Washington Bureau

Virginia Not Ready, Voting Rights Group Warns

Heavy voter turnout and too few voting machines and poll workers will “overwhelm” Virginia’s election system, according to a new study released today by a voting rights group that sued Virginia.

“The state of Virginia is not ready,” said Judith A. Browne-Dainis, co-director of Advancement Project, which unveiled the report at a news conference at the National Press Club. “They are not ready for this kind of turnout.”

The group is involved in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the Virginia NAACP against Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and election officials for unconstitutionally allocating polling place resources.

Presenting findings on five swing states, including Virginia, the report, dubbed “The End of the Line?” warns that long wait times for voters could deter them from participating on Election Day.

The voting rights advocacy group took umbrage with Kaine’s recent remark about the routine nature of waiting in line.

“We wait in line to buy coffee at Starbucks,” he said recently.

Brown said, “We do not think the right to vote should be likened to getting a latte… It is a right and the fact it is being made light of is outrageous.”

The study also pointed to the potential for longer lines in minority communities, where precincts may be equipped with fewer voting machines and turnout may dramatically increase this election.

“Based on this turnout, current allocations of polling place resources, i.e. voting equipment, poll workers and the like, appear to be inadequate and inequitably distributed in many jurisdictions,” said Elizabeth Westfall, deputy director of voter protection for Advancement Project.

In Richmond, the study found, based on July statistics, there are 20 percent more voters per machine in high minority precincts than in low minority precincts.

On the bright side, the relatively short ballot in most Virginia localities should speed along the voting process, the report found, saying voting should not take more than three minutes per voter on average.

--Neil Simon
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