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Why MD Vote Went Bad: "Earn Extra $$!" |
by Marc Fisher, washingtonpost.com
September 25, 2006; 7:51 AM ET
[link
to article]
Maryland's primary day election fiasco has been variously blamed on
machines that didn't work right, volunteer poll workers who didn't
understand how to use those machines, and politicians and state
bureaucrats who were too eager to switch to an unproven technology. But
here's a new insight into the election day mess: The folks the state
used to check on how well the polling machines worked were not computer
experts. Heck, they weren't even computer students.
Nope, the people hired to rove around Maryland as "field technicians,"
troubleshooting and reporting any problems so the vote would go
smoothly, were temps hired at bargain rates without the slightest
experience with computers of any kind. In fact, they didn't even need a
high school diploma--"some high school coursework" was the "education
desired."
In the days leading up to the primary, a company called PDS Technical
Services put help
wanted ads on monster.com seeking "election help" who would be paid
a flat rate of $400 for 20 hours of work over three days, including a
whopping eight hours of training in "the new state of the art
technology." That's a $20 an hour rate--not terrible, of course, but
not exactly likely to get you many folks who know how to get
sophisticated voting software up and running if it's acting up--even
after eight hours of training.
PDS sought people who could meet certain qualifications: "Must be able
to follow instructions. Must have excellent communications skills. Must
be able to work overtime and flexible hours on Elections Day. Must be
available the entire day before the Election - from Poll opening to
Poll closing. Must have reliable transportation to travel entire day
before and day of election. Must be able to lift up to 35 to 55 lbs."
As long as the governor is seeking answers to this month's debacle at
the polls, here are some new questions: Did the state contract with PDS
directly? Did county elections boards know who these rovers were and
how thin their background was in dealing with the new computerized
voting systems? Did county officials know whether any background checks
were conducted on these temps?
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