Early

Voting

Early

Voting

Author:

Margaret Rosenfield

Rosenfield and Rosenfield

1650 Ridgeway Place

Columbus, Ohio 43212

Managed and Edited by:

William C. Kimberling

National Clearinghouse on Election Administration

Published by:

National Clearinghouse on Election Administration

Federal Election Commission

Washington, D.C. 20463

April 1994
Introduction by the

Clearinghouse

This report is another in the series on Innovations in Election Administration being published

by the FEC's National Clearinghouse on Election

Administration.

The purpose of this series is to acquaint State

and local election officials with innovative election procedures and technologies that have been

successfully implemented by their colleagues

around the country.

Our reports on these innovations do not

necessarily constitute an endorsement by

th Federal Election Commission either of

any specific procedures described or of any

vendors or suppliers that might be listed

within the report. Moreover, the views and

opinions expressed in these reports are

those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by the Federal Election Commission or any division thereof.

We welcome your comments on these reports

as well as any suggestions you may have for additional topics. You may mail these to us at:

The National Clearinghouse on

Election Administration

Federal Election Commission

999 E. Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20463

or else contact us

Toll free 800/424-9530

Direct on 202/219-3670

By FAX on 202/219-8500.

u
Introduction

The term "early voting" is sometimes used to describe any procedure whereby qualified electors may

cast their ballots in person during some period of

time before election day. However, such a definition

does not differentiate early voting from familiar inperson absentee voting procedures in use throughout the nation. Therefore, it is important—though

not easy—to distinguish early voting programs from

plain vanilla in-person absentee voting procedures.

This distinction involves six factors:

• who can vote early

• does the early voter complete an application

• is the early voted ballot individually identifiable

• when does early voting take place

• where does early voting take place

• is early voting widely publicized

Who Can Vote Early?

Those States that permit in-person absentee

voting before election day usually (but not always)

require that the voter be qualified to do so by

claiming some statutorily specified reason (such

as "planning to be out of the county on election

day" or the like). No such reason is required for

early voting; it is unrestricted and is available to

any voter who is eligible to vote on election day.

Does the Early Voter Complete an

Application?

Voting by in-person absentee ballot usually requires

the voter to complete an application or request form.

Early voting does not; the procedure for early voting

is the same as that used at the polling place on election day—signing a pollbook and having registration

verified from a registration list.

Is the Early Voted Ballot Individually

Identifiable?

In-person absentee voting usually requires that

the voted ballot be sealed in a signed, individually

identifiable envelope that is not opened until election day (although this procedure may not pertain

in jurisdictions using voting machines that do not

entail a paper ballot). The eligibility of the individual voter must be verified, and the ballot can be

challenged, before the envelope is opened and the

vote is tabulated. Early voting ballots are cast just

like ballots that are cast on election day, and they

cannot be identified or challenged individually.

When Does Early Voting Take Place?

In-person absentee voting takes place only

during the regular office hours of the elections

office of the jurisdiction. Early voting programs

provide extended hours for early voting, often 12

hours on weekdays and some number of hours

on weekend days.
Wh re Does Early Voting Take Place?

In-person absentee voting takes place only in

a designated central place in the jurisdiction (usually the county election office). Early voting programs also provide additional outlying or satellite early polling places that are established for

the purpose of in-person voting before election

day.

Is Early Voting Widely Publicized?

Even States that permit unrestricted in-person satellite absentee voting before election day

may not accurately be termed early voting States

unless they publicize the availability of the service. Thus, early voting is dependent on the publicity accorded it so that its availability is widely

known by voters.

This narrow definition of early voting, therefore, includes only those programs that allow

unrestricted voting during some designated period before election day, that'do not require an

application to vote early, that provide ballots that

are not individually identifiable once they are

cast, that provide voting opportunities during

extended weekday and weekend hours, that offer voting at outlying or satellite sites, and that

are well publicized.

Nevada's law is too new to have been implemented

yet, and Arizona's law has not been implemented

widely, but both States allow full early voting. All

five of these States leave the implementation of

early voting to the discretion of each county rather

than mandating it.

Even in Texas, only the 28 most populous counties fit the strict definition of early voting; the

226 counties with populations of less than

100,000 are not required to have extended hours

or satellite sites unless petitioned to do so. The

programs in all of these States—Texas, Arizona,

Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, and Virginia—are discussed in more detail in this report. A number of

other States allow unrestricted absentee voting,

either for all absentee voting or for in-person absentee voting only, for varying periods of time.

Oregon even has a procedure for registered voters to vote a restricted ballot anywhere in the

State on election day. While these absentee procedures are interesting, they do not include extended hours or satellite voting sites, so they are

not within the scope of this report.

Variants

However, the real world is not so simple. There

are a number of programs that meet some but

not all of these criteria, and some of these variants may be of interest to States considering the

feasibility of some form of early voting.

Iowa's program may not fit the strict definition

of early voting because it requires that an application be attached to each absentee ballot, so the ballot is individually identifiable. Virginia's procedure

is a variant because it restricts who can vote early

to specific classes of voters and restricts satellite

sites to government buildings. Colorado does not

provide for extended hours of early voting, and no

county has yet provided satellite early voting sites.
Preliminary

Considerations

Early voting is so new that there are a number of questions that bear examination by any

jurisdiction considering its introduction. Some of

these questions can be answered, in whole or in

part, on the basis of the experience in those States

that already have some form of early voting. Some

questions cannot be answered yet, but should still

be considered.

Whenever early voting is discussed, the discussion turns into an argument over whether it is good

public policy to encourage large numbers of people

to vote before election day. While it has long been

agreed that some voters must be allowed to vote

early by absentee ballot if they are going to be able

to vote at all, there is a roaring debate about

whether it is advisable to encourage large

numbers of people to vote as much as a week or a

month before election day.

Proponents say that early voting will increase

turnout and make voting more accessible and

convenient to under-represented groups, such as

elderly, disabled, and young people, and to people

who find it difficult to get to a central election

office because of distance, lack of transportation,

or nontraditional work schedules; that it is advantageous in areas that frequently experience

bad weather conditions on election day; that early

voting will decrease the potential for fraudulent

voting or voter intimidation by substituting inperson voting at early voting sites for most mail

absentee voting; and that it can lead to better

informed voters because it will force campaigns

to get more information to voters earlier instead

of waiting for a last-minute blitz. They believe

that early voting helps give government more

credibility by providing a service and more options to voters, thereby helping to overcome the

feeling that "government doesn't belong to me"

through voter outreach efforts to parallel voter

registration outreach efforts.

Opponents say that early voting does not increase turnout, but simply shifts it from election

day to early voting days; that it deprives large numbers of voters of the ability to make fully informed

decisions by encouraging them to vote before the

campaigns have ended and before all the information about the candidates and issues has been presented; that it promotes ill-considered impulse voting; that it drives up campaign costs; that it is extremely costly, both in taxpayer money and in administrative complexity; and that a multitude of

voting sites and times introduce new and improved

opportunities for election fraud and political manipulation. They believe that the common experience of voting at the polls on election day provides

a feeling of political cohesion that is an important

element in the democratic electoral process.

How are voters, campaigns, and election

administration affected by early voting?

Voters

Some States have made early in-person voting at satellite sites available but have not urged
its use. Others have promoted early voting and

sought to maximize early voting turnout. Still others have considered early voting and rejected it.

Every jurisdiction that has introduced early

voting agrees that once it has been started, it

cannot be stopped. Voters love it. In some jurisdictions, as many as 20 to 50 per cent of voters

have used early voting. They do not know or care

about any of the problems it may create for campaigns or administrators. Several States have

expanded early voting incrementally, but none

has introduced it and subsequently withdrawn

it.* Everyone believes withdrawing it would be

political suicide.

*NOTE: Oklahoma is almost an exception. They twice introduced, then abandoned, in-person absentee voting. In the

early 1950's, absentee ballots could be

cast directly with the local election administrator, but the option was halted

when one administrator was convicted

of contributing many votes of his own.

In the early 1980's in-person absentee

voting was attempted in local elections,

using a bipartisan board to receive the

ballots. State law still had the traditional restrictions on absentee voting,

limiting the potential pool of qualified

voters; the high cost, low turnout, and

staffing difficulty combined to end the

experiment.

The State looked at the Texas early voting program, but opted for unrestricted

in-person absentee voting in the county

election board office 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

on the Thursday, Friday, and Monday

before statewide elections and on Monday only before local elections, accommodating those voters who had been

disenfranchised by a five-day deadline

for applying for an absentee ballot.

Satellite early voting is certainly a convenience

for many of those voters who would otherwise

have voted by absentee ballot. They need not mail

applications and ballots back and forth. It is a

service to those voters who live a considerable

distance from the central election office, who do

not have access to transportation, or who live in

areas of the country where there is frequently a

threat of severe weather that would make it difficult to get to their polling location on election

day. Yavapai County, AZ, has used a satellite early

voting site to serve voters who live a long way

from the county seat; Colorado introduced early

voting specifically to accommodate disabled voters. Both Arizona and Colorado find that concerns

about bad weather on election day are a spur to

early voting. The Travis County, TX, mobile voting program has received special praise because of

its sensitivity toward voters who would otherwise

have a difficult time getting to the polls, including

rural residents, senior citizens, and physically challenged voters. Fairfax County, VA, political parties

and candidates have encouraged college students

to vote while home on weekends and fall breaks,

and this may help improve the traditionally lower

voter turnout of young people. Disabled voters,

those who would find it difficult to endure crowds

and waiting at polling places on election day, and

those who may be receiving medical treatment on

election day are encouraged to vote early at a satellite site that is convenient for them. Voters like

the convenience of voting absentee reasonably close

to home and like not having to trust the mail with

the application and ballot, especially if they are

called out of town the week before election day.

What is not yet clear is exactly who votes early.

Is it mostly the same voters who have always voted

by absentee ballot, either by mail or in person—

those who will be out of town, the disabled, and so

forth? Is it the strongly committed voters who knew

who they would vote for even before the candidates

were nominated—the "rock-ribbed Republicans"

and "yellow-dog Democrats'? Is it the easily swayed,

who vote early because a candidate led onlookers

to an early voting site after a rousing speech or

because another candidate made a damning statement on television last night? Are early voters those

who would have voted on election day anyway, or

are they voters who might not have shown up on
election day but voted at an early voting site because it was more convenient, accessible, less intimidating, or fits into their overcrowded schedules

better? Does it matter?

Does early voting favor any party's voters?

Both major parties believe it favors their voters.

There is no hard evidence available to support

either's belief.

Does it increase turnout among certain demographic groups, especially among groups that

have historically been under-represented in the

electorate, or does it facilitate voting by the same

groups that have always voted? No evidence

proves or disproves either thesis.

Does early voting increase total voter turnout?

Voter turnout was up in the 1992 general election in early voting jurisdictions, but it was also

up all over the nation. There is no clear evidence

to prove or disprove that voter turnout increased

any more in early voting jurisdictions than in

others; there are simply too many variables affecting turnout to be able to attribute any increase

to any single specific factor.

Campaigns

One known effect of early voting is that it

changes the dynamics and strategy of political

campaigns. What is not clear is exactly how it

changes campaigning. Some Texas counties comment that the major challenge presented by early

voting to candidates and voters alike has been

the transition from focusing on a single election

day high-point to focusing on a series of highpoints created by multiple early voting election

days in addition to a climax on election day. This

change has called for major restructuring in the

allocation of campaign resources. One Texas candidate won on the margin of the early votes he

received before election day; but another candidate lost after spending all his money and effort

on early voting and had none left for election day.

If 20 to 50 per cent of voting takes place before

election day, campaigns must take those voters into

account in planning strategy. In addition to a media blitz in the last few days before election day,

candidates need to reach all those early voters.

Campaigns are not able to track early voters as

they can applications for mail absentee ballots, but

they can do electioneering outside early voting sites.

As the early voting numbers have increased,

campaigns have developed early voting programs

to address the shift in voting. Travis County, TX,

has seen "Super Saturday" and "The First Day

to Vote" projects, as well as rallies scheduled

around early voting locations and mobile voting

theme days such as "Vote While You Shop," "Seniors Vote," "Vote at Work," "Vote at Play," "Vote

with the Governor," and so forth. Campaign literature reflects the early voting schedule, and

phone banks urge voters to cast their vote early.

Early voting brings candidates more media and

photo ops for "politicking at the polls." Early voting adds another layer to the campaign plan—a

new dimension to the campaign process.

Early voting seems to lead to increased campaign spending, though this assumption is arguable. If early voting does lead to increased campaign expenses, how will this affect efforts to curtail overall campaign spending? Will this make

it more difficult for challengers and minority candidates to mount effective campaigns or will it

make it easier to attack incumbents? Will a misstep on a talk show, a good showing in a debate, or

a negative ad send early voters to a polling place

the next day with their minds made up before a

rebuttal can be publicized?

Will it affect the final election results if or when

the media do more exit polling at early voting

sites and release the results before election day?

Administration

Election officials who have administered early

voting have widely differing degrees of enthusiasm

for it, but there are administrative considerations

that they have all addressed:
• How much does it cost? What effect does early

voting have on election day costs, on mail

absentee voting costs?

• How can ballots be kept secure for an extended early voting period? How can individual voted ballots be kept secret? How can

premature revelation of early vote counts be

prevented?

• How is a voter prevented from voting more

than once, either under his own or someone

else's name?

• How can the proper ballots be made available

to each voter at the early voting sites?

• How are voting sites to be staffed for the

extended early voting period?

• How will the election office staff handle early

voting responsibilities in addition to preparations for election day—the fatigue factor?

How are planning, training, preparation and

distribution of materials, publicity, and

record-keeping to be handled?

• What are the potential partisan pitfalls, especially in site selection for satellite voting

locations, and how can they be avoided?

• Does early voting require changes in other

election laws and procedures?

This report deals with these administrative

considerations and how they have been addressed

in those jurisdictions that already have some kind

of early voting procedure. Not all jurisdictions

have answers to all questions. Early voting is a

new and rapidly changing concept in elections;

those jurisdictions that have instituted it are

changing their procedures with almost every election. But there is now enough information available to provide some guidance to help jurisdictions that are considering this procedure.
Examples

of Early Voting

Programs

This and all the subsequent sections of this

report dealing with specific aspects of early voting describe Texas procedures first, followed by

the five States (in alphabetical order) that have

variant procedures.

Texas

Early voting as defined in this report began in

the State of Texas. It did not spring full grown to

life, but began unobtrusively in 1963 with a provision that allowed one temporary branch absentee voting location in counties where the county

seat was not the largest town in the county. In

1967 the County Commissioners Court was permitted to establish additional temporary branch

absentee voting locations in the county at their

discretion, but evidently few if any counties took

advantage of this obscure permissive provision.

In 1986 a Texas legislator was irritated by the

fact that he had to stretch the truth in stating

that he expected to be absent on election day in

order to vote by absentee ballot. In 1987 he introduced legislation abolishing the requirement

for stating a reason for personal appearance absentee voting. The legislation passed with little

fanfare. (Texas still requires a statutorily approved reason for mail early voting.) County

Clerks were mandated to provide in-person absentee voting at the Clerk's office (usually in the

county courthouse) and at any permanent substations of the Clerk's office from the 20th day

through the 4th day before an election. The

County Commissioners Court still had the discretionary authority to set up additional temporary

branch absentee voting sites. All permanent and

temporary branch locations had to be open identical hours to those of the County Clerk's office.

In 1988 another legislator was angered when

he almost missed being able to vote absentee because he arrived to vote on the last day just five

minutes before the County Clerk's office closed

at 4:30. In 1989 he introduced legislation to require the most populous Texas counties to remain

open for extended hours during the last week of

absentee voting. This required large counties to

have the County Clerk's office open the last Saturday of the absentee voting period and for that office to be open the same hours that the polls are

open on election day (7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m) on Monday through Friday of the last week of absentee

voting.

In 1991 the Texas legislature enacted Senate

Bill 1234, which made the changes creating the

early voting system that has attracted nationwide attention. They changed terminology, substituting "early voting" for "absentee voting" to

accommodate the law that allows any voter to

vote early by personal appearance. They authorized political subdivisions in any county to establish temporary branch early voting locations

for shorter hours. This freed counties to create

temporary branches at many different locations,

including nongovernmental locations, each operating for a few days or even for a few hours.
Certain counties with larger populations were required to set up a minimum number of branches,

each operating for the entire time period of early

voting. In 1993 the county population threshold

requiring additional sites was lowered from

200,000 to 100,000 population.

Another 1991 change allowed the mandated

branch locations to operate at different hours

from the main location, so long as the number

of hours did not exceed the daily schedule at the

main office. The law required extended hours in

the populous counties before primary and general elections (for example, 12 hours per day during the last week, instead of business hours only).

These changes facilitated use of store hours for

voting at times more convenient to voters and led

to increased use of locations such as shopping malls

and grocery stores, dubbed "retail voting."

To supply and operate many small branches,

some counties have used vans or portable structures that can be moved to different locations

scheduled for voting for a day or a few hours—

"mobile voting."

Extended early voting hours and extensive use

of early voting satellite sites are the features that

have attracted nationwide attention to the early

voting program in Texas.

Any registered voter in Texas may show up at

any early voting polling site in the county (except in Harris County, so big—more than

1,300,000 registered voters—it is divided into four

zones) where that voter is registered and vote

during the early voting period. The Texas early

voting law is mandatory on every county, but the

law is complicated because the requirements vary

by county population size.

NOTE: Texas still has "early voting by

mail" (regular absentee voting by mail)

that requires a specific reason, an application, and has the kind of deadlines that

are familiar in most States for mail absentee voting. They also have special provisions for late voting by disabled voters,

by voters with a death in the family, and

by voting involving use of the Federal

Post Card Application, but these are not

pertinent to this report.

Texas has 254 counties, ranging in population

from 107 (Loving) to 2,818,199 (Harris), and its

statutes mandate very different early voting

requirements for different county population

sizes:

• small—less than 100,000 population (226

counties);

• medium—100,000 to 400,000 (22 counties);

• large—400,000 to 1,000,000 (2 counties);

• large urban—1,000,000 to 2,500,000 (3 counties);

• large metro—more than 2,500,000 (1 county).

The major changes attributable to early voting have taken place only in the largest 28 counties in Texas, which must meet a number of mandates for extended hours and satellite early voting sites. The requirements for early voting—for

selecting and securing a number of early voting

satellite sites, for providing all ballot formats for

the county plus other supplies at each satellite

site, for recruiting and training additional staff

for sites, for maintaining the security of voted

and unvoted ballots and other election materials

and the voting locations, for verifying voter eligibility, and for reporting election results—present

logistical and planning complexities that far exceed those required for preparations for ordinary

absentee voting and for a single election day.

There are few mandates for small counties, and

they have experienced only minor changes is procedures since the introduction of early voting. The

major change for them was the elimination of

restrictions on in-person voting in 1987.

Borden County, for example, has 500 registered

voters, 7 precincts, 3 ballot styles; precinct identification also identifies ballot style. Early voting is conducted in the County Clerk's office by

the regular office staff, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon and

1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. The staff
receives no extra pay. Voter eligibility is verified

from the registration list, and a list of early voters is sent to each precinct for election day. Early

voting is by paper ballot, placed directly in a

locked ballot box. The ballot box is locked with a

numbered wire closure and two locks. The key to

one lock is kept by the County Sheriff and the

key to the other is kept by the County Clerk. The

Clerk reports that early voting has caused only

minor changes in procedure and no problems in

this small county, but allowing people to vote early

without having to state a reason has made it more

convenient for voters, such as the county worker

who would have to drive 40 miles to vote on election day. There have been no increased costs.

Sterling County has 876 registered voters.

Early voting is conducted by the County Clerk

and Deputy Clerk in the Clerk's office in the

county courthouse during regular office hours,

8:30 a.m-12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.,

Monday-Friday. Paper ballots are used for early

voting and are put directly into a locked ballot

box. Registration is verified by checking the

voter's registration card against the registration

list print-out; early voters are noted on the registration list sent to each polling place on election

day. The Clerk notes that early voting is a convenience to voters. Supplies are the only increase

in costs.

Variants

Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, and Virginia

all allow satellite early voting, based in part on

the Texas experience. But none mandate it, leaving it to the discretion of each county whether to

implement it. A number of other States have inquired of Texas about that State's experience,

with an eye to considering some version of the

law for their States.

Arizona. State law was changed, effective in

1992, providing for "no reason, no witness" absentee voting, resulting in a marked increase in

absentee votes. Before 1993, the State statutes

did not address off-site early voting. The only issues addressed were mail ballots and in-person

absentee voting at the County Recorder's office

or the residence of confined voters. In 1993, a law

was passed providing for off-site early voting,

putting into writing what Yavapai County had

been doing since 1986.

Colorado. When they took a hard look at all the

effort being put into increasing voter turnout,

Colorado legislators realized their absentee voting laws contained a whole set of built-in disincentives to voting. Absentee voters had to meet

one of a set of criteria: going to be out of town,

sick, hospitalized, and so forth. They decided that

they were essentially encouraging voters to lie,

so they changed the law to remove the reasons

for absentee voting. In the summer of 1991, faced

with the longest ballot in the State's history, a

big increase in registration, a closely fought U.

S. Senate election, and a closely contested Presidential election —all coming in the next year—

they decided to make absentee voting easier and

to introduce what Texas called early voting. Early

voting was authorized in 1992. Colorado did not

do away with absentee voting, but merely added

early voting at the County Clerk's office or a

branch office as an additional option. It was designed specifically to address the needs of elderly and handicapped voters so they could vote

on a day that was less hectic than election day

and when the weather conditions were good.

(Colorado had a blizzard on November 2, 1992,

the day before the general election.) In 1993 the

law was amended to clarify it, to mandate at least

one accessible early voting site in every county,

to permit satellite sites during regular business

hours, starting 24 days before an election, and to

allow extended hours. It also provided for the

processing of early-voted ballots to be ready for

counting before election day, though they are not

counted until election day.

Iowa. State law requires an application for absentee voting, but allows any voter to vote by

absentee ballot who wants to. At least in part

because of increasing numbers of absentee voters and increasing numbers who voted absentee
in person at the County Auditor's office, and after reports on early voting in Texas, the law was

changed in 1991 to allow any voter to apply for,

receive, and vote an absentee ballot "at any location designated by the [election] commissioner"

(County Auditor). Johnson County and Polk

County are the only Iowa counties that have introduced satellite absentee voting sites under

these discretionary statutes. The locations, days,

and times for satellite absentee voting can vary

with each election.

Nevada. Early voting legislation was approved in

1993, effective in 1994, as a method to increase voter

participation through improving access to voting.

The law is based on the Texas law, but with some

modifications based on experience with that law.

Extended hours are required for weekdays and

weekends, but for fewer days than in Texas. Satellite voting is permitted but not required, and the

schedule of locations, dates, and times for early

voting may not be changed after it is published the

week before early voting begins.

Virginia. State statutes in 1978 provided that

each city or county could "establish a central absentee voter election district in the courthouse

or other public building." Under this provision,

Fairfax County has provided satellite absentee

voting for general elections every year since 1978,

but it is restricted to the standard classifications

of voters specified in many absentee voting laws

and requires completion of a full application form.

They initially provided two satellite sites, one in

each congressional district, and voting at each

satellite was limited to the voters in that congressional district. They now provide seven satellite sites, all in government buildings, and any

voter in the county may vote at any satellite site.

Fairfax is the only county in Virginia that provides satellite absentee voting sites.

10
What Official

is Responsible

for Conducting

Early Voting?

In many States, all elections are administered

by a single county office, whether that is the

County Board of Elections, the County Clerk, the

County Recorder, the County Auditor, or some

other officer. In other States, different elections

may be administered by different officials.

Texas. Early voting is conducted by the Early

Voting Clerk, but different people can serve as

the Early Voting Clerk depending on the type of

election that is being held.

• The County Clerk is the Early Voting Clerk

in: the general election for State and county

officers and any other countywide election

that is held at county expense; a primary election; and a special election ordered by the

Governor.

• In a less-than-countywide election ordered by

a county authority and held at county expense, the County Clerk is the Early Voting

Clerk unless another person is appointed by

the county authority.

• In an election ordered by a county authority

and not held at county expense, the authority ordering the election appoints the Early

Voting Clerk.

• The City Secretary is the Early Voting Clerk for

an election ordered by an authority of the city.

• The Early Voting Clerk for all other types of elections is appointed by the authority ordering the

election.

Arizona. The County Recorder is responsible for

voter registration and early voting for all county,

State, and federal elections. Cities and towns conducting an election can either piggyback on one

of those elections or conduct their own early voting using a list of registered voters supplied by

the County Recorder's office. Ballots, punch cards,

or voting machines are supplied by the County

Elections Department, which is responsible for

election day activities. In some counties (including Maricopa) it has been arranged for the Director of the County Elections Department to

work for the County Recorder so all election-related activities are in one office.

Colorado. The County Clerk and Recorder conducts voter registration and consolidated elections.

Iowa. All elections are conducted by the elected

County Auditor, who also serves as the Commissioner of Elections.

Nevada. Early voting is conducted by the County

Clerk's Election Department.

Virginia. The official responsible for early voting is the Clerk to the County Electoral Board.

11

Who is Eligible

to Vote Early?

All of the States that offer any kind of early

voting require that the voter be registered before

casting a ballot, though the deadlines for voter

registration vary. While a few States that conduct some variant of early voting require the voter

to cite a specific reason for voting early, more

States are moving to unrestricted in-person early

voting.

Texas. All citizens registered to vote 30 days prior

to election day may vote early by personal appearance at an early voting site—no reason is needed,

and no application form is used. (Early voting by

mail is still restricted to specific reasons and requires

an application.)

Arizona. Since 1992, they have had unrestricted

absentee and early voting for all citizens registered

at least 29 days before an election.

Colorado. Any citizen registered at least 25 days

before an election may vote by early voting ballot

or by mail absentee ballot, without restriction.

Mail absentee voters must complete an application, but in-person early voters do not.

Iowa. The voter registration deadline is 10 days

before an election. State law requires an application and permits absentee voting by anyone who:

1) expects to be absent on election day from the

precinct in which the person is qualified to vote

during the time the polls are open; 2) through illness or physical disability, expects to be prevented

from going to the polls and voting on election day;

3) expects to be unable to go to the polls and vote

on election day. Although the three circumstances

under which a person may vote by absentee ballot are specified, nowhere does the Code require

that the voter reveal that reason. The legislature

added the third reason in 1990 with the understanding that it was very general and would open

up the absentee voting process to anyone who

wished to cast a ballot before election day. Even

before reason number 3 was added, no one who

requested an absentee ballot was denied a ballot.

Nevada. The voter registration deadline is 30

days before an election. Any registered voter may

vote at any permanent early voting site in the

county; or the county clerk may establish permanent sites within a commission district and

limit early voting to voters who reside in that

commission district.

Virginia. The voter registration deadline is 29

days before an election. An application form must

be completed for all early voting or absentee voting, whether by mail or in person, requiring the

voter to state one of a list of reasons for voting

early: student, away on business or vacation,

physical disability or illness, confined to jail,

election official, armed forces, overseas.

13

Early Voting

Methods

The goal of early voting for many early voting

advocates is to attract marginal voters who want

to vote but who might not make it to the polls on

election day. Therefore the voting method at early

voting sites is made as quick and simple as is possible within the constraints of conducting a fair and

honest election. But those legal constraints vary

from State to State.

The major difference between early voting and

election day voting is that during early voting

voters may cast their ballots at any of the early

voting locations in the county, while on election

day voters must vote at the polling place for the

precinct in which they are registered. The early

voting ballots are the same as those used on election day, and the early voting forms and methods

are similar to election day forms and procedures.

Texas. To vote early by personal appearance, the

voter must vote in person either at the main early

voting polling place or at any duly designated

early voting branch location during designated

early voting hours.

A potential voter entering the early voting location is asked to present her or his voter registration certificate. If the voter does not have the certificate, the Clerk looks for the voter on the certified voter registration printout—a listing of all registered voters in the county who are eligible to vote

in a particular election that is prepared by the Voter

Registration Office. All voters are required to sign

an early voting election form. The names from these

forms are then entered into the main computer

database indicating where and when they voted in

person. Travis County has successfully experimented with on-line computer terminals at several

of their high-turnout locations, and they hope to

expand this capability to include all early voting

locations in the near future. Harris County has had

on-line computer access to the main voter registration file from every satellite early voting site since

November 1992. Each ballot punch card in Harris

and Dallas counties is identified by precinct number and ballot style, but is not placed in any kind of

identifying envelope before being deposited directly

in the ballot box. Thus, no ballot can be identified

individually or connected to a specific voter.

Arizona. The voter fills out an application, the

registration is verified, and the voter is given a

ballot and envelope. Every household is sent a

sample ballot before election day, showing the

proper number beside each candidate's name. The

same sample ballot is given the voter in the early

voting polling place so the voter will know which

number to punch for each candidate. After the

punch card ballot is voted, the voter places it in a

signed ballot envelope, then seals the envelope

and places it in the ballot box.

Colorado. Registered voters who appear in person at the early voting polling place may cast their

ballots in the same manner as any ballot would be

cast in a precinct polling place on election day. The

procedure is made easy primarily for the administrative officers, but also, in the end, for the voters.

The elector fills out a signature card, the name is

15
verified on the registration records, the proper ballot type is issued to the elector, and after the elector votes, the ballot is deposited into a ballot box.

The ballot is individually identifiable by number.

Voting methods used in different counties include

punch card, paper, mechanical lever, electronic, and

optical scan. Each county uses for early voting whatever voting system they use for absentee voting.

Iowa. Each satellite site is supplied with a computer and printer, with step-by-step instructions

for their use in verifying and correcting registrations and printing absentee applications and

end-of-day reports.

The pollworker enters either the voter's social

security number or name. Once the computer system finds the name, the voter is asked his address

to confirm that the computer has found the correct

voter's data and to confirm that the address in the

voter system is still current. (Changes of address

or name can be made.) The computer prints a request form, which the voter signs and dates. (If the

voter has already requested an absentee ballot, the

computer screen reports this; if the voter wants to

take the ballot and mail it in, he may do so; if the

voter wants to vote immediately, the computer generates a serial number.) The pollworker fills out

the affidavit/identification envelope with the serial

number, the voter's precinct, and the voter's city,

then has the voter date, sign, and write his address

on the envelope. The pollworker fills out an outer

envelope with the serial number, voter's last initial, and voter's precinct. The pollworker than inspects a ballot, initials it, and gives it to the voter

along with a pencil, instructing the voter to: "Use

this pencil. The new way to mark your ballot is by

connecting the head and tail of the arrow pointing

to your choice. After you've voted, fold your ballot

in half and place your ballot inside the secrecy

folder. Then place the secrecy folder inside the affidavit envelope. Seal the envelope and return it to

me." When the voter returns the sealed affidavit

envelope, the pollworker folds the request form over

the affidavit envelope and places them inside the

outer envelope and seals it, then inserts the sealed

outer envelope inside the ballot box.

Nevada. When a voter appears to vote early, the

Clerk will:

• check the registration file on the computer to

verify the person's registration and the fact

that they have not already voted at any other

early voting site or by mail absentee ballot.

(Any early voter may be challenged orally,

according to the same rules that apply on

election day.)

• have the voter sign the early voting roster for

that day (the roster must include the voter's

name, registration address, voter identification number, precinct number, and the date

of voting)

• verify the voter's signature against the signature on the computer screen or voter card

• mark the voter's precinct on the bottom lefthand side of the ballot card and the ballot type

number on the bottom right-hand side of the

card and

• allow the voter to vote and place the ballot in

the ballot box when finished voting.

Virginia. In Fairfax County the early voter completes the absentee application form required of all

absentee voters. It is certified by the General Registrar to verify that the voter is registered and in

which districts, then returned to the voter to hand

to the officers of election. The officer records the

voter's name in the two poll books for the correct

district, enters the precinct name or code, stamps

"Voted on Machine" on the application, places the

application face down in the box provided, and permits the voter to enter the machine and vote. If the

voter used a paper ballot, the voted ballot is placed

directly in the ballot box; the ballot is not placed in

an identification envelope before being put in the

ballot box. Voters who have received an absentee

ballot through the mail are allowed to return their

voted ballot to a satellite absentee site, but they

are not encouraged to do so.

16
When Early

Voting is

Conducted

There is wide variation in the days and hours

when early voting must be offered. Texas and

Nevada have mandated extended hours for certain sites, but other States leave hours and days

to the discretion of each county.

Texas. Early voting must be conducted for all

elections. In most elections, early voting by personal

appearance begins on the 20th day before election

day and ends on the 4th day before election day.

Run-off and special elections may have a compressed early voting period starting the 10th day

and ending the 4th day before election day.

All mandatory branch early voting polling

places must be open the same number of hours

as the main early polling place location, but the

hours do NOT have to be identical to those of the

main location (see Figure 1). Additional non-mandatory branches may be open any day and any

hours.

Travis County has, for the past several elections, had all early voting sites open during the

early voting period: Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m-7:00

p.m.; the first weekend Saturday, 9:00 a.m.- 5:00

p.m.; the second weekend Saturday, 7:00 a.m.-

7:00 p.m.; and both Sundays, noon-5:00 p.m.

Bexar County uses mobile early voting and has

determined the number of hours and days that

each mobile early voting site would be open by

the anticipated demand at each location. The

number of hours each mobile site was open varied from 2 to 30 1/2. Adequate traveling time was

allowed between sites to ensure adherence to the

publicized times of service.

Dallas County and Harris County had only the

extended hours mandated by State law, because

they have no additional satellite sites beyond

those mandated.

Arizona. State law specifies that early voting

must begin at least 33 days before an election

and end the Friday before the election. Voter registration closes 29 days before an election.

Yavapai County opened satellite sites for all elections Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m-5:00 p.m. Maricipa

County satellite sites are open Monday-Friday,

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m for the first 20 days, then

Monday-Saturday, 7:00 a.m-7:00 p.m. for the last

13 days.

Colorado. Early voting must be open during

regular business hours beginning 24 days preceding any election and ending at the close of

business on the Friday immediately preceding the

election. Early voting is not allowed earlier because voter registration does not close until the

25th day preceding an election. (Any eligible person can register anywhere in the State. Allowing

simultaneous registration and early voting

caused confusion and delay, made it difficult to

prevent double voting, and created long lines of

waiting voters.) County Clerks have the option

of keeping their offices open late and open on

weekends if their County Commissioners approve

it, but none has done so.

17
00 FIGURE 1:

SUMMARY OF TEXAS MANDATORY EARLY VOTING HOURS

Type of Election

County Size

Population Under 100,000

Population under 100,000

with Valid Request* for

Extended Hours or Weekend

Hours

Population over 100,000

Primary/General

Weekdays

Special City

Regular early voting hours, on weekdays during the time the early voting Clerk's office is generally open, for the entire early voting period

Weekends

Weekend voting at the main early voting place is not required.

Weekdays

Extended voting (at least 12 hours

per day) on weekdays during the

final week of early voting. Regular

hours during the rest of early voting.

Weekends

Petitioners may request voting for

12 hours on the last Saturday and

5 hours on the last Sunday; or they

may request voting on Saturday or

Sunday. In this case, the Clerk does

not have to order voting on the

day(s) requested, but must order

voting on a Saturday if a Saturday

is requested and on a Sunday if a

Sunday is requested.

Weekdays

Extended voting (at least 12 hours

per day) on weekdays during the

final week of early voting. Regular

hours during the rest of early voting.

Weekends

Must be open at least 12 hours on

the last Saturday and at least 5 hours

the last Sunday of the early voting

Period. The early voting Clerk may,

but is not required, to open the main

early voting polling place on other

Saturdays or Sundays during the

early voting period.

Extended voting (at least 12 hours Not applicable.

per day) on the last 2 days of

early voting. Regular hours during

the rest of early voting.

The clerk does not have to have to order early voting on the day(s) requested, but must order

voting on a Saturday if a is requested and on a Sunday if a Sunday is requested.

Extended voting (at least 12 hours Regular early voting hours during

per day) on the last 2 days of the time the early voting clerk's

early voting. Regular hours during office is generally open, for the

the rest of early voting. entire early voting period.

Is not required unless a valid request* is submitted. The clerk does not have to order

early voting on the day(s) requested, but must order voting on a Saturday if a Saturday if a

Saturday is requested and on a Sunday if a Sunday is requested.

Other

Early voting at least 8 hours/day

unless the area covered by an

election has fewer than 1,000

registered voters; in that case 3 hours

Not applicable.

Early voting at least 8 hours a day

unless the territory covered by the

election has fewer than 1,000

registered voters; in that case, 3 hours.

A "valid request" is a written request for extra hours during the early voting period, signed by 15 registered voters of the territory covered by the election, submitted

3 days before the first day that is requested.
Iowa. Absentee ballots must be available 40 days

(or as early as possible) before an election, and

absentee voting is permitted through the day

before an election. The voter registration deadline is 10 days before an election; voters may register at the same time they vote, until the registration deadline. State law leaves the dates and

times for providing satellite absentee voting sites

to the discretion of each county, but mandates

the availability of in-person absentee voting at

the county election office. The limited experience

in the two counties that have done satellite absentee voting indicates they are still grappling

with the question of what dates and hours are

most useful to voters.

Polk County instituted satellite absentee voting on a limited basis in 1992. Four sites in areas

with competitive elections were opened 9:00 a.m.-

4:00 p.m. for one Saturday each before the primary election. One site was opened on three days

before the general election, in an area where past

voter participation rates had been lowest.

Johnson County used 10 satellite sites in the

fall of 1992, open different days between September 24 and November 2, and open for widely differing time periods ranging from one to 11 hours

per day. Two sites were opened before a July 1993

special election, for one and two days respectively.

Nevada. Early voting begins the third Saturday

preceding an election and continues through the

Friday before the election. The voting hours at

permanent early voting sites are 8:00 a.m.-6:00

p.m., Monday-Friday, during the first week of

early voting; 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m., Monday-Friday,

during the second week of early voting; 10:00

a.m.-6:00 p.m. on any Saturday. Temporary voting sites may be open any number of days for

any number of hours.

Virginia. Fairfax County opens satellite early

voting sites only for the November general election every year since voter turnout is too small

in primaries and special elections to justify the

expense. Satellite voting begins 2 1/2 weeks before the general election, but in-person voting is

mandated by State law to begin in the registrar's

office 45 days before the general election. All inperson absentee voting closes at 5:00 p.m. on the

Saturday before the election.

In 1993 in-person absentee voting was available at the main office September 17-October 30

during the following days and hours:

• Sept. 17 - Oct. 12 Mon-Fri

8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

• Oct. 13 - Oct. 30 Mon-Fri

8:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

• Sat's - Oct. 2, 16, 23, 30

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

In-person absentee voting was available at

seven satellites:

a Oct. 13 - Oct. 30 Mon-Fri

3:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

• Sat's - 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

19

Where Early Voting

is Conducted

The selection of locations for satellite early

voting sites can cause an outcry if it is not perceived as being fair and unbiased toward all

groups, parties, interests, candidates, and areas.

No one has contemplated opening all precinct

voting locations for early voting, so early voting

site selection must be done carefully. Some jurisdictions prefer to use government buildings for

satellite early voting sites because of low cost and

efficient communication with the central election

office. Others prefer malls and retail stores because these have been their most popular sites

and have produced the greatest voter turnout.

Experienced administrators say that selecting

and securing early voting satellite sites must begin well in advance. This allows time for negotiating with building managements for appropriate

space and security requirements. Some counties

do site selection with an in-house committee, but

others have found it saves time and forestalls dissension to create a site-selection committee that

includes representatives of political parties, campaigns, and demographic, geographic, and interest groups. They stress that it is important to clarify

the target audiences for satellite sites: disabled or

elderly voters, young voters, precincts with low

voter turnout, minority populations, shift workers

or others who work nonstandard hours, and the

general public. This kind of planning can avoid

accusations of partisan advantage and reduce pressure to add sites that might favor one party or

candidate over another.

There are a number of other considerations to

take into account in planning satellite early

voting. These include:

• the space available

• security arrangements

• anticipated turnout

• provision of ballots for all precincts that are

to be covered and

• special personnel needs such as bilingual

pollworkers or office standbys for heavy turnout sites.

In addition to these considerations, mobile

sites also require planning:

• the best time-saving, gas-saving routes

between sites

• travel time and extra time between sites (to

allow people to vote who were in line when a

site closed)

• optimum hours and days for specific sites and

• the number of mobile units needed.

Mobile voting also requires the procurement of

vehicles and insurance and provisions for security.

A standby mobile unit vehicle is recommended (in

case a mobile vehicle breaks down). Some jurisdictions have found mobile voting to be impractical;

others have found it the most cost-effective way to

serve a variety of early voting sites.

21
FIGURE 2:

SUMMARY OF ADDITIONAL MANDATORY EARLY VOTING PLACES

Type of Election

County Size

Population

Under 100,000

Population

100,000-400,000

Primary, General, or Special Election

to Fill a Congressional, State Senate,

or State Representative Vacancy

All Other Elections

None, unless otherwise ordered by the Commissioner's Court.

1 temporary branch early voting polling place

in each Commissioner precinct covered by the

election.

None, unless ordered by the

Commissioners.

Population

400,000-1,000,000

1 temporary branch early voting polling place

in each State Representative district covered

by the election (may be grouped into no more

than 4 groups in primary only).

Population

1,000,000-2,500,000 1 temporary branch early voting polling place

in each State Representative district covered

by the election (may be grouped into no more

than 4 groups, in primary only).

Population

Over 2,500,00 1 temporary branch early voting polling place

in each State Representative district covered

by the election (may be grouped into

no more than 4 groups, in all elections).

Texas. All counties in all elections are required to

have one main early voting polling place and one

in each permanent branch office of the County Clerk

unless otherwise ordered by the Commissioners

Court. The number and location of additional mandatory satellite early voting sites depends on the

population of the county (see Figure 2). The Commissioners may order additional temporary sites

anywhere in the county; additional sites may be

opened at any time during the early voting period,

provided sufficient notice is given.

The Travis County Elections Division of the

County Clerk's office makes a detailed recommendation to the County Commissioners Court before

each election of what the program will entail. By

State law, they are required to have at least one

full-time early voting location in each of the county's

22
five State legislative districts as well as the main

early voting location, for a total of six sites. Since

1991 they have operated a maximum of thirteen

full-time locations as well as a mobile voting program using three mobile vans. The sites are equitably distributed throughout the county and are

located in areas of optimum public convenience.

They emphasize retail areas such as malls and grocery stores to offer voters the opportunity to vote

as they go about their day-to-day activities. They

stress that communication is crucial in maintaining the integrity of the election process, and they

make sure that all early voting locations have telephone access. They use cellular phones for their

mobile voting teams and for any full-time site for

which telephone service cannot be established

economically.

They recommend that jurisdictions doing early

voting look carefully at where the public goes in

the normal course of a day—to work, to school,

shopping, events—and choose voting locations

where the traffic already exists. They believe that

libraries, recreation centers, and other public

buildings may seem like obvious choices for early

voting locations, but it will be found that a very

limited cross-section of the voting public goes to

them on a regular basis. Retail locations, though

it is sometimes more difficult to confirm timely

arrangements, draw the highest voter turnout.

Dallas County increased the number of early

voting locations from 16 to 21 in 1988, and in

1992 added one additional location for a total of

22; all were sites mandated by State law. Most

of their locations are city halls and recreation

centers. They do not use shopping centers, stores,

or mobile voting vans for early voting locations.

They used a mobile site for a school election once

on request, but it did not prove productive.

Harris County had 25 fixed early voting satellites sites, one in each State Representative district, plus the main voting office. Many of their

fixed sites are in retail shopping areas. They have

not used mobile voting.

Bexar County had 26 fixed early voting sites

for the 1992 general election, keeping all the mall

sites they had used before and replacing traditional sites with retail sites. In addition, the Elections Department presented to the County Commissioners court in August 1992 a detailed proposal for a mobile early voting and registration

experiment. They rented five vans for a 60-day

period, beginning September 1. For the first 30

days they were used for voter registration,

thereby affording opportunities for acquainting

people with early voting locations and procedures

as well as making registration convenient. The

vans served 50 additional early voting sites—

some just one time, some repeatedly. The goal of

using mobile vans for temporary early voting was

to increase participation among the young, the

poor, and tradespeople. In targeting these groups,

they identified the following types of polling sites:

grocery stores, discount stores, home improvement stores, flea markets, senior citizen nutrition/activity centers, college and university campuses, and churches. In selecting mobile site locations, they identified under-registered precincts, low-participating precincts, and areas of

the county that are so remote that they are not

close to any of the 26 fixed early voting sites; then

they attempted to serve all three types of areas

with mobile sites.

Arizona. Yavapai County had one satellite site

in a county annex office and one in a city hall,

plus the main office of the County Recorder.

Prescott, the county seat, is in the center of the

county; the Verde Valley area is a 1 1/2- to 2-

hour drive to the northeast, physically separated

from the county seat by a mountain. The county

maintains an annex in Cottonwood, one of the

towns in the Verde Valley, so it was obvious to

use an office in that annex for early voting. The

residents in the area around Sedona, another

town about 30 minutes further northeast, were

very vocal about their needs, so a second early

voting satellite site was provided in a small room

in the Sedona city hall.

23
Maricopa County has early voting in the main

office downtown and in the Recorder's annex in

the east part of the county; they are anticipating

9 additional sites throughout the county, to be

similar to election day polling places, with a minimum of 600 square feet, ADA accessible, adequate

parking, restrooms, and security. They have an

inclusive committee working on plans and anticipate renting space in shopping malls.

Colorado. State law requires that each County

Clerk conducting a coordinated election must

provide one or more early voting polling places.

It is left to the discretion of each County Clerk

whether to provide additional satellite early voting sites. Every early voting site must be connected by computer to the main office for checking registration and to prevent double voting. In

1992 Denver had one satellite absentee voting

site at a full-time branch office of the County

Clerk. This may be the only satellite site in the

State.

Iowa. Both Johnson County and Polk County have

used different satellite absentee voting sites at different elections. Polk County serves a diverse urban and rural population, and Johnson County

serves both a local population and a large university community. Polk County has tried shopping

malls, senior citizen centers, and a library. Johnson

County has tried a variety of government, quasigovernment, and school buildings. Both have varied locations according to the type of election, and

they still seem to be experimenting with finding

the most convenient locations for voters.

Nevada. The main permanent site is the County

Election Office. Satellite sites are optional, based

on need and available resources. Clark County

is planning satellite sites because it sees a need

to serve a county that: covers a large area (8,000

square miles) containing remote cities that are

as far as a 2 1/2 hour drive from the main election office; has a 24-hour community with a large

segment of the community who work shifts that

do not conform to the usual 8-5 pattern; and has

a large retirement community, many of whom do

not drive and who have limited transportation.

Virginia. Fairfax County started in 1978 with

the central office and two satellite early voting

sites. For the November 2, 1993, General Election they had increased the number of satellite

sites to seven, all in government office buildings

(as mandated by State law) that are distributed

throughout the county.

24
Providing Security

for Ballots and

Voting Sites

How do you keep anyone from removing valid

voted ballots, adding spurious voted ballots, stealing unvoted ballots, tampering with the lists of

voters who have already voted, or generally calling

into question the integrity of the election when you

have a number of satellite early voting sites that

are open for several days? While inadequate security can call any election into question, it is a particular risk in early voting because there are uncounted voted ballots in existence for days or weeks

before the election results are tabulated. This is a

clear instance in which election procedures must

not only provide excellent security, they must also

have every appearance of providing excellent security so that voters, candidates, and the public at

large will trust the results of the election.

Security procedures at satellite early voting

sites are very much the same as those followed

on election day, but they must be followed every

day of the early voting period. All ballots and

materials must either be returned to the election

office at the end of each day and delivered to the

early voting sites at the beginning of the next

day, or they must be locked in a secure room at

the early voting location every night. Just as election security procedures vary from State to State,

so early voting security procedures vary, but they

work when they are very tight and are rigorously

enforced.

In designing their security measures, jurisdictions contemplating early voting might want to

consider using a double-lock system to insure

that no one single person can gain access to ballot materials. In such a system, any room that is

used for secure storage has two locks. A person

of one political party holds the single key to one

lock and a person of a different party holds the

key to the other lock. Thus, both persons must

be present to open the door. Smaller carrying

cases that contain ballots and other materials

can be locked each night with a disposable lock

embossed with a unique number that is recorded

when it is attached and when it is broken, so that

any tampering is immediately apparent.

Ballot Security

Texas. Travis County election officials emphasize the need to pay close attention to security.

During early voting, they make sure the ballot

box is accessible to voters, yet is in a safe area.

They have sometimes chained the ballot box to a

fixture such as a table or chair in some retail locations to ensure that no one could walk off with

it. For those locations that are in the open and

cannot be securely locked for the night, they arrange to use a locked closet in which to store their

materials overnight.

Bexar County provides each mobile early voting van with a manual containing a detailed daily

schedule of sites and times, contact names and

telephone numbers, designated routes, and the

procedures to be followed at each site. The security measures and procedures at each mobile

25
early voting site are identical to those of every

fixed early voting location and are required to be

in full compliance with all applicable election

laws. A new ballot box is used daily at each early

voting site; at the end of each day, it is double

locked and not opened until after it is turned over

to the Counting Board. All personnel must meet

at the Election Center each morning, leaving

their personal vehicles parked at the Election

Center, and return there each evening after closing the final early voting site. Either the Presiding or the Alternate Election Judge on each mobile van brings the secured voted ballots and all

election records and materials to the Election

Center upon closing of the last voting site each

day, as do all fixed early voting site election

judges.

Dallas County has all voted ballots either

picked up by a Deputy Sheriff or delivered to the

main elections office by the satellite site Election

Judge daily. Unvoted ballots and other election

supplies are taken home by the Election Judge

or locked in a secure room at the site every night.

Harris County uses a locked ballot box at each

site. The voted ballots from each site are returned

to the central elections office daily in a sealed

transfer case by a uniformed Deputy Constable.

Arizona. Voted ballots are placed in a locked

ballot box, then picked up daily by two people of

opposite political parties for delivery to the main

elections office, where they are stored in a locked

room or closet.

Colorado. For partisan elections, the County

Clerk and Recorder must appoint at least three

Receiving Judges, no more than a simple majority from one political party, for each early voting

site. Regular employees of the County Clerk and

Recorder may serve as Receiving Judges so long

as they meet the party affiliation requirements.

The voting machines, electronic machines, or

ballot boxes used for the casting of early ballots

must remain locked and secured with a numbered

seal. Alternatively, the ballot boxes may be opened

each night, and the voted ballots placed in a transfer case that is locked and secured with a numbered seal. On lever or electronic machines there

must be a daily reconciliation of votes and the number of voters. A record must be maintained consisting of a date, number of ballots, and seal number

of each ballot box and transfer case until each is

transferred to the Supply Judge for the absent voters' polling place for preparation for counting and

tabulating. When a seal is broken, the designated

election official and a person who is not to be of the

same political party as the designated election official must record the number of the seal, and maintain the seal along with an explanation of the reasons for breaking the seal. During the time the early

voting polling place is not open, the designated election official must have the custody and keys of any

voting machine or electronic voting equipment being used for the casting of early ballots. The voting

machines or electronic voting machines used for

the casting of early ballots are not to be used for

the further counting of absentee ballots.

Iowa. State law requires that at least three

people be assigned to work at each satellite absentee voting station; more workers may be added

at the Election Commissioner's discretion. At all

times the satellite station must have at least two

workers present to preserve the security of the

ballots, both voted and unvoted. For primary and

general elections, no more than a simple majority of the workers at each satellite station may

be registered with the same political party. If from

time to time there is more than a simple majority of workers from a single political party present

at the station, voting must be suspended until

bipartisan balance is restored.

At the Election Commissioner's discretion the

ballots may be transported between the Commissioner's office and the satellite absentee voting

station by the workers who will be on duty that

day, or by two people of different political parties

who have been designated as couriers by the Commissioner. It is not necessary for the same people

to transport the ballots in both directions. If the

ballots are transported by the satellite absentee

26
voting station workers, all of the workers and the

ballots must travel together in the same vehicle.

Ballots may be stored at the satellite absentee

voting station during hours when the station is

closed only if they are kept in a locked cabinet or

container. The cabinet must be located in a room

that is kept locked when not in use. Voted absentee ballots must be delivered to the Commissioner's

office at least once each week.

Johnson County requires that all the books be

balanced against a daily computer-generated report and that a diskette be created each day for

each computer. If couriers are picking up ballots,

all workers must wait until both couriers arrive.

The couriers must show identification before the

ballots are surrendered. If ballots are stored on

site, all voted, unvoted, spoiled, special, and any

mailed ballots that were dropped off at the station must be locked in the ballot box, and the

ballot box must be placed in a locked room while

all workers are present.

Nevada. A double-locked ballot box is issued to

the Deputy Early Voting Clerk each day during

the early voting period. (One key remains with

the County Clerk and one with another person

not under the direction of the Clerk. Under no

circumstance will the Early Voting Board open

the ballot box.) The box must also be sealed with

a numbered seal in a way that ensures that any

tampering would be evident.

At the end of the early voting day, the Early Voting Clerks must secure the voting machines to ensure against any -unauthorized use. The Clerks

record on a numbered seal the number of voted

ballots contained in that box for that day, and put

the seal on the box. The sealed box is delivered by

the Clerks to the Election Department; a new

double-locked box is issued to the Early Voting

Clerk for use the next day. This procedure is

repeated daily.

A procedure must be established, with the approval of the Secretary of State, to ensure the

security of unvoted ballots that have been issued

to the early voting site. At the end of the early

voting period, all voting materials must be returned to the Election Department by the Board.

Virginia. Fairfax County election workers must

account for all voted and unvoted ballots and

must balance the books daily at each early voting satellite voting site. The Clerk of the Election Board must pick up voted ballots at the end

of every day.

Voter Security and Prohibitions

Against Electioneering.

All States have laws protecting the voter from

interference and intimidation at the polling place

on election day. States that have introduced early

voting have provided identical or similar

protections at early voting sites.

Texas. State law allows the use of ropes or other

suitable objects at a polling place to ensure that

a voting area is secure and discrete. This section

requires the exclusion of persons not expressly

permitted by law to be in a polling place, to the

extent practicable. This is intended to ensure

voters' privacy, especially in retail voting locations where early voting cannot be conducted in

a separate room.

Texas law also expanded the prohibitions

against electioneering near an early voting polling place to take into account such varied structures as the county courthouse, a polling place

used on election day, a temporary building set up

especially for early voting, and a retail area. The

prohibited area is generally 30 feet, and a sign is

posted at the outer limit of the area.

Arizona, The rules against electioneering are the

same as on election day: none is allowed within

75 feet of a polling locations, although they are

considering changing the limit to 50 feet.

Colorado. Electioneering is not allowed within

100 feet of an early voting location.

Iowa. Any signs supporting or opposing any candidate or question on the ballot are forbidden within

30 feet of a satellite absentee voting station.

27
Nevada. Electioneering is prohibited within 30

feet of an early voting site. The 30-foot distance

may be roped off and marked with a distance

marker indicating no electioneering.

Virginia. Electioneering rules for absentee satellite voting sites are the same as election day:

none within 40 feet of the entrance to a polling

place.

28
Preventing

Double Voting

Elaborate procedures to keep track of who has

voted by regular absentee ballot have long been

in place to prevent persons from voting more than

once. Pollbooks do the same at the polling location on election day. But how can someone be prevented from voting repeatedly when a number of

satellite early voting sites are open for several

days? Everyone seems to agree that the ideal

answer is to have each satellite early voting site

connected on-line to the computerized central

registration file. This enables the election workers at the early voting site to call up the voter's

registration and check its validity, then to make

a notation on the computer record that the person has voted. Where on-line verification of eligibility has not been practicable, registrations

have been checked and the notations made by

telephone verification to the central file or by

checking the list of early voters against the central election office file at the end of each day, preventing that person from voting again at least

on subsequent days.

Texas. State law requires that a roster listing

each person who votes an early voting ballot be

updated daily and that each roster may be maintained in any form approved by the Secretary of

State.

Travis County's central database indicates who

has voted. A data entry clerk enters the early voting history from the poll lists. They have successfully experimented with on-line computer terminals at several of their high-turnout locations. If a

voter's name appears a second time on the poll lists,

the data entry clerk receives a message on the terminal that this person has already voted. A search

of the poll lists is done to determine if the information is true. If the information is confirmed by the

search, the lists are copied, a letter is sent to the

voter, and the information is forwarded to the

District Attorney for investigation. Every early

voting site has either regular or cellular telephone

access, allowing daily reports from each location

and a direct way to check voter registration

status for those locations without computer

access.

Dallas County has some concerns about the

recording of early voters. They enter voter information on floppy disks at the early voting locations and load the information onto their computer nightly. They strongly believe that they

need direct line access to their main office computer to record the voter immediately into the

main system. This would virtually eliminate the

error lists produced by the main office while correcting the mistakes made at the early voting

locations. They would also like to print a computer-generated form at the early voting location,

showing the voter's information printed directly

from the voter's file. This would save a significant amount of time in processing voters and

would assure that no voter could vote at two or

more locations on the same day.

Harris County has provided every satellite

early voting site with on-line computer access to

29
the main voter registration file since November

1992. Each voter's registration is verified, and a

check is made to ensure that the voter has not

already voted in-person or by mail. The voter's

name is then flagged as voting early in person.

Three years ago, before they had on-line computer

access, one voter tried to vote in-person a second

time, but announced that he was double voting

and was prevented from doing so.

Bexar County provides each satellite early voting site with a microfiche list of registered voters

and a microfilm reader. If the voter's name is not

on the list, the clerk phones the main office for a

check of the main registration file. They did have

nine voters who voted twice in one election; on

investigation of each voter, they found that all

were over 75 years old and had simply been

confused.

Arizona. In Yavapai County, at the county annex in Cottonwood, the early voting satellite site

was hooked up to the voter registration computer

by modem. The early voting clerk was able to display the voter's record, generate a printed application for signing, and flag the record. If a voter

tried to request another ballot, the system would

indicate that the voter had already voted. In

Sedona, the early voting clerk was provided with

a list of registered voters. The clerk provided an

application for the vote r's signature. Each night

the applications were taken to the office in Cottonwood to be flagged on the computer the next

day.

Maricopa County will check each voter's eligibility through its on-line computer with the main

registration file. This will show if the voter has

already voted, because each voter's name will be

flagged upon appearance at an early voting site.

Colorado. State law requires that all early voting polling places must be provided with on-line

computer accessibility to the County Clerk and

Recorder for verifying voter registration and flagging the registration to show that person has

voted.

Iowa. Johnson County provides each satellite

absentee voting station a computer containing the

list of all registered voters. Each voter's registration is checked before a request form is issued,

and the computer will alert the pollworker if a

ballot has already been requested by that voter.

Because the application form is attached to the

voted ballot, the board counting absentee ballots

on election day can spot duplicate applications

by the same voter and remove those ballots

before they are counted.

The deadline for voter registration in Iowa is

10 days before the election, and absentee voting

is available 40 days before an election. Therefore,

it is possible for a voter to register to vote and to

vote an absentee ballot at the same time. It is

also possible to complete a change of address or

name and to vote at the same time. However,

because the request form is attached to the envelope containing the voted ballot, the eligibility of

individual voters can be challenged before the

vote is counted.

Nevada. The early voter's eligibility is checked

against the registration file on the central computer to verify the person's registration and the

fact that they have not already voted. After the

voter signs the early voting roster for that day,

the signature is verified against the signature on

the computer screen or voter card.

Virginia. Fairfax County early voters must complete an absentee application that must be signed,

witnessed, and must have the voter's Social Security number; absentee votes cast on paper ballots

are placed in identifiable envelopes and can be individually challenged; names of absentee voters

using machines are entered in a pollbook, and their

votes cannot be challenged individually on election

day. The election official telephones the main county

office to verify that the voter is registered and has

not previously applied for an absentee ballot, then

marks the application to indicate the voter has

voted. The terminal operator at the main office

enters the date and "in-person" code on the

30
absentee files for the current election. Eventually

they would like to have computer terminals at each

satellite to speed up the registration verification

process.

Absentee voting closes at 5:00 p.m. the Saturday before the election; the Monday before the

election each precinct is provided a list of all absentee applicants (mail and in-person) so they

can mark the names in the rosters before the polls

open.

31

Providing

Appropriate Ballots

Many elections include offices and issues that

cover different and often overlapping districts—

legislative, congressional, school, municipal, and

so forth. The number of possible ballot styles and

combinations is increased in States that require

rotation of candidate names. This problem has

been addressed for years in the provision of absentee ballots, but early voting satellite sites

make the provision of all appropriate ballots at

every site a logistical challenge. Paper ballots or

punch cards with the names printed on them can

accommodate permutations by printing copies of

all the possible combinations and having them

available at each early voting site. Punch cards

that show only numbers can accommodate any

number of ballot styles by providing sample ballots or ballot pages for all the styles. Lever and

electronic machines are not so flexible. States

have dealt with these complexities in a variety of

ways.

Texas. Texas does not rotate the names of candidates on the ballot. That is, candidate names

appear on all ballots in identical order, so there

are not as many differing ballot styles as in States

that rotate candidate names.

Harris County has 1,315,000 registered voters, 1,226 (increasing to 1,391 in 1994) precincts.

It uses Votomatics and numbered punch cards

and has as many as 350 different ballot styles

(twice that number in partisan primary election).

The county is divided into four zones, with about

a half-dozen early voting sites in each zone. Each

early voting site has at least two, usually four to

six, copies of all the ballot pages for the correct ballot style for every precinct within that zone; the

appropriate ballot pages are loaded in the voting

device for each voter. They use a generic ballot card,

and the clerk writes the precinct number and

ballot style on the bottom of each card.

Travis County has 365,500 registered voters,

195 precincts, more than 100 ballot styles at primary elections. It uses the AIS optical scan paper ballot, a paper ballot that is marked with a

special lead marker that can be read by automatic

scanning tabulators. They produce a specific ballot for each precinct, even though many precincts

may include the same races. Each early voting

location has a set of precinct folders for the entire county, and they allocate the number of ballots based on estimated voter participation. Voters' precinct numbers are printed on their voter

registration certificates or listed on the voter registration roll. This precinct number determines

which ballot the voter is to receive. Special care is

taken to assure pulling the correct precinct folder

from which the voter chooses a ballot. Checks and

double checks are made to be absolutely certain

the voter receives the right ballot.

Dallas County has 925,000 registered voters, 990

precincts, about 485 different ballot styles for each

political party for primary elections, and about 100

different ballot styles for general elections. When

there are split precincts (as for some school elections) they use different colored ballots for each part

33
of the precinct. They use Votomatics and punch

cards for early voting. Each satellite site is provided

a minimum of four sets of pages for each ballot style,

more for busy sites. Warehouse technicians go to

each satellite site daily and replenish all supplies

and ballots as needed.

Bexar County has 584,000 registered voters,

514 precincts, and 192 different ballot styles.

They use Votomatics and punch cards for early

voting. They determine the number of ballots

needed for each early voting site based on the

turnout history for each fixed site. It is more difficult to determine the number needed for the

mobile sites and they have to look carefully at

the area each site will serve and try to estimate

turnout. They have sometimes had to re-supply

very busy sites and have done so on very short

notice.

Arizona. The State requires that candidate

names be rotated from precinct to precinct for

those offices where there is a contest, making the

provision of all ballot styles a complex challenge.

Maricopa County has 1,129,000 registered voters, about 1,000 precincts, and can have as many

as 2,000 ballot formats. They use Votomatics and

punch cards for absentee ballots. All ballots are

printed with the precinct name on unique pages.

Before each election they send a sample ballot to

every household with the correct ballot punch

card number beside each candidate's name. Identical ballots are used at polling places, so the voter

punches the number on the card for each candidate for whom the voter wants to vote.

They are considering three alternative solutions for providing so many different ballot formats: 1) have the ballot formats and pre-punched

cards on hand for the precincts nearest each early

voting site (within a radius of 5 or 10 miles) and

provide the capability for each site to generate

all other ballot formats in the county by computer

and pre-punch ballot cards as needed, using a

separate PC loaded with all ballot information;

2) print all ballot pages for each voter on a PC as

needed; or 3) supply each satellite site with about

20 copies of the ballot pages for each precinct

within 10 miles of that site and have one set of

ballot pages for every other precinct in the county.

They will probably go with alternative 1, but with

either alternative 1 or 2, they will have pre-punch

machines and specially trained staff at each early

voting site who know how to generate the ballot

pages and how to pre-punch the computer cards

for each voter.

Yavapai County had about 73,000 registered

voters in 1992, 120 precincts (half in Verde Valley), about 30 different ballot styles. They use

Votomatics and punch cards for absentee voting.

Each early voter is issued the punch card and

sample ballot for the correct precinct.

Colorado. The State does not rotate candidate

names, but ballot position is determined by party,

then by lot. Its 63 counties range in size from

508 (San Juan) to 257,873 (Denver) registered

voters, which can have over 80 different ballot

styles. Denver uses Datavote punch cards for

early voting. Different counties use punch card,

paper, mechanical lever, electronic, and optical

scan ballots. All ballot styles for the county must

be available at each early voting site. Because of

the difficulty in predicting how many voters

would vote early in 1992, some early voting staffs

were working late at night to provide sufficient

numbers of ballot types.

Iowa. Ballot format is by party line, with rotation

of names within the party line when there are

multiple candidates for an office. Johnson County

uses optical scan ballots and provides all ballot formats in the county at all satellite sites. They have

about 60,000 registered voters, 51 precincts, and

over 100 possible ballot styles.

Polk County uses optical scan ballots, has

193,000 registered voters, 163 precincts, over 100

possible ballot styles. They restrict the precinct

ballots that are available at satellite sites for primary elections. They provide as many as 100 copies of ballots for metropolitan precincts; if rural

voters request ballots for precincts that are not

available, they are asked to fill out an absentee

34
request and the absentee ballot is mailed to them. districts. The election officers double-check the

The voter is assured the correct format because districts with their precinct list before giving the

the computer verification also provides the voter's voter a ballot,

precinct and city.

N vada. Clark County covers 8,000 square miles,

has 342,000 registered voters, 846 precincts, 281

different ballot styles for each political party in a

primary election. The early voting roster contains

the voter's name, registration address, and precinct number. The voter's precinct is marked on

the bottom left-hand side of the ballot punch card

and the ballot type number on the bottom righthand side of the card. At this writing, the county

had not yet decided whether it will make all ballot assemblies available at all satellite sites in

the county or whether it will make available at

each site only the assemblies needed for the precincts that are within that County Commission

District (there are seven Commission Districts

in the county). If the county chooses the latter

procedure, early voters will be allowed to vote

only at the site for their Commission District.

Virginia. Fairfax County has 450,000 registered

voters, 189 precincts, as many as 50 possible ballot styles. They do not rotate candidate names

on the ballot; political parties draw lots each year

for ballot position. Fairfax County provides all

ballot formats used in the county to each satellite early voting site. (They provided only certain

ballot formats at certain sites in earlier years,

but changed to the current all-inclusive system.)

The ballot formats that are expected to be the

most commonly needed at each satellite site are

put on electronic machines (after the close of voter

registration), and the other formats are made

available on paper ballots. They provide each

satellite site with about 10 ballots for each of the

more distant precincts and as many as 200 ballots of the precincts that are close to busy sites.

If any site runs low on specific ballots, they are

re-supplied. The voter is assured the correct ballot through the registration verification process.

When the terminal operator in the main office

verifies the voter's registration, she also gives the

satellite election officers the voter's precinct and

35

Counting and

Reporting

States differ markedly in their counting and

reporting procedures for early-voted ballots. Some

do not differentiate between in-person early votes

and mail absentee votes; some require detailed

counting by early voting site; some give counties

discretion or have not yet formulated procedures.

Texas. The total number of early votes must be

reported for each candidate or measure by early

voting polling place location, as well as by precinct.

This information allows the governing body of a

political subdivision to assess the effectiveness of

early voting polling place locations in order to determine where future sites should be located.

Early Voting Ballot Counting Boards in counties that use paper ballots may begin processing

(but not counting) the ballots as soon as the period for absentee voting by personal appearance

ends, saving time on election day. The Early Voting Clerk is required to post continuous notice

and notify any county chairperson having a nominee on the ballot of each delivery of ballots to the

Early Voting Ballot Counting Board at least 24

hours prior to the delivery.

Arizona. The voted ballots are sealed in application envelopes; the envelopes can be opened and

the ballots sorted by precinct at any time, but

the count may not begin until election day.

Colorado. Early votes are counted with absentee ballots. They may be prepared for tabulation

at the absentee and early voting counting place

on the early voting days from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00

p.m. and on the day preceding the election from

8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but they must be turned

over to the counting officials no later than 8:30

a.m. on the day of the election. The election officials, working in bipartisan teams, may transfer

paper early votes to lever or electronic machines,

beginning the Friday before the election and continuing through election day. Counting of absentee and early voters' ballots may begin the Monday before the election and continue until counting is completed. No information concerning the

count shall be released by the election officials or

watchers until 7:00 p.m. on election day.

Iowa. Absentee ballots voted at satellite sites

along with mail absentee ballots are counted on

election day. (People who vote by absentee ballot

must be qualified on election day. But absentee

ballots are available 40 days before election day,

while voter registration does not close until 10

days before election day. Therefore, so long as

registration is still open, the eligibility of the voter

is undecided.)

Nevada. An Early Voting Ballot Board must be

appointed by the County Clerk to handle balancing of early voting ballots. The board must have

two co-chairmen of opposite political parties. At

least two other members, who must not be of the

same political affiliation, must also be appointed.

The Early Voting Ballot Board chairmen may

begin balancing the early voting ballots beginning four days before the close of early voting.

37
At the call of the Ballot Board chairmen, the

County Clerk will deliver all ballot boxes and his

keys to those boxes, the early voting rosters, and

any list of registered voters used in conducting early

voting. The Board chairmen must also call for the

second keys from the designated custodial person.

Upon receipt of all materials, the Board must:

• remove all ballots from all boxes

• sort ballots by precinct

• count the number of ballots by precinct

• account for all ballots on the official ballot

statement

• place ballots in the transfer case and seal it

with a numbered seal and

• send ballots and official ballot statements to

the central counting location.

The returns of early votes must be reported separately from the regular votes of the precinct unless

a voter's secrecy would be violated, in which case

the county clerk must establish a procedure to

ensure that secrecy.

Virginia. Fairfax County uses a central absentee

ballot count, checking the paper absentee ballots

name for name against a printout of absentee

voters.

Because it uses voting machines for some voters at satellite absentee sites and because absentee votes cast on paper ballots at those sites are

not enclosed in any kind of identification envelope, Fairfax County has noted a potential problem. If an early voter votes on a voting machine or

casts any kind of ballot that cannot be individually

identified and if that voter dies before election day,

there is no way to void his vote as there would be

with an identifiable absentee ballot.

38
Use of Early

Voting by Voters

The differences in counting and reporting procedures help explain why only some States can

provide detailed information about the results of

early voting and its effects on mail absentee voting and election day turnout.

Texas. See Figure 3 for early voting statistics for

the most populous Texas counties, Figure 4 for

early voting percentages in Tarrant County from

1982 to 1992.

Arizona. The change in State law, effective in

1992, to provide "no reason, no witness" absentee voting, resulted in a marked increase in absentee votes; in Yavapai County, four times as

many people voted early in 1992 as in 1988.

Colorado. In 1992 about 20 per cent of voters

statewide voted before election day. In Mesa

County (Grand Junction), 40 per cent voted early.

Iowa. Polk County reports that their absentee

voting has increased from about 4 per cent in 1982

to nearly 10 per cent in 1992 (from 4,730 to 16,921

ballots). Both Polk and Johnson counties keep

track of how many absentee ballots are voted at

each satellite site. (See Appendix, "Johnson

County, Iowa, Satellite Sites.")

Nevada. Because Nevada's early voting law did

not become effective until 1994, they had no results

to report at the time of this writing.

Virginia. Fairfax County does not separate numbers of absentee votes cast by mail from those

cast in person, but their total absentee ballots

have been gradually increasing and are about 6

per cent in presidential elections and 3-4 per cent

in other elections. They do keep track of the numbers of voters who vote at each absentee satellite

site so they can determine which sites are worth

the expense.

39
FIGURE 3:

EARLY VOTING STATISTICS FOR 15 MOST POPULOUS TEXAS COUNTIES

NOVEMBER 3,1992, GENERAL ELECTION*

County

Harris 1

Dallas

Tarrant

Bexar

Travis

El Paso

Hidalgo

Nueces

Jefferson

Collin

Denton

Galveston

Lubbock

Cameron

McLennan

Regis.

Voters

,315,010

879,137

596,598

584,335

352,737

210,125

152,147

144,844

135,220

153,736

146,357

122,590

109,552

100,193

98,807

Voter

Turnout

942,947

661,252

471,396

415,276

296,235

135,163

88,160

100,791

95,543

128,833

116,576

90,242

82,858

59,057

70,016

%

TO/VR

71.71

75.22

79.01

71.07

83.98

64.33

57.94

69.59

70.66

83.80

79.65

73.61

75.63

58.94

70.86

Unperson

EV

153,135

294,304

153,195

195,188

112,476

58,019

28,804

28,992

36,666

34,376

39,798

33,553

25,067

16,743

16,828

%lnPerson

EV/TO

16.24

30.90

32.50

47.00

37.97

42.93

32.67

28.76

38.38

26.68

34.14

37.18

30.25

28.35

24.03

#Mail

EV

24,052

16,999

20,245

22,626

6,203

5,546

2,282

2,392

2,925

2,156

3,911

2,573

2,452

1,821

2,453

%Mail

EV/TO

2.55

2.57

4.29

5.45

2.09

4.10

2.59

2.37

3.06

1.67

3.35

2.85

2.96

3.08

3.50

#Total

EV

177,187

221,303

173,440

217,814

118,679

63,565

31,086

31,384

39,591

36,532

43,709

36,126

27,519

18,564

19,281

%Total

EV/TO

18.79

33.47

36.79

52.45

40.06

47.03

35.26

31.14

41.44

28.36

37.49

40.03

33.21

31.43

27.54

* Adapted from "Some Texas Early Voting Experiences," The Election Center, 2/4/1993, Orlando, FL.

40
FIGURE 4.

TARRANT COUNTY EARLY VOTING PERCENTAGES*

% of % by % Personal

Year Total Vote Mail Appearance

1982 5.4 48.4 51.6

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

7.8

4.5

24.7

4.8

22.4

12.0

38.0

47.5

27.3

23.4

16.7

21.3

14.9

12.0

52.5

71.4

76.6

83.3

78.7

85.1

88.0

* Adapted from "Some Texas Early Voting Experiences," The Election Center Workshop, 2/4/93, Orlando, FL.

41

Publicity

Publicity is a key component of early voting.

The concept of early voting is new to most voters, so publicity has two functions: to explain the

benefits of early voting and to give voters specific information about dates, times, locations,

and what identification (if any) they need to bring

with them.

Texas. Travis County election officials make the

public aware of the early voting option with the

help of their local media as well as through posted

notices, public service announcements, flyer

handouts, the campaigns and political parties,

and the county public access television station.

They work hard to get the media involved, making daily media calls to report the early voter

turnout as of the end of each day. If the races

heat up, the media may get interested in turnout

at specific locations. Election officials urge the

media to give the schedule for stationary and

mobile sites whenever they do a report, or at a

minimum to publicize the election office phone

number. They can tell when there has been a report on the news by the increase in the number

of their phone calls.

Harris County issues news releases to television,

radio, and newspapers; they have fliers available

on request; both feature the complete schedule of

locations, dates, and times when early voting will

be available. But the most effective kinds of publicity are local television interviews with election

officials about early voting and reports on the local

news.

Dallas County distributed news releases with

the full list of early voting locations, dates, and

times to local television, radio, and newspapers,

including suburban papers. The most effective

publicity was candidates' including the schedule

with their campaign literature mailed to voters.

Bexar County knew that the effective and timely

dissemination to the public of the scheduled dates,

times, and locations for mobile registration and

early voting were essential to a successful program.

They accomplished this through public service announcements, publication in local newspapers, and

targeted distribution of location-specific fliers announcing to shoppers, senior citizens, students,

church-goers, and residents of neighborhoods the

specific dates and times that mobile vans would be

there to provide voter registration and education,

as well as early voting. Notices were also distributed to each mobile and fixed early voting site, to

each member of the County Commissioner's Court,

and to both Democratic and Republican party officials. Notices were also available to all candidates,

campaign organizers, and the general public on request. Additional location-specific notices were also

distributed in neighborhoods where newspapers

and, in some cases, the English-language media

do not penetrate effectively. Once public notice had

been given, the locations, dates, and times for service were not to be changed unless circumstances

arose that were beyond the control of the Elections

Administrator. The idea was to register and

educate voters about the punch card voting

43
system, while familiarizing voters with the mobile

location in advance of the early voting period.

Arizona. Yavapai County advertised satellite

early voting through local radio, television, and

newspapers. Early voting information was also

printed on the voter identification card sent to

each new registrant. Maricopa County plans to

provide bilingual notices, news releases, postings,

sample ballots, and publicity pamphlets. They

will publicize satellite sites widely because the

sites are expensive and the county wants them

to be worthwhile.

Colorado. The Secretary of State's office and the

news media encouraged early voting in 1992. It

was so successful in some locations that people

voting early to avoid long lines on election day

encountered long lines at the early voting sites.

Iowa. Both Johnson County and Polk County

provide news releases and posters announcing

the locations, dates, and times when voters can

vote absentee at satellite sites.

Nevada. The schedule for early voting must be

set and published during the week before the

early voting period begins. Copies of the schedule must be posted on bulletin boards used to post

County Commission meetings and must be made

available to the public without charge. Once the

early voting schedule is set it may not be changed.

Virginia. Fairfax County provides information

leaflets to all elected officials, candidates, political parties, and the League of Women Voters.

They provide news releases to the media detailing satellite absentee voting, and the media are

very good about differentiating among the varying requirements in the neighboring jurisdictions

in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Absentee application forms and information

are sent to all county libraries and public information counters in the courthouse and other government office buildings. Voters who call the main

office about absentee information are encouraged

to use the satellite voting sites and are sent the

information leaflet and an absentee application

form.

44
Costs of

Early Voting

What are the additional costs or the savings of

early voting? It is difficult to separate the costs

of early voting from the costs of holding any election, even more difficult to separate the costs of

in-person early voting from the costs of mail absentee voting. The items included in costs vary

widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but they

can include:

• personnel recruitment and pay

• instruction manuals and schools

• ballots or voting devices or both

• supplies

• satellite site rent, arrangements, and

security

• mobile van costs

• computer or telephone connections or both

• postage

• printing and

• advertising.

Texas. Voting precincts in populous Texas counties often have 2,000 to 3,000 registered voters,

with variable numbers of pollworkers and voting

devices according to expected turnout. This allows them more flexibility in staffing and supplies than is possible in States with smaller precincts of a few hundred voters each.

Texas has tried to assess the costs that can be

attributed to the early voting program, but counties do not generally isolate the costs of satellite

voting or separate the costs of in-person early

voting from mail absentee voting. However, their

figures can give some idea of the total costs and

the cost per vote in those counties that reported.

Figure 3 shows the costs that were reported to

the Texas Secretary of State.

These numbers show that there is no easy way to

estimate the costs that are involved in temporary

satellite in-person early voting programs, nor is

there any clear pattern of costs. The numbers are

all over the place. The cost per early voter, as with

all election costs, varies widely with voter turnout.

Travis County confirms that early voting contributes to some cost savings in their mail early

voting program. However, their increased costs in

time and money for staffing and utilities for early

voting location operation are only somewhat offset

by decreased election day costs, though they are

striving to adopt cost efficiencies wherever possible.

They also point out that early voting offers the voters the most cost savings, in time, energy, or money,

by offering them more options to vote so they can

schedule voting around potential conflicts.

Dallas County reports that each major election conducted since 1988 has been more expensive than the previous one, and the significant

increases in election costs can be attributed almost exclusively to early voting.

45
FIGURE 3

EARLY VOTING COSTS IN SOME TEXAS COUNTIES

Category/

County Year

200,000-300,000 Total

Cameron 1988

1990

1992

Collin 1988

1990

1992

Nueces 1992

500,000-600,000 Total

El Paso 1988

1990

1992

Travis* 1988

1990

1992

Voter

Regis.

County Population

97,854

94,489

100,193

122,718

122,114

153,736

144,844

County Population

199,671

197,735

210,125

325,384

305,582

352,737

Over 1,000,000 Total County Population

Dallas 1992

Harris 1992

879,137

1,315,010

* Travis County separated the costs for in-person

This breakdown of costs is:

1988 In-Person

Mail

1990 In-Person

Mail

1992 In-Person

Mail

Total Votes

52,252

12,272

64,803

2,521

111,533

7,108

Early

Votes

16,422

8,992

18,975

18,439

11,876

43,068

32,172

41,099

27,243

63,247

64,524

67,324

118,641

221,455

173,055

early voting

Total

$28

9,

71.

1,

86,

Total

Cost

$10,600

24,068

47,187

9,300

17,374

32,398

4,495

51,559

83,900

86,785

40,858

74,449

93,609

465,608

628,538

from those for

Cost

,586

,700

,928

,800

,501

19,450

Cost of Early Voting

Per

Regis.

Voter

$.108

.255

.471

.152

.142

.211

.031

.258

.424

.413

.126

.244

.265

.530

.478

mail early voting.

Cost Per

Regis.Voter

$0,088

0.030

0.235

0.026

0.245

0.055

Per

Early

Voter

$0,645

2.677

2.487

0.504

1.463

0.752

0.140

1.255

3.08

1.372

0.633

1.131

0.792

2.102

3.632

Cost Per

Early Voter

$0.55

0.79

1.1

3.09

0.78

2.74

46
DALLAS COUNTY COMPARISON OF EARLY VOTING AND ELECTION DAY COSTS

IN TWO GENERAL ELECTIONS

Nov. 8,1988 Nov. 3,1992

Absentee Cost:

Total absentee cost

Total ballots cast

Estimated cost per vote

Election Day Cost:

Total election day cost

Total ballots cast

Estimated cost per vote

$188,639.50

159,428

$1.18

$454,577.63

444,656

$1.02

$465,608.38

225,007

$2.07

$372,433.27

442,093

$0.84

Bexar County included some cost estimates in

its proposal for mobile voting for 1992. Reducing

the number of fixed early voting locations from 27

to 26 was estimated to save about $5,000. They got

three bids for van rental (15-passenger vans): for

$1,050, $3,014, and $4,049 per van/per month. They

proposed renting five vans, four to be in service at

all times, with one used as a backup in case of mechanical difficulty or accident. Each van was staffed

with four persons, all paid $5.00 per hour. Printing

costs were estimated at $2,500; gasoline at $960 per

month. Total costs per month were estimated as:

• personnel (16)

• van rental (5)

• printing

• gasoline

• Total

$13,760

5,250

2,500

960

$22,470

Each van was covered by Texas liability insurance provided through the rental contract. Comprehensive and collision coverage for each van

was provided through the county insurance policy.

All personnel were covered with personal injury

insurance through the county insurance policy.

Arizona. Yavapai County satellite sites were in

government buildings. Maricopa County plans to

rent space for satellite sites, and all will be connected to their main office computer. They anticipate up-front costs for purchase of equipment:

one printer for each site, two or three work stations for each, and a pre-punch machine for each;

but their major on-going cost will be salaries.

Neither expects any savings in money because of

the need to staff sites and pay costs such as rent,

utilities, and computer equipment. But they note

savings in postage, time, and stress, because it is

quicker to vote someone in person than to assemble an absentee packet for mailing; and more

in-person early voters mean fewer long lines on

election day and less stress for pollworkers.

Colorado. No specific figures are available on costs

for early voting, but county clerks had extra personnel costs because they had to recruit their entire staffs to work on early voter sign-in cards and

absentee voting, then work at night to get the regular work done. Removal of the overlap between the

voter registration and early voting periods should

shrink overtime costs in the future.

47
Iowa. Johnson County reported the following cost/

savings analysis for satellite absentee voting:

• Nov. 3, 1992, General Election and

Dec. 12, 1992, Special Election

- 3,608 absentee ballots cast at 10 satellite sites

- cost to the county was $3,999.10

- saved by the county's not having

to mail—$3,849.70

• July 13, 1993, Special Election

- 806 absentee ballots cast at 2 satellite sites

- cost to the county was $583.32

- saved by the county's not having

to mail—$779.40

Polk County does not have specific costs for its

limited early voting program, but reports that

budget constraints may keep it from expanding

its program as it would like.

Nevada. Early voting is being implemented in

1994, so no cost figures were available at the time

of this writing.

Virginia. The total cost of each satellite site in

Fairfax County is about $2,500. Increased costs

include election officers' salaries, telephone services,

and need for additional computer terminals in the

main office. Their use of government buildings as

satellite sites, which is mandated by law, saves

money by allowing them to use the county's computerized telephone system instead of having to

install special phone lines. They also realize savings in postage and printing of paper ballots and

envelopes that would have been necessary if all

absentee ballots had been sent to these satellite

voters. When voting machines are used, fewer

election officers are needed to count paper ballots.

Staffing and Training.

All of the rigorous security, careful checking and

marking of registrations, and complex provision of

correct ballot formats to voters demonstrate the

necessity of training superlative early voting

pollworkers. Early voting sites need highly competent, dedicated, well-trained pollworkers who

will get it absolutely right, absolutely every time.

Experienced administrators stress that security

and competency must also be communicated to

the early voter to assure voter confidence. Training and security must be rigorous and effective,

so that procedures are above reproach. There

must be sufficient personnel on standby to

troubleshoot early voting sites when problems are

reported by voters, pollworkers, candidates, or

the media. They recommend that each early voting site should be visited by supervisory staff the

first day of early voting.

Most jurisdictions that have early voting have

large precincts of 2,000 to 3,000 registered voters.

This allows greater flexibility in election day staffing and supplies than is possible with smaller precincts of a few hundred voters since small precincts

require some minimum number of pollworkers and

voting devices regardless of election day turnout.

Nevada allows a maximum of 1,500 registered voters

per precinct, but there is discussion of getting that

limit raised to allow larger precincts in urban areas.

Texas. Travis County uses two shifts of workers to

staff its early voting sites. The morning shift works

7:00 a.m.-l:00 p.m.; the afternoon shift works 1:00

p.m.-7:00 p.m.; both shifts work these hours Monday through Friday and the second Saturday of the

early voting period. On the first Saturday, the morning shift works 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the afternoon shift works 1:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. The shifts

alternate on Sundays. Each location is supervised

by an Early Voting Deputy—a morning Deputy and

an afternoon Deputy. These Deputies are paid $6.00

per hour. The other workers at each location are

called Early Voting Clerks and are paid $5.00 per

hours. The number of Clerks needed at each location depends on the expected turnout at the location—those that have had a higher turnout in past

elections will have a larger staff. The election office provides a 60-page "Election Guide for Early

Voting Location Employees" that contains detailed

procedures, checklists, sample forms, and instructions. They recommend producing such a guide and

48
holding an early voting election school, thoroughly

covering all aspects of what is expected of early

voting workers.

Harris County does early voting with a permanent staff of six, two of whom answer telephone inquiries, and two who take care of mail

early voting. The rest of the work is done by temporary employees. Each satellite early voting site

is staffed by four to twelve pollworkers, who are

paid $6.63 to $8.16 per hour, with time and onehalf for any hours over 40 per week. Their best

pollworkers are those who have been election day

pollworkers or who have worked at early voting

sites before, because they already understand the

responsibilities and procedures that are involved.

They use word-of-mouth to get pollworkers, political parties to provide the proper balance of party

affiliation, and Hispanic organizations for bilingual

workers. Satellite site supervisors beat the bushes

to get pollworkers who meet all the criteria. They

have had at least one very able pollworker who

asked never to be contacted for early voting duty

again because it was too onerous.

Dallas County contacts the political parties for

early voting pollworkers for primaries. For the

general election, they advertise through the

county personnel office. They train the workers

before each election, even if they have worked

before. Early voting pollworkers are paid $5.63

per hour, time and one-half ($8.44) for any hours

over 40 per week. They express some concern

about working the elections staff to near death.

Bexar County staffed each mobile van with four

persons: the Presiding Election Judge, the Alternate Judge (must be from different political parties), an Election Clerk, and a driver/set-up person

to set up the tables, Votomatics, and ballot-style

files. All were paid $5.00 per hour. Since Bexar

County has had early voting in shopping malls since

1986, they have a large number of experienced early

voting pollworkers available to worked at their fixed

sites; they only had to recruit mobile van early voting workers. They enlisted the assistance of their

experienced workers, the political parties, and anyone who could help find bilingual workers.

Arizona. Maricopa County will hire seasonal employees to staff satellite early voting sites. Entry

level pay is $7.20 per hour, with overtime for anything over 40 hours per week. They will provide an

experienced seasonal employee as a super inspector, who will receive special training and extra pay,

in the lead position at each satellite site.

Yavapai County hired staff through applications

submitted to the county personnel department. In

1992 a former county employee staffed the office in

the county annex in Cottonwood. A County

Supervisor's aide frequently assisted her because

of the large number of early voters. Staff were paid

$7.64 per hour, the starting wage for a Clerk.

Iowa. Johnson County provides an extremely

detailed 23-page instruction manual to each satellite absentee voting site, explaining exactly how

to open and close the site, where to find and deposit all forms and supplies in a box and an accordion file with labeled pockets, step-by-step

directions for using the supplied computer and

printer to verify and correct registrations and to

print absentee applications and end-of-day reports, and precisely what procedures to follow for

any eventuality.

Nevada. A Deputy Early Voting Clerk is appointed by the County Clerk to oversee an early

voting site. Additional Clerks may also be

appointed.

Virginia. Fairfax County staffs satellite voting

sites with three regular election officers (drawn

from their pool of regular pollworkers) representing the two major political parties. They are paid

$8.50 per hour, the established county rate for

"Clerk II" employees. They have had no difficulty

recruiting pollworkers for their satellite absentee voting sites, attributing this to their relatively

short satellite voting hours and a good supply of

retired persons who enjoy doing it.

49

Conclusions

The goal of all early voting programs is to improve voting accessibility and turnout, but different programs emphasize different elements of

the voting process. The change that has the greatest effect appears to be the removal of all restrictions for in-person early voting, because the requirement for satisfying some specific reason for

voting early seems the single biggest impediment

to voters who want to vote before election day.

The provision of well-publicized convenient satellite early voting sites and extended hours for

early voting also seem to have considerable effect. However, the relative effects of not requiring an application, of not identifying individual

ballots, and of widespread publicity are difficult

to determine. Certainly all contribute to early

voter usage, but it is not clear how much each of

these elements contribute or exactly how they

interact. At this writing, although a number of

States have examined the Texas model and some

have used it as a starting point, no State has followed its example of mandatory satellite early

voting, even in large urban jurisdictions. In those

States where early voting is permissive, it has

not been widely implemented, perhaps because

it is new or perhaps because it may be needed

only in certain specific circumstances. Jurisdictions that are considering early voting will judge

for themselves how best to balance their goals

and their costs, and can evaluate the elements of

the various programs presented in this report to

help determine which might best serve them.

51

Appendices

Appendix 1

Statutes

Arizona, Virginia, and Iowa

53
Arizona Statute, Section 16-542 Request for ballot (A) [Wording in all capital letters authorizes

satellite early voting sites.]

Within ninety days next preceding the Saturday before any election called pursuant to the

laws of this state, an elector may make a signed request to the county recorder, or other officer

in charge of elections for the applicable political subdivision of this state in whose jurisdiction

the elector is registered to vote, for an official absentee ballot. If the signed request indicates

that the elector needs a primary election ballot and as general election ballot, the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections shall honor the request. THE COUNTY RECORDER

MAY ESTABLISH ON-SITE ABSENTEE VOTING LOCATIONS AT HIS OFFICE OR ANY

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE COUNTY HE DEEMS NECESSARY.

Code of Virginia, Section 24.1-233.1 (in part)

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the purpose of counting and recording absentee ballots in all elections, the governing body of each city or county may establish a central

absentee voter election district in the courthouse or other public building, and the governing

body of any town may establish such an election district for town elections, which shall receive,

count and record all such ballots cast within that city, county, or town. The decision to establish

such district shall be made by the governing body in the month of January of each year, to be

effective February one of that year for a period of twelve months and immediate notification of

such decision sent to the State Board of Elections and the electoral board.

The Code of Iowa [Absentee voting provisions]

53.1 Right to vote—conditions. Any qualified voter may, subject to the provisions of this

chapter, vote [by absentee ballot] at any election:

1. When the elector expects to be absent on election day during the time the polls are open

from the precinct in which the elector is a qualified elector.

2. When, through illness or physical disability, the elector expects to be prevented from going

to the polls and voting on election day.

3. When the elector expects to be unable to go to the polls and vote on election day.

53.2 Application for ballot. Any qualified elector, under the circumstances specified in section 53.1, may on any day, except election day, and not more than seventy days prior to the date

of the election, apply in person for an absentee ballot at the commissioner's office or at any

location designated by the commissioner,... [emphasis added]

53.11 Personal delivery of absentee ballot. The commissioner shall deliver an absentee ballot

to any qualified elector applying in person at the commissioner's office, or at any location designated

by the commissioner, not more than forty days before the date of the general election or the primary

election, and for all other elections, as soon as the ballot is available.... [emphasis added]

54
Appendix 2

Johnson County, Iowa

Satellite Sites

55
JOHNSON COUNTY, IA, SATELLITE SITES

GENERAL ELECTION 11/3/92 &

SPECIAL IOWA CITY SCHOOL ELECTION 12/12/92

Location

Coralville City Hall*

Iowa City Pub. Library

Longfellow Elem. School

Roosevelt Elem. School

Regina High School

Kirkwood Elem. School

Iowa Memorial Union

University Hospitals

St. Peters Hall

IC Sr. Citizen Center

Hours

7:30am-5:00pm

10:00am-9:00pm

10:00am-6:00pm

12noon-4:00pm

6:30pm-7:30pm

6:30pm-7:30pm

6:00pm-10:00pm

5:30pm-7:30pm

9:00am-5:00pm

7:00am-6:00pm

9:30am-12noon

8:00am-5:00pm

Dates

Sep.24-Nov.2

Sept.24

Sept.25-26

Sept.27

Oct.8

Oct.8

Oct.8

Oct.22

Oct.19-23

Oct.30

Nov.1

Nov.2

Gen.

228

254

16

54

49

65

732

879

35

232

2695

Ballots Cast

Sch.

0

0

0

0

0

0

47

603

5

252

913

*Staffed by Coralville city employees.

56
Appendix 3

Bexar County, Texas

Mobile Early Voting

57
BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS, MOBILE EARLY VOTING,

GENERAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 3,1992,

SITES, TIMES, AND TURNOUT

Time Ballots Cast

Wednesday, October 14

K-Mart 1 8:00 am-6:00 pm 53

K-Mart 2 8:00 am-6:00 pm 42

K-Mart 3 2:00 pm-6:00 pm 61

K-Mart 4 8:00am-6:00pm 143

Ella Austin Civic Ctr. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 27

Thursday, October 15

Handy Andy 1 8:00 am-6:00 pm 46

Handy Andy 2 8:00 am-6:00 pm 13

H.E.B. 1 8:00am-6:00pm 112

H.E.B. 2 8:00 am-6:00 pm 71

Friday, October 16

K-Mart 1 2:00 pm-6:00 pm 37

K-Mart 2 2:00 pm-6:00 pm 27

K-Mart 3 2.00 pm-6:00 pm 42

Sacred Heart Nutrition 8:00 am-12:30 pm 85

Ella Austin Civic Ctr. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 28

Handy Andy 3 8:00 am-12:30 pm 10

H.E.B. 3 8:00 am-6:00 pm 210

Saturday, October 17

Cornerstone Church 3:00 pm-6:00 pm 31

Northwest Center Flea Mkt. 10:00 am-6:00 pm 92

Marbach Rd. Flea Mkt. 10:00 am-6:00 pm 51

Southcross Flea Mkt. 10:00 am-6:00 pm 21

Bxr-Bulverde Vol. Fire 10:00 am-2:00 pm 20

Sunday, October 18

Lion of Zion Church 8:00 am-1:00 pm 2

St. James Catholic Church 8:00 am-1:00 pm 52

Antioch Baptist Church 8:00 am-1:00 pm 86

St. Anthony's Cath. Ch. 8:00 am-1:00 pm 19

Monday, October 19

St. Mary's University 8:00 am-6:00 pm 160

Palo Alto College 8:00 am-6:00 pm 18

Sacred Hit Civic Ctr. 8:00 am-6:00 pm 41

H.E.B. 4 8:00 am-6:00 pm 213

Tuesday, October 20

Eastside Multi-Srvc. Ctr. 8:00 am-6:00 pm 80

Mt. Zion 1 st Bapt. Ch. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 10

Handy Andy 4 2:30 pm-6:00 pm 51

H.E.B. 3 8:00am-6:00pm 220

Southwestern Bell Bldg. 8:00 am-6:00 pm 322

58
Time Callots Cast

Wednesday, October 21

Eastside Multi-Srvc. Ctr.

St. James Cath. Church

Sacred Hit Civic Ctr.

Diamond Shamrock BIdg.

Thursday, October 22

K-Mart 1

K-Mart 2

K-Mart 3

Southwestern Bell BIdg.

Friday, October 23

H.E.B. 1

Handy Andy 4

H.E.B. 2

Handy Andy 2

Saturday, October 24

Builder's Square 1

H.E.B. 1

Builder's Square 2

Handy Andy 3

Builder's Square 3

H.E.B. 4

Builder's Square 4

Handy Andy 2

Our Lady of the Lake Univ.

Sunday, October 25

Northwest Ctr. Flea Mkt.

K-Mart 1

Marbach Flea Mkt.

Knights of Columbus

Southcross Flea Mkt.

K-Mart 3

K-Mart 4

Monday, October 26

San Antonio College

U.T. Health Science Ctr.

U.T.S.A.

St. Phillip's College

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00am-6:00pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-6:00 pm

8:00 am-3:00 pm

5:00 pm-8:00 pm

8:00 pm-3:00 pm

4:30 pm-8:00 pm

8:00 am-3:00 pm

4:30 pm-8:00 pm

8:00 am-3:00 pm

4:30 pm-8:00 pm

11:30am-2:30pm

12:00 noon-2:30pm

3:30 pm-6:00 pm

12:00 noon-2:00pm

3:00 pm-6:00 pm

12:00 noon-2:00pm

3:30 pm-6:00 pm

12:00 noon-6:00pm

8:00 am-8:00 pm

8:00 am-8:00 pm

8:00 am-8:00 pm

8:00 am-8:00 pm

74

38

45

231

95

53

75

320

90

64

67

23

117

46

90

38

96

89

81

19

75

62

39

30

3

12

64

335

390

974

528

351

59
Time Ballots Cast

Tuesday, October 27

Handy Andy 5 8:00 am-4:30 pm 40

Cornerstone Church 6:00 pm-8.00 pm 147

Mt. Zion 1 st Bapt. Ch. 8:00 am-12:00 noon 20

Handy Andy 4 2:00 pm-4:30 pm 39

China Grove City Hall 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 10

Eastside Multi-Srvc. Ctr. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 42

H.E.B. 4 2:00 pm-4:30 pm 45

Converse Cilty Hall 6:00 pm-8.00 pm 17

Harlandale Civic Ctr. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 56

Handy Andy 3 1:30 pm-4:30 pm 18

Roman Community Ctr. 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 3

Wednesday, October 28

H.E.B. 5 8:00am-4:30pm 190

Cornerstone Church 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 104

Mt. Zion 1 st Bapt. Ch. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 24

Handy Andy 4 2:00 pm-4:30 pm 27

St. Hedwig Fire Station 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 12

Eastside Multi-Srvc. Ctr. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 17

Sandy Oaks Fire Station 2:30 pm-8:00 pm 27

Harlandale Civic Ctr. 8:00 am-12:30 pm 32

Gunn Auto Dealership 2:00 pm-8:00 pm 64

Thursday, October 29

Handy Andy 5 8:00 am-4:30 pm 245

Fair Oaks Ranch 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 123

Handy Andy 3 8:00 am-4:30 pm 46

Knights of Columbus 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 9

Somerset Nutrition Ctr. 8:00 am-1:30 pm 50

Somerset City Hal 12:30 pm-8:00 pm 21

Diamond Shamrock BIdg. 8:00 am-4:30 pm 180

Shavano Park City Hall 6:00 pm-8:00 pm 3

Friday, October 30

Handy Andy 1 8:00 am-4:00 pm 250

H.E.B. 5 5:00 pm-8:00 pm 105

H.E.B. 1 8:00 am-3:30 pm 129

H.E.B. 3 5:00 pm-8:00 pm 285

H.E.B. 2 8:00 am-3:30 pm 143

H.E.B. 4 5:00 pm-8:00 pm 113

Handy Andy 2 8:00 am-3:30 pm 50

Handy Andy 4 5:00 pm-8:00 pm 81

60
Appendix 4

Texas Early Voting

Reporting Forms

61
EXAMPLES OF TEXAS EARLY VOTE REPORTING FORMS

Option 1: Tabulating Early Votes by Precinct and by Voting Site

Candidates

Main Early Jim Halt

Voting

»& *« *

Polling a u

««« M*

Voting

Poling EUtH

Place 03 Smitk

. JimUttl*

Totals by

Precinct Ellen

Smith

Precinct

1

26

32

6

3

1

4

33

39

Precinct

2

43

40

31

36

4

3

78

79

Precinct

3

15

21

25

18

12

18

52

57

Precinct

4

7

9

11

15

17

19

35

43

Precinct

5

0

2

5

4

38

46

43

52

Totals by

Early Voting

Poling Place

91

104

78

76

72

90

241

270

Ellen Smith received 39 total

votes from voters in precinct 1.

Jim Hale received

78 total votes at

Early Voting

Polling Place 1

Grand totals for

each candulate.

Option 2: Separating Early Votes by Mail and Personal Appearance

Uam Aiifev

 EU"1

Tlact (M) Smith

UaU V<*a Jim UaU

atdutlatx

Polling STU.

%*> JlmUttU Voting

Plaet 03 Smltk

Jim UaU Totals by

FrtctHCt EUtn

Smith

Prtdnet

I

22

30

4

2

6

3

1

4

33

39

Prtctnct

2

35

35

8

5

31

36

4

3

78

79

Pnclnet

3

14

18

1

3

25

18

12

18

52

57

Prtcina

4

7

8

0

1

11

15

17

19

35

43

Prtclxct

5

0

0

0

2

5

4

38

46

43

52

Totality

Early Voting

Poling Plan

78

91

13

13

78

76

72

90

241

270

Jim UaU ncawd

79 votss by personal

appearancm at the

main tarty voting

polling plact.

EOm Smith nctivtd

13 marly vous by

mall

Source: "The New Early Voting Law," Office of the Secretary of State, Austin, TX, 1991.

62
Appendix 5

Fairfax County, Virginia

Early Voting Leaflet

63
Early Voting Leaflet Fairfax County, Virginia

7993

ABSENTEE VOTING

INFORMATION

To vote by MAIL,

CALL 324-4740

DEADLINES

APPLY BY MAIL - OCTOBER 28

VOTE IN PERSON - OCTOBER 30

All absentee ballots must be

received at the Electoral- Board

Office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day

in order to be counted.
Appendix 6

Fairfax County, Virginia

Absentee Application

65
Absentee Application Fairfax, Virginia
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

APPLICATION FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT

FOR USE BY REGISTERED VOTERS ONLY.

Appendix 7

Johnson County, Iowa

Early Voting Flier

69
ADVANTAGES OF VOTING EARLY

• Vote at home when it is convenient for you

• Take as much time as you need to mark your ballot

• Set an example encouraging others who may not otherwise vote

• Avoid long lines and parking problems at the polls

• Your busy schedule or unforeseen events won't keep you from voting

• Bad weather on Election Day won't be a problem

• Parents won't have to find a sitter for the kids

• Avoid conflicts with your class schedule

• Free time to help others get to the polls

HOW TO VOTE EARLY
Sources

71
Errors and misinterpretations are those of the author,

not of the sources.

Arizona

Jim Shumway, Director of Elections

Sue Liebler, Supervisor

Maricopa County Elections Department

102 Administration Building

111 South Third Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85003-2235

phone 602/506-1518

Linda S. Weedon, Executive Assistant

(formerly Chief Deputy Recorder of

Yavapai.County)

Maricopa County Recorder's Office

111 South Third Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85003-2235

phone 602/506-1985

Colorado

Secretary of State Natalie Meyer

Donetta Davidson, Elections Officer

Department of State

1560 Broadway

Denver, CO 80202

phone 303/894-2680, press #1

Arliss Ward, Director of Elections

Denver County Election Commission

303 West Colfax Avenue, Suite 101

Denver, CO 80204

phone 303/640-2351

Iowa

Sandra J. Steinbach, Director of Elections

Office of the Secretary of State

Second Floor, Hoover Building

DesMoines, IA 50319

phone 515/281-5823

Tom Slockett, Johnson County Auditor,

Commissioner of Elections and Voter Registration

Kit Wong, Deputy Auditor

913 South Dubuque Street

Post Office Box 1350

Iowa City, IA 52244-1350

phone 319/356-6004

Tom Parkins, Polk County Auditor,

Commissioner of Elections

Polk County Administrative Office Building

Second and Court Avenues

Des Moines, IA 50309-2297

phone 515/286-3079

Michael Mauro, Director

Polk County Election Office

120 2nd Avenue

Des Moines, IA 50309

phone 515/286-3247

Nevada

Kathryn Ferguson, Registrar of Voters

(formerly Director of Bexar County, TX,

Elections Department)

Clark County Election Department

1860 East Sahara Avenue

Las Vegas, NV 89104-3760

phone 702/455-7370

Oklahoma

Lance Ward, Secretary

Oklahoma State Election Board

P.O. Box 53156

State Capitol, Room 3

Oklahoma City, OK 73152

phone 405/521-2391

Oregon

Scott S. Tighe, Elections Manager

141 State Capital

Salem, OR 97301

phone 503/378-4144

Texas

Tom Harrison, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

Elizabeth Hanshaw, Attorney

Secretary of State Elections Division

P.O. Box 12060

Austin, TX 78711-2060

phone 512/463-5650 or 800/252-8683

72
George Stowe, III, Elections Supervisor Virginia

Robert Hinajosa, Elections Center Supervisor Judy Flaig, Clerk of the Electoral Board

Bexar County Elections Department Fairfax County Electoral Board

(see also Kathryn Ferguson, under Nevada, above) 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 323

203 West Neuva, Suite 301 Fairfax, VA 22035-0081

San Antonio, TX 78207-4515 Phone 703/324-4735

phone 210/978-0362

Dorothy Browne

Borden County and District Clerk

P.O. Box 124

Gail, TX 79738

phone 806/756-4312

Bruce R. Sherbet

Dallas County Elections Administrator

500 Main Street

Dallas, TX 75202

phone 214/653-7192

Ida Adams, Early Voting Manager

phone 214/653-7193

Tony J. Sirvello, III, Director, Elections Department

Bonnie Anker-Goli, Assistant Director

Harris County Clerk's Office

1001 Preston, 4th Floor

Houston, TX 7700-2

phone 713/755-6411 or-5792

Diane A. Haar

Sterling County and District Clerk

P.O. Box 55

Sterling City, TX 76951

phone 915/378-5191

Lesley Thompson, Elections Division Manager

Travis County Clerk's Office

P.O. Box 1748 — Courthouse Room 222

Austin, TX 78767-1748

phone 512/473-9193 or-9553

73


For information about other

Innovations in Election Administration

contact

National Clearinghouse on Election Administration

Federal Election Commission

999 E. Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20463

Toll Free 800/424-9530

Direct 202/219-3670

Cut Here

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