Poll workers should have to take a written test.
Via Watchdog
In part one of this Watchdog.org feature on election integrity in Vermont, Linda Chagnon, a member of the Board of Registration of Voters in Burlington, explained difficulties poll workers face in ensuring that only registered voters vote in elections.
In part two of our interview, Chagnon discusses how mismanagement of “challenged” voters creates the potential for voter fraud.
Q: You mentioned that poll workers often receive little or no training on election laws and the voter checklist. How does that affect elections in Burlington?
A. There’s a lack of education, a lack of following what the laws say. It could also be used purposefully to get people into vote when they shouldn’t.
Q. Is it difficult for poll workers to get training?
A. One guy who is new said, “You know, I tried to get some kind of formal education on what I’m supposed to be doing here at the polls — a training session. But I didn’t really get it. I don’t know what happened. They didn’t call me back.” I’ve been hearing this over and over again.
Q. Can you cite an example of how poor training of poll workers leads to errors or opens a door to voter fraud?
A. In one particular incident, one checker asked the other official checker, “What does the word ‘challenged’ mean on the checklist?” The other said, “It’s when a person comes in and doesn’t know how to fill out the ballot and needs help, so we go and help them.”
That’s not what that means. “Challenged” before a person’s name means they have not voted for four years, or possibly even eight years. You become challenged if you have not voted for four years. Then, in another four years, you can be kicked off the checklist if you have not shown up. So in eight years you’re automatically off the checklist.