I welcome your visit to Michigan to discuss the topic of how our elections are conducted and the possible need for changes.

Because of my interest in the topic of election reform, I formed the Michigan Task Force on Voting Reform which has been meeting to take public testimony throughout Michigan. The bi-partisan task force is made up of legislators, local clerks, and interested individuals from such groups as AARP, the League of Women Voters, NAACP, and Common Cause. I believe we have a broadly-based group that can bring a variety of perspectives to this important issue.

We, like you, are a group of individuals interested in making the voting process more accessible, accurate, and accountable.

Already some themes are developing in our testimony at the hearings. There is a broad consensus in Michigan that the absentee ballot should be open to everyone. Michigan currently limits absentee ballots to senior citizens and those who have special circumstances preventing them from voting at their local precincts. Voters are asking for options in casting their ballots and the first step in creating new options is opening up absentee voting.

There is also a growing sense that we need more training for local election workers. We are hearing stories of people who had difficulty voting which is not attributable to equipment but is the result of election workers not understanding the information on the voting files. In some cases, voters waited for over two hours to vote because the computerized voter file had a code the precinct workers did not understand. In one municipality, some new registrants were not entered into the Michigan Qualified Voter File by election day and were dismayed when they showed up to vote and could not vote at their new location. Another suggestion that has been made to alleviate the burden on election workers and to reduce the long lines at the polls is to allow early voting.

There is a growing need for additional poll workers. We have been told that the dedicated poll workers are aging, without younger citizens replacing them. Our task will be to find ways to not only better train these workers but find more workers as well. The barriers to finding these workers includes long hours, the fact that those who serve must be absent from work and the low compensation. One local election official indicated that her municipality has to compete with neighboring municipalities for election workers. Often the workers go to the neighboring community where the pay is higher.

Another suggestion that has been made to alleviate the burden of election workers and to reduce the long lines at the polls is to include early voting.

The Task Force will compile a final report by September of this year and will forward any recommendations to the relevant committees in the Michigan Legislature so that changes can be put in place before the next election in 2002. I am hopeful that the nation can draw from the experience of the 2000 elections. Hopefully this will give us the initiative to undertake a thorough review of our election system and put in place the necessary improvements.

I look forward to hearing the results and recommendations of your task force. I urge you to seek federal funding to encourage modernizing and improving the machinery of elections and the training of election workers. Certainly, elections have been run by states and local governments, but the federal government has a role to play and a responsibility to support local elections. Without the involvement of the federal government, many states, including Michigan, will not be able to make the necessary investments in voting machinery. That said, there are many other opportunities to improve our elections that are much less expensive including more access to the absentee ballot, early voting, improved election worker training and better election worker recruitment.

Thank you for your time and efforts.

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