No need to make voting difficult

After the governor’s race and its multiple recounts, election reform in Washington state was inevitable. But altering the mechanics of elections presents a conundrum: Should the state risk turning away legitimate voters to block illegitimate voters? The race between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi turned up definite irregularities that need to be addressed. But it has also ignited calls for more extreme reforms aimed at suspicions rather than concrete problems.

We think the prudent course is to address obvious blemishes and wait for actual evidence before pursuing more extreme makeovers. Secretary of State Sam Reed and county auditors say they need to push back the date of the primary to handle recounts and to ensure that all materials, including absentee ballots for members of the military, can be delivered in a timely manner for the general election. Because such a move would alter the Top Two Primary initiative, which was adopted by the voters, lawmakers need a two-thirds majority to make the change.

Some Senate Republicans acknowledge the need to move the primary, but they vow to block it because majority Democrats in the House rejected their calls to purge voter registration lists and to require voters to show photo ID, such as a driver’s license or a passport, before voting in person. Both ideas run counter to a time-honored principle: Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

There is no evidence that impostors showed up at the polls last November. Indeed, the problems that arose dealt with mail-in ballots, and those voters do not have to show identification. Democrats estimate that 7 percent of Washington adults do not have a driver’s license and most do not have passports. These voters would have to purchase a state photo ID card, which carries the whiff of a poll tax. Some won’t bother and voter participation will suffer. Besides, if impostors are determined to upset elections, they can easily purchase fake IDs.

The current reform package would require some form of identification for those who vote in person. If voters don’t have photo IDs, they could use a utility bill or other documents with their name and address.

Requiring all voters to re-register would also run the risk of diminishing voter participation. The state should err on the side of maintaining voter turnout. The Secretary of State’s office is already working on a comprehensive database that should be available by 2006. Among other things, the database will make it easier to remove dead people from the rolls and to prevent voting by ineligible felons.

The chief problems that arose last November were: voting by felons, misplaced ballots, counties using different tabulation standards, the handling of provisional ballots and the delivery of absentee ballots to military voters. The bills that have survived thus far in the Legislature deal with all of those issues. But the final matter – military ballots – won’t be addressed unless Republicans vote to push back the primary date.

If real evidence of impostor voting emerges and voter registration lists aren’t cleaned up by current reforms, the Legislature can always revisit the matter. In the meantime, the state needs to adopt the current reform package.