We must make sure every vote counts

After the recent election, I spoke with an elderly woman, who I will call Iris, from the northeast area of Kansas City. She was a bit frustrated and quite honestly, I don’t blame her. In the past few elections, there has been a rising trend of uncertainties regarding voting machines and the overall election procedure.

In Iris’ case, she woke up early, called the organization that would give her a ride and headed off to her polling place to cast her vote. An hour or so after returning home, she was contacted by someone with the election board. She was told that two of the races had been left off the ballot and she had to return to her polling place and cast a new ballot or her vote wouldn’t count! 

In a society with more than 200 million eligible voters, the burden of ensuring fair and impartial elections should not solely rest on the individual voter pointing out wrongs. Our government, which controls all aspects of elections and the means in which we exercise our foundational democratic right, needs to proactively work toward creating an electoral system that lowers the barriers to participation, implements procedures that are efficient and allows all eligible citizens to register, cast a ballot, and – in Iris’ case – have the ballot count. Especially, in this particular instance, when it was an oversight of the Election Board. 

In Jackson County, we have two election boards. Therefore, our task of ensuring that our elections are run adequately and efficiently is doubled. It is up to our elected officials, myself included, to work toward the creation of a system that works to facilitate the foundational right of American democracy – the vote.  

We must take steps to correct the problems that occur during election cycles. This requires a closer look at the overall design of our election system.

Some believe voter ID laws are a valid way of preventing problems but the impact of such preventative measures is overlooked. These laws restrict voters who already face barriers such as lack of transportation, physical impairments, ADA non-friendly booths and polling places, or mobility issues for elderly voters to mention a few.

The fact that we must now assume our election process (and those who conduct them) is dysfunctional and untrustworthy emphasizes the fact that we must start thinking outside the box.