Editorial: Unfreeze vote funds

This is shaping up to be a challenging year for election officials and poll workers. New congressional and N.C. legislative district lines may leave some voters confused. Lack of funding may force some counties to restrict their early voting facilities. Then, toss in the expected surge of voters in a presidential election year, and you have a recipe for Election Day disarray at busy polling sites.

To help avoid that scenario, the state’s Republican lawmakers should free up $4 million in federal money designated to help ensure smooth, fair and efficient elections. The federal funds were set aside through the Help America Voter Act, legislation that was implemented in the wake of the 2000 Florida voting debacle. To receive its share of remaining funds, however, North Carolina needs to allocate an additional $664,000 to the State Board of Elections to meet federal guidlines. Thus far, Republican lawmakers have refused to do that.

A bipartisan group of North Carolina election officials is pleading with state legislators to unfreeze the Title II HAVA funds, arguing they are needed to help cash-strapped counties pay for election costs. Typically, HAVA funds are used to help cover voting machine maintenance and testing, train and support poll workers and run early voting sites. That’s what a previous round of HAVA funding provided in 2008. Glitches at the polls can create mistrust or suspicion in any election. However, they can be especially corrosive in an election year where so many high profile races are stake, including the presidency, governor’s office, a U.S. Senate seat and congressional delegation, not to mention a host of local offices. The HAVA funding can help avoid trouble.

In pursuing a law that would require voters to provide a photo ID, legislators have voiced concerns about the integrity of the ballot. Yet reliable voting machines, an adequate number of well-trained poll workers and efficient early voting mechanisms are vital for ensuring fair and efficient elections. When legislators reconvene for this week’s mini-session, they should revisit the HAVA funding issue and approve the state allocation that’s necessary to unfreeze the federal dollars. Having smooth, glitch-free voting is in the best interests of the voting public and candidates of all parties.