LWVOP Report on the November 8 Election in Oconee and Pickens Counties

Interested in the security of the November 8 election in Oconee and Pickens Counties?  The League of Women Voters in Pickens and Oconee Counties (LWVOP) asked its members who were election workers to share their experiences. Overall they were very complimentary of the Election Office staff in both counties but they did make some suggestions for improvements in the future. Some can be made locally; others must be made at the state level. 

Election 2022 Observations in Pickens and Oconee Counties
by
League of Women Voters, Oconee & Pickens Counties (LWVOP)
December 2022 

Background

Nine LWVOP members volunteered to work with their respective county election boards in the November 8, 2022 election, averaging 14 hours/member. Seven were Election Clerks; two were Election Managers. One of them served Oconee County precincts (Salem); the remainder were in Pickens County precincts (AR Lewis, Stone Church, 154 Crescent Hill, 131, Abel Baptist, and Clemson 106). Oconee has 31 voting precincts; Pickens has 60 voting sites.

Overall, LWVOP members reported very positive experiences as election workers and great admiration and respect for the Election Office personnel and voting process. Their reports did include some items, however, where minor correction action now on the part of election staff can reduce confusion or/and better prepare voters in the future.

Topics Covered in LWVOP Survey of Election Workers 

1. Length of wait time to vote

Less than 15 minutes throughout the day with a few exceptions. In Abel, 12 voters were in line at 7 AM though the numbers reduced after that; Clemson Downs workers felt unprepared for the number of voters when they opened at 7 AM. In Salem, voters waited 45-60 minutes throughout the day to vote. One reason was that election workers carried the EBP outside for curb voting, resulting in fewer EBP machines inside.  

2. Voters presenting selves in argumentative or challenging manner to voters or election workers

One voter refused to use the electronic voting machine; she would only use a paper ballot. She was advised to go to the 11.11.22 meeting of the Oconee Election Commission.

3. Treatment of voters by election staff

All workers reported that election staff were “overwhelmingly positive.”  “Staff went out of their way to ensure every voter was able to vote and treated with respect and dignity.”

4. In response to a question asking for “General Concerns” not covered by the more specific questions, LWVOP election workers reported:

• In two precincts, some voters and an election manager did not like the presence of candidates or their supporters outside the voting site, nor did they like being approached by them. Election managers explained that this was legal and apparently a new policy of the State Election Commission (SEC).
• An election manager reported that some voters did not know they could vote curbside and could ask for assistance. 
• Curbside voting is supposed to be monitored every 15 minutes. This frequency seems to be unrealistic and was not followed at AR Lewis precinct. The procedure for curbside voting did not require any electronic equipment being moved outside.
• Checkboxes should be removed from the screen which allows for selection of party if one is voting a straight party ticket. It confused voters and one election manager wrote “I lost count of how many people needed assistance” undoing a wrong selection. The confusion for voters was that they tried to place a check in the little box.
• Some older voters were very frustrated because of the need for provisional ballots or changes in address information, etc. (Clemson Downs Precinct). While LWVOP visits to register voters (some moving here from elsewhere) many have not followed through on their registration information. Nonetheless they come to vote and encounter issues such as no driver license or appropriate ID. It would be great, although I understand staffing issues, if once a year the voter registration staff, or someone authorized to do so, could visit such locations to assist and issue photo ID’s. It is difficult for elders and those with impairments to get to the DMV or Pickens County Voter Registration Office. 
• All election workers at my precinct could have used more detailed training regarding issues of address changes, id issues, provisional and failsafe balloting although most, if not all had worked at least one previous election.  Also, we needed more focused training on updated rules and changes in law, perhaps even situational practice.  Need at least one “back up” to the clerk so the entire situational responsibility does not fall on that one person because it left some question about the process to correct issues that arose. But we pulled out the manual and tried to follow word for word in such cases. 
• 6 AM was not early enough to have workers on site. We were lucky to have a Clemson Downs resident set up tables, etc. the previous day. Nonetheless, getting the equipment set up and communicating with the system left us really pushed for time. And we had many early voters waiting for the 7AM opening, which is a good thing.  It just meant the staff was rushed.

5. In response to a question asking for “Positive Comments” not covered by the more specific questions, LWVOP election workers reported:

• Many positive comments about the early voting process from friends and family of election day voters. 
• Voters and precinct staff were overwhelmingly positive.  Encouraged to see many voters <30 years of age and several first time voters.  Precinct staff spontaneously applauded and cheered each first time voter.  Precinct staff overwhelmingly went out of their way to ensure individuals with health or other challenges were able to vote.  Some family members who brought parents or others were insistent they “would tell mom what to do.”  But staff politely worked directly with the voter to ensure they were able to make their own decisions.