I’ve been an election officer twice now, for the June primary and now for this massive mid-term election, so that makes me a real expert, right? Hardly. But I read the Richmond Times-Dispatch story about the problems Tuesday in Chesterfield County with deeper insight than I would have a year ago.
Know first that after the tables are set up and Apple poll book is turned on and the signs taped up, before the doors open, the seven of us at Precinct 115 raised our right hands and recited the oath, then signed it. There is a quiet moment when the blood of the patriots who secured and preserved this sacred right is remembered, if not specifically mentioned.
To prepare for my two stints inside the poll I’ve attended four training classes, the first of them taking most of a Saturday. During those classes the level of preparation behind the process becomes evident. Even more enlightening is the process of counting and recording and preserving every scrap of paper and data in the hours after the doors close.
It is a very hands-on process prone to human error, and surprisingly decentralized, with local registrars and electoral boards the key individuals. The problems outlined in that story are inexcusable and land squarely at the top.
Everybody knew that the turnout for this election would skyrocket. Please. The assumption should have been plan and equip for a presidential year turnout, because that is what we almost had. Did everybody just forget the crowds from 2016, 2012, 2008? The Chesterfield officials complain about a 60 percent turnout causing congestion, and inside our Richmond City precinct almost 68 percent voted in person very smoothly.
Whining about the turnout should be dismissed. But not all the human error involved is at the local level. A lot of lip service is given to how important this process is and then other considerations screw it up.
Local and state officials are too quick to change precinct lines or divide an existing precinct between two different congressional or legislative districts. The reason is usually driven by some kind of gerrymandering process, and the next gerrymander for some legislative districts will be now be designed by a federal court. The result – and they should know this – is high levels of confusion.
On top of the 1,042 people who walked into our precinct and voted Tuesday, there were easily another 200 who had to be sent to another place because of a change after the 2017 election. “But I voted here last year” or “why wasn’t I notified” were the common complaints. One piece of mail is not notice.
Thank goodness the electronic poll book identifies their new voting place. Thank goodness after the initial morning rush we never had long lines again (despite the 68 percent turnout.) But if there were Chesterfield precincts where the boundaries had also been jumbled, people may have waited a long time before the person checking the list sent them away.
Another major hang-up, I’m sure, were the constitutional amendments. Few people had even heard about them, let alone made up their minds. Our greeter was handing out the official brochure and a surprising number of people stopped cold and tried to read that or looked at the chart on the wall. The General Assembly puts these things on the ballot with near-zero resources to educate votes, badly gumming up the voting process.
Finally, there is human error in the assumption that somebody else will do this job and we don’t have to. Given the low pay for the day ($130 for 16 hours!) it’s basically a volunteer activity and should be promoted that way. Do not assume your locality has enough qualified people. I repeat my earlier invitation – join the elite!
I’ve enjoyed getting to know the crew where I work (not my home precinct) and look forward to next time. I need to buy some honey from the fellow who serves as our chief officer, a somewhat thankless job (thanks, Ames.)
I hope the 90-something-year-old WW II vet wearing that worn Eighth Air Force ball cap who walked slowly in on his cane comes back next time. He and his peers refreshed the Tree of Liberty well. Absentee? Not for him. I understand the arguments for easier remote or early voting, and Chesterfield just added to them, but there is something to this ritual that is every bit as powerful as any religious ceremony.
UPDATE: Also worth reading.
Smells like tech spirit – Artificial Intelligence may be on its way to becoming the buzziest buzz-term in the buzzword laden history of the buzz-o-sphere. No prior trend has engendered the societal debate that AI has sparked. 
Yes Virginia, there is a United States. Most posts published on this blog are dedicated to Virginia-specific issues. This post is an exception. It is an attempt to understand the unexpected popularity of Donald Trump. While all states are impacted by the federal government and national politics, Virginia is perhaps the most affected state. The proximity of Northern Virginia to the nation’s capital as well as the military influence over Hampton Roads’ economy make the federal government particularly important to Virginia. So it behooves us to understand the president and how the heck he got elected.
Virginia to Consider New Marijuana Decriminalization bill in 2019 General Assembly Session
Still illegal. The new Ebbin bill, like the one in 2018, proposes to decriminalize (rather than legalize) the possession of small amounts of marijuana in the Old Dominion. The law presently in place provides for a maximum $500 fine and up to a 30 day jail term for the first offense. Penalties escalate for subsequent offenses. Ebbin’s proposed bill makes possession of a small amount of marijuana a civil offense with fines of $50 to $250 depending on a variety of circumstances such as whether it was the first offense or a subsequent offense.
Another loser for the RPV / GOP. The vast majority of Americans and Virginians support the decriminalization of marijuana. In fact, a notable majority of Americans and Virginians go so far as to support legalization of marijuana. Yet the supposedly liberty loving, regulation hating Republican Party has done everything it can to oppose both decriminalization and legalization. As previously mentioned, the nine Republicans on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee blocked full house consideration of Sen Ebbin’s bill in 2018. At the national level it’s much the same. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) has written a “Blueprint to Legalize Marijuana” . It’s a pretty simple plan … take control of the House then enact marijuana reform. Up until now that blueprint was blocked by the House Rules Committee led by its chairman, Pete Sessions (R-TX). But things are different now that the Democrats have taken control of the house. Plant prohibitionists like Rep Sessions are no longer calling the shots.
2019. Another year, another marijuana decriminalization bill in the Virginia General Assembly. What will become of SB997 in 2019? My guess is for a repeat of 2018 with Republicans killing the bill in committee.
Demographic changes? There has been a lot of discussion about the recent federal election on this blog. Much has been made of how the success of Democrats in Virginia is an inevitable consequence of demographics and the influx of those from outside Virginia. Some have even taken to calling Virginia the southernmost northeastern state. Balderdash. The real problem is that Virginia’s Republican politicians and the RPV are clueless. The question of marijuana reform crosses demographic boundaries. Middle-aged adults are using marijuana at an increasing rate. Last year, all nine of the Republicans on the Senate Courts of Justice Committee voted to block the decriminalization bill. At the same time 76% of the Virginians these Republicans claim to represent support marijuana decriminalization. Meanwhile, arrests in Virginia for marijuana rose 20% in the last year. Arrests for a “crime” that more than three quarters of Virginians don’t think should be a crime are skyrocketing while the aged political elite in the RPV blocks so much as a full vote on the matter. I wonder why the Republicans keep losing in Virginia? It has far more to due with a lack of competence than a change in demographics.
— Don Rippert
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Posted in Agriculture & forestry, Commentary, Courts and law, Crime and corrections, Elections, General Assembly, Politics
Tagged decriminalization, Ebbin, marijuana, marijuana legalization, RPV