This is very disturbing

For the Speak Out radio show, I've invited all the candidates to come on and speak. So to kick off the program, I thought it would be good to have our new Registrar give us a summary of the elections process: how it works, and how we can feel confident that our votes count. I called the Registrar, Carol Gaunt, last week and invited her on the show.

As Carol is new, she at first suggested that one of the members of the Electoral Board appear with her, and I thought that was a great idea. She said she had to check with them before committing, which is a reasonable response. The next day, she told me that they "checked with the state board of elections" who told them she could only appear if
a) there were no call-ins allowed
b) she had the questions in advance
c) the interview was taped.


I said we couldn't tape the interview, but I would agree to allow no call ins and give her the questions in advance. She said that would probably be okay. Over the weekend, I emailed her the questions.

Here are the questions I sent:
Questions for Carol Gaunt
1. What is your background (resume)?
2. What are the responsibilities of the Registrar?
3. Who is on the Electoral Board, and how are they appointed? How long have they been on the Board? What are their responsibilities?
4. How many registered voters do we have in Page County?
5. How many people usually come out to vote?
6. How are the votes counted? What is the process for counting them?
7. What about the computer votes? How are they counted? How do the computer votes and the paper ballots get added together?
8. Are the computer votes safe? Are we sure they are being counted correctly? If we have to have a recount, would we be able to do it?
9. What is the procedure for making sure our voting process is clean? Would it be possible for dead people to vote? Would it be possible for illegal aliens to vote? How do we make sure people are only voting one time?
10. How are absentee ballots counted? How do we know they are really coming from the person who is registered?
11. What would you like to say to the listeners about the voting process?


On Tuesday morning, I received an email back from Carol, stating that after further consultations, she would be unable to participate in the broadcast. Her reason is that the timing takes her away from the office during a busy election season.

Now. What I have posted here is a set of facts. If I were speculating, I would say that the voters are not being well served by being told that the Registrar doesn't have time to kick off an informational meeting about the process of the elections. Or that the Registrar doesn't have time to answer questions about the voting process and its integrity.

What do you think? Blog here about your assessment of what just happened, and also tune in to the Speak Out radio show on Friday at 9 a.m., 1330 AM. Call in to the show with your opinion, on 743-5167.

Alice