Voting Rights Watch: Thinking about needed election reforms

Jonah Goldman, director of the National Campaign for Fair Elections at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, was a guest yesterday on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. His organization is offering a national hotline at 1-866-OUR VOTE to answer voter questions and respond to problems with voting.

Guest host Dave Davies interviewed Goldman about problems that have already cropped up this election season, from purges of voter lists in some states to fraudulent registration forms submitted by the community organizing group ACORN. Discussing the ACORN controversy, Goldman said there's no evidence that the fraudulent registration forms being submitted by unethical campaign workers are actually leading to improperly cast ballots. He said the real problem with the submission of bad registration forms is the chaos and confusion it creates at local elections offices.

Asked what kind of reforms he would support to make future elections fairer and more trouble-free, Goldman offered several suggestions:

* Transfer responsibility for voter registration to the government, thereby eliminating the need for third-party registration efforts.

* Have Congress enact a good Deceptive Practices Prevention Act to stave off problems.

* Get more creative about how poll workers are recruited and trained.

* Expand opportunities for early and absentee voting.

To listen to the full interview, click here. For another expert's thoughts on worthwhile reforms, check out Rick Hasen's article for Slate magazine on the need to nationalize the election process.

(Photo of Jonah Goldman from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law)