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League of Women Voters in the news
Shrewsbury Telegram and Gazette
Friday, October 14, 2005
Election bill aims to remove conflict of interest
Augustus, Petrucelli cite last two presidential elections
By
John J. Monahan
Telegram & Gazette Staff
BOSTON—
An election reform bill that one of its authors, state Rep.
Anthony W. Petrucelli, D-Boston, said he likes to call “the Katherine
Harris bill” is aiming to set up standards that would prevent the
appearance of a conflict of interest involving state and local election
officials.
Introduced this week by Mr. Petrucelli and state Sen. Edward M. Augustus
Jr., D-Worcester, the measure comes on the heels of two presidential
elections that were decided in states where the top election officials
were also co-chairmen of the campaign to elect George Bush as president.
In Florida in 2000 and again last year in Ohio, voter confidence waned
when very close statewide votes in the presidential races were followed
by allegations of voter manipulation, intimidation and, in some cases,
fraud.
The proposed legislation here, Mr. Augustus said, would prohibit state
and local election officials, the secretary of state, or town or city
clerks from administering elections if they serve as a chairman or
finance official in a political campaign.
“We’ve seen across the country when we mix partisan politics with the
administration of elections, it can sometimes taint the process with a
perception of fraud and abuse,” Mr. Augustus said. While he said there
have been no similar problems here in Massachusetts, the bill aims to
prevent any such problems.
“We are taking the step of making sure there are no blurry lines between
those who administer elections and those who serve in the capacity of
chairman or treasurer of a political campaign,” Mr. Augustus said.
League of Women Voters officials who endorsed the Augustus-Petrucelli
bill last week said bias on the part of election officials undermines
voter confidence in elections and the value of their votes. Currently,
they said, a federal voting commission is investigating irregularities
in the 2004 election in Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri.
The Florida electoral votes were finally decided in 2000 by the U.S.
Supreme Court after Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris ordered
an end to an ongoing recount. At the time, she was co-chairman of the
Bush presidential campaign in Florida.
Widespread complaints about election abuses also followed the Ohio vote
that decided the 2004 election in favor of President Bush. In that case,
Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell was also serving as
chairman of the Bush re-election campaign.
The public can have its say on the
proposal at a hearing being held by the Joint Election Laws Committee at
Shrewsbury High School at 3 p.m. Monday.
High school students may have a special interest in the bill, meanwhile,
because the reform measure would also let some of them participate in
elections even before they are old enough to vote.
Part of the bill would change the law that requires local election poll
workers to be registered voters and residents of the town they are
working in. The proposal would allow cities and towns to hire people
residing in other cities and towns, including college students, to serve
as poll workers during local elections. It would also allow up to two
individuals 16 or 17 years of age to serve as poll workers at each
polling location, provided they receive permission from their parents
and schools.
“We are going to try to open up the election process to young people,”
Mr. Augustus said. He said he hoped the opportunity would introduce them
to the responsibilities as citizens. Currently, he said, the average
poll worker is 72 years old.
Another feature of the reform bill would require the posting of a
voters’ bill of rights at all polling locations.
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