an often overlooked but critical component of u.s. the electoral infrastructure is the poll book, a complete and official record of who is registered to vote at each polling place. Recent incidents have revealed that survey books are vulnerable to human error, software malfunctions, and hacking. In June of this year, for example, more than 118,000 voters were left off the voter rolls in Los Angeles County due to a “random printing error.” that same month, precincts in texas and south dakota experienced “glitches” with their electronic poll books, leading to long lines. and during the 2016 election, eligible voters were turned away due to problems with the electronic poll book in durham, north carolina. We also know that Russia “successfully infiltrated” an electronic poll book software company before the 2016 election.
Incidents like these disenfranchise potential voters and undermine the public credibility of the electoral process.
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Inclusive, fair and secure elections are the foundation of a healthy democracy. election officials rely on poll books to put those values into practice. With that in mind, Protect Democracy has reached out to election officials across the country to identify best practices for managing and protecting this vital but underappreciated election infrastructure.
what exactly is a survey book?
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Traditional poll books are printed lists of registered voters, organized by name and address and stored in a binder. others are electronic and allow poll workers to register voters by looking up their names in a database on a tablet or laptop (which may contain just the data of those registered to vote at that location or the entire voter file). condition). An electronic poll book will automatically perform some of the functions of a poll worker, such as identifying a voter by scanning their driver’s license or issuing them a paper receipt verifying their license status. electronic poll books can also perform additional functions, such as updating a voter’s registration details or allowing a voter who arrives at the wrong place to look up their polling place.
jurisdictions in at least 27 states use electronic poll books, but 81.8% of jurisdictions continue to use paper. In the 89% of districts that use paper poll books, local jurisdictions (typically counties or cities) print their own books based on locally collected voter registration data. in most others, the state prints the poll books, based on a state registry.
Regardless of the type of poll book, whether traditional paper or electronic, it is essential that poll books help ensure free and fair elections by serving three main functions:
- verify voter eligibility: A poll book allows poll workers to determine if a potential voter is registered. poll books can also record problems with the prospective voter’s registration, whether they have already voted, and whether they applied for or received a ballot by mail.
- record who voted: generally, everyone who shows up to vote in person must sign the poll book before casting their vote, documenting that they voted. sometimes a poll worker will also assign each voter a number that reflects her location in the day’s voter sequence; that number would also be recorded in the poll book. Additionally, a poll book could record any problems with the election, such as whether the voter cast a provisional ballot. however, a poll book doesn’t record who anyone voted for.
- enable audits: A poll book allows others to make sure the election went smoothly. for example, a poll book allows officials to ensure that the number of people registered to vote matches the number of ballots distributed at that polling place and the number of votes counted there. a poll book also allows officials to identify who voted.
what we are doing today
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Poll books should protect our democracy, not obstruct the participation of registered voters. Although the Federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recommends best practices for securing voter registration data, these recommendations do not specifically address poll books or the recent difficulties states are experiencing with them.
Today, protect democracy is stepping up to fill that void. We’ve asked the state officials who oversee our elections to share what they know about making the poll books the best they can be. With your help and hands-on experience, we’re confident we can combat these threats and make our elections safer, faster, and more inclusive than ever.
read our letter below or download it here.
survey book best practice reference (text)
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