attended Precinct Election official training in August 2008. The class was taught by a man from Iowa State University whose job for the last year has been development and presentation of this curriculum. The course was developed as a project of the Implementation in Iowa of the Help America Vote Act.
That first day we covered basic setting up of the polls and general guidelines. They attempted to think of any possible eventuality that might happen and explain what we ought to do. Our most important task is to protect the ballots and the equipment. Ballot secrecy and security were covered with great care. There was a section called "Protecting each person's right to vote". It is not our job to decide who gets to vote we were told. We discussed a number of scenarios where someone might need a provisional ballot. We dramatized how to handle various same day registration issues.
This year we are using paper ballots. After the ballots are marked the voter must place the paper into the scanner where the vote is recorded and then saved in the large garbage can type container. The really cool thing about the scanner is that you can put the ballot in 4 different ways and they all work. You can put it in upside down and right side up and with the bottom going in first or with the top of the page going in first. Each part of the scanner must be opened with a key and if there are any problems the person with the key can help to find out what happened and try to fix the problem.
We learned what to do with any write ins and how to count every little nuance of the way a write in might be written. We learned how to record a vote for Mickey Mouse, or M. Mouse or Mike Mouse. What if someone votes "none of the above", we know how to record it on the write-in tally.
We were trained on a $40,000 piece of equipment that helps blind people fill out their ballots. It is a fancy word processor that has Braille on the keys and the person can also be guided by voice directions. We practiced filling out ballots using various ways of making a mark which might or might not work. We also learned how to help people who really need extra help. We were informed of Iowa's laws concerning voter challenges, poll watchers and how to handle reporters.
At that time we also met with our precinct chairwoman to discuss how we would set up our booths and the scanner for the most efficiency. We were given election day job assignments and discussed the specifics of that particular job. We discussed ways of handling huge crowds and how we could set up for the maximum comfort of voters who have to wait.
Then we spent over an hour discussing emergency situations. What happens if, the power goes out? What if there is a tornado or a blizzard? What if a poll official becomes ill. What to do if someone grabs a ballot and runs outside. Under what circumstances should we call the police for help?
We covered what to do if we run out of paper ballots, how to get help with the scanner or the modem we use to send in the results after the polls close.
In September we had a small school board election and we critiqued our set up constantly to see how we can make it better to deal with large crowds. We have another training this week and after that I can share details of what we are expecting in Grinnell, Iowa, ward 2.