted in HAVA which must be in place by November. As 
with any new Federal requirements, it is anticipated that there may be 
problems with new technologies, administrative failures, or human 
error. In light of some of the challenges faced by election officials 
in primaries over the last few weeks, these best practices guidelines 
are both timely and instructive for those who are responsible for 
conducting our Federal elections this fall.
  The first document, ``Quick Start Management Guide for New Voting 
Systems,'' covers basic polling place planning and management 
operations for those jurisdictions that have recently purchased new 
voting equipment. This document includes recommendations on contingency 
plans, testing procedures, and security.
  The second document, ``Quick Start Management Guide for Poll 
Workers,'' discusses best practices for recruiting, training, and 
retaining poll workers. These best practices include election day 
recommendations for establishing a dedicated phone line for poll 
workers and creating a troubleshooting guide for problems at the polls.
  A third guide, ``Quick Start Management Guide for Voting System 
Security,'' discusses methods of assessing technological or procedural 
flaws in election security, and suggests protocols on how to improve 
the secure functioning of the elections process. These protocols 
include installing only certified software, implementing procedures and 
systems to control physical access to voting systems, and maintaining 
an inventory of all election materials.
  Finally, the fourth guide, ``Quick Start Management Guide for Ballot 
Preparation/Printing and Pre-election Testing,'' provides 
recommendations for ballot preparation and logic and accuracy testing 
of systems. These best practices include testing all components of the 
system prior to election day, replacing all batteries before each 
election, and ensuring that all state laws and procedures for logic and 
accuracy testing have been followed.
  These guides have been developed based on best practices used 
successfully by election officials across this Nation. While many 
jurisdictions may already be considering these procedures, I wanted to 
bring these guides to the attention of my colleagues in the hope that 
they will pass this information on to their state and local election 
officials for use in the November Federal elections.
  These recommendations may not cover every potential election problem 
faced by poll workers and voters in the fall elections. State law in 
some jurisdictions may even preclude election officials from 
implementing some of these best practices. However, these documents 
raise potential issues for everyone involved in the elections process 
to consider, and offer concrete solutions to the challenging 
administrative problems that impact state and local election officials. 
Most importantly, these procedures can help ensure that every eligible 
American will have an equal opportunity to cast a vote and have that 
vote counted in the November Federal elections.
  The text of these four Quick Start Guides can be accessed on the 
Election Assistance Commission Internet Web site, http://www.eac.gov by 
following links to: Guide for New Voting Systems; Voting System 
Security Guide; Poll Workers Guide; and Ballot Preparation/Printing & 
Pre-Election Testing Guide.

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