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Board begins retraining judges, poll workers

Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2006

Two weeks after primary election snafus that frustrated and angered voters, county elections officials are implementing plans to guarantee a smoother process for the Nov. 7 election.

On the list is a countywide retraining program for election judges. About 1,500 check-in judges, whose job includes operating the e-poll book to verify voter information, will undergo the retraining early next month, said Paul Valette, operations manager for the county elections board. ‘‘We are most concerned with these judges because they use the equipment all day, and are the first step for voters in the voting processes,” he said.

The training will run through Nov. 4, with sessions lasting about two hours. To accommodate the large number of judges, the training will be held at the elections board headquarters on Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville, at the Executive Office Building on Monroe Avenue in Rockville and at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Fire and Rescue Squad on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda.

Elections officials also have created a new system for ensuring that necessary equipment — especially voter access cards — is delivered to each polling site.

On Sept. 12, the cards, used to operate the electronic voting machines, were left out of equipment bags delivered to the precincts. Many voters had to cast provisional paper ballots until the cards could be delivered to all 238 sites. Valette took the blame for the oversight.

The procedures were a few of those recommended by election judges. About 10 judges met with elections administrators last week, and several others submitted additional recommendations.

‘‘We haven’t heard anything back from [the elections board yet], but we hope they take our suggestions into consideration,” said Jo-Ann Harrison, chief Democratic judge at the Concord St. Andrews Church precinct in Bethesda, who made suggestions along with her Republican counterpart.

Their recommendations ranged from better e-poll book training to better communications between judges and elections headquarters.

Board of elections officials will update the County Council on its progress today during a meeting of the council’s Management and Fiscal Policy Committee.