Where has supportthevoter.gov gone?
“We have got to fix that.”
On Election Night in 2012, six words by newly re-elected President Obama set a chain of events in motion.
He was talking about the long lines at many polling places.
A little over a year later the Presidential Commission for Election Administration (PCEA) presented their recommendations to help local and state elections officials improve all voters’ experience in casting their ballots.
There were many amazing things about the PCEA.
That it existed at all. Most of the time, the roughly 8,000 election administrators around the country do their jobs with little fanfare and little public attention. It was pretty exciting to see so many people working on fixing problems and offering best practices to support these officials as they support the voter.
That it was bipartisan. In fact the chairs had been general counsel to opposing candidates in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.
But most of all, that their recommendations — a set of practical, useful guidelines addressing real issues — have made a real and measurable difference, upping the game of election officials around the country.
Isn’t this old news? Why are we talking about this now?
Because, suddenly, on January 28, 2017, supportthevoter.gov simply disappeared.
All of the resources they had collected, and video of the public meetings, the tools used by election administrators around the country, the research and written testimony on topics from ballot design to voter registration were simply wiped away.
In their place, a blank page at GSA.gov. Up in the corner of the page, a sad Skip to Content link sits with nowhere to send you.
Really?
Really!?
We know that it’s common to do a little cleanup when a new administration takes over. But it does seem like an odd coincidence that just as people in the White House are calling for a large scale investigation of voter fraud, a body of knowledge that could be critical to this effort was removed.
Did we mention that it was bipartisan. That there was input from every state and many different voices heard at the hearings around the country. That the community of people who want to see elections with high integrity have been working the the officials in charge of running those elections to implement the recommendations of this very commission?
The recommendations are not controversial. They are not radical. They speak to the real problems that many of us have grappled with for years, and offer common-sense recommendations for:
- Expanding online voter registration, as 34 states and Washington DC now do.
- Having all states update and exchange their voter registration lists to create the most accurate lists possible to increase registration rates, reduce costs, and protect against fraud, as ERIC, the Electronic Registration Information Center now does
- Making it easier for military and overseas voters to find the information the need, work supported by groups like the Overseas Vote Foundation
- Using electronic poll books for greater accuracy and efficiency, another area where 34 states and many counties have taken action (we’ve done some work on making electronic poll books usable, too)
- Assuring that polling places are accessible to all voters
- Collecting election data from across the country, work done by the Election Assistance Commission and many academic centers across the country
- Addressing the impending crisis in voting technology as machines bought 10 years ago wear out with no replacements and outdated standards, which needs funding, but also good standards so we have systems that are usable and accessible
If this sounds a bit personal, it’s because it is. This all took place just as we founded the Center for Civic Design. We followed them, worked with them, and testified at hearings.
Looking across the voter experience — Dana Chisnell’s testimony to the PCEA
Accessibility as a drive for innovation — Whitney Quesenbery’s testimony to the PCEA
Voting anywhere, any time on any device — Drew Davies’ testimony to the PCEA
Our work on the Anywhere Ballot, the voter experience and how voters use local websites to find information, innovation and accessibility, and — of course — the Field Guides to Ensuring Voter Intent all contributed to the recommendations.
What can you do?
If you’d like to know more, you can, thank to the MIT Election Data and Science Lab and the Internet Archive have preserved the Support The Voter site on new servers. Because of them, you can start by reading the amazing work of this commission in their final report and recommendations.
If you want to be part of democracy in action, there’s lots you can do, whether you have a little time or a lot of time to give.
- Sign up as a poll worker and help run an election in your town.
- Join the League of Women Voters (yes, everyone is welcome), who work to protect voters, to engage and educate voters, and to reform campaign finance.
- Help with voter registration drives.
- Ask your local election office how you can help them.
- Call your elected officials about things you care about.
- Get yourself on a county or state commission or advisory committee.
- Run for office.
Most of all, show up. And take action to make a difference.
