Why there are so many lines at the polling place...
I think what actually happened on Tuesday was the various boards of election either over estimated the vote by mail percentage or underestimated the turnout.
Both are contingent on budgets and input from the various secretary of states across the country. These contingencies then allocate the voting machines to the voting places.
And remember, so many of these Boards of Election are making decisions based on out of date constructs and are stymied by turnouts.
I served on the Board of Election here in Cuyahoga Country back in 1995 and it was an eye opener. Things have changed so much in those 17 years that it is hard to relate. But still, there are things that stay the same. One of those is the checks and balances that work against efficiency. Still, that is no excuse for dropping the ball.
The person in charge of the Board here in Cuyahoga County, Jane Platen, is a deeply committed administrator and cares greatly about her job. She is one of the good guys. Yet she is operating in what must feel like trying to walk trough a room full of Jello.
In many states, the Boards of Election are one of the last patronage opportunities available to local political parties. They do this under the notion that having one person from each major party looking over the shoulder of the other, no shenanigans will break out. But it also breeds all sorts of petty bullshit.
But it really all goes to this; the individual states are in charge of how the elections are run. The only way we can federalize the elections is to amend the Constitution. We had to amend the Constitution in order to let Women, Blacks and those between 18 - 21.
Just some thoughts to mull around...
