State House News Service
Tuesday, October 11, 2005

REFORMS OFFERED TO ADD POLL WORKERS, PREVENT CONFLICTS, TOUT VOTER RIGHTS

By Michael P. Norton STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

 STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, OCT. 11, 2005...With the average age of poll

workers at

72 in Massachusetts, leading lawmakers on Monday morning outlined a

proposal that would allow up to two 16- or 17-year-old workers at each

polling place.

 

Legislation unveiled today in the Senate Reading Room by the co-chairmen

of the Legislature's Election Laws Committee would also prohibit

election officials from serving as the chairperson, co-chairperson,

treasurer or fundraiser for any campaign other than their own.  The goal

of this provision is to prevent a conflict of interest.

 

Election rights advocates have long promoted reforms aimed at making

more poll workers available, saying more workers are needed to help

voters understand their rights and to minimize the development of long

lines at polls.

 

The bill would require prospective 16- and 17-year-olds to obtain

permission to work at the polls from their parents and school, and their

work would be eligible to fulfill educational community service

requirements.

 

"We do need to get younger and new people involved in the political

process and involved in our elections," said committee co-chairman Sen.

Edward Augustus (D-Worcester).  "It's another way to try to get people,

especially young people, thinking about the democratic process, what

their responsibilities, roles as citizens are."

 

League of Women Voters of Massachusetts President Madhu Sridhar said

voting machines and laws are becoming more complex, and younger poll

workers, and those from other towns, will be able to assist older poll

workers.

 

Other major provisions of the bill require the posting of the Voters'

Bill of Rights at all polling places, and remove the requirement that

election officers can only work in the city or town where they live, a

change intended to broaden the pool of available and willing election

workers.  Six states require the bill of rights to be posted.

 

Committee co-chair Rep. Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston) said the

conflict provision is designed to prevent a situation like the one that

occurred in Florida in 2000, when Secretary of State, and chief

elections overseer, Katherine Harris also served as chairperson of

George W. Bush's campaign for president in that state.  "It seemed like

that even if there might not have been a problem, it certainly lent the

perception that there was," said Petruccelli.

 

Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, chairman's of Bush's campaign

there in 2004, was also criticized by Democrats for his administration

of the 2004 presidential contest between Bush and U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

 

One person who might be affected by such a provision in Massachusetts is

Cameron Kerry, a major player in the 2004 Democratic presidential

campaign of his brother, Sen. Kerry.  John Kerry may run for president

again, and Cameron Kerry may run for secretary of state in

Massachusetts, if William Galvin does not seek reelection.

 

Petruccelli and Augustus said a report released earlier this year citing

widespread voting irregularities in Massachusetts and a more recent U.S.

 

Department of Justice lawsuit alleging election administration problems

in the City of Boston played no role in the development of the new bill.

 

"Massachusetts runs very good elections," said Augustus.  "This bill is

not trying to solve a problem here in Massachusetts.  It's trying to

prevent one from ever occurring in the future by taking the step of

making sure that there are no blurry lines between those who administer

our elections and those who serve in capacities as chairman or treasurer

of other political campaigns."

 

Secretary of State Galvin, the state's top elections official, did not

attend the press conference to unveil the bill, but was cited repeatedly

by its sponsors as a supporter of the proposal.  "He is enthusiastic and

supportive of the bill," said Petruccelli.

 

Petruccelli and Augustus credited the League of Women Voters with

pushing many of the ideas included in the bill.

 

Pamela Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Massachusetts, praised

the bill and said she expects it to move in the Legislature since the

chairmen of the Election Laws Committee introduced it.  Wilmot said

adding poll workers would help address issues raised by reports of

voting irregularities and confusion among voters.

 

A hearing on the bill will be held Oct. 17 at Shrewsbury High School.