The battle and chase on the undecided voter intensifies

With the countdown already begun for the US Presidential election on 8 November, the intensive campaigns frantically wooing the undecided voter is rapidly underway. 

Both Presidential nominees attended rallies on 3 November, in different parts of the State of North Carolina, one of the States crucial for the decision on who will take over the White House and be the next commander in Chief of the United States of America. The Presidential candidates locked in dead-heat on the opinion polls now, has thrown more intensity into the electioneering atmosphere and those closely involved into election overdrive.

We, the East West Center program US Presidential Election coverage Journalist Group, were scheduled to fly to Ohio (identified as yet another swing State) early evening, to make a quick political analysis and study, like in Charlotte. The East West Centre (EWC) USA however, noting the importance of the prospect of us witnessing first-hand the 2016 Presidential candidates addressing their respective rallies, to our delight has re-scheduled the flight itinerary to accommodate us to attend the high profiled rallies. 

If the comments of the top officials of the State of North Carolina scheduled to enlighten us on the 2016 election related issues, were anything to go by, they seem to have one thing in common – they can’t wait to see the end of the election. The voter fatigue is showing, it’s been a long drill to most and this US presidential election, the most tiring it seems of all, yet.

“This election is bizarre!” said J. Micheal Bitzer, Provost and Professor of Political Science Catawba College who enlightened us on the ‘Role of Congress & Down Ballot Races’. “I cannot wait to see the end of this election,” he declared. Never has it been so important to get everyone out there to vote,” he added. 

Senator Jeff Tarte – North Carolina Senate District emphatically declared, “We need to go back into serving the people whatever the outcome. He conceded that it has been embarrassing on some issues related to candidates where the dignity of a future President has been undermined or compromised. We got to do the best for the people whatever the outcome,” was his view. The Senator was billed to speak to us on the ‘Voter ID laws’. 

The sentiments are all so common. The election rhetoric of the voters is confined to the disillusioned views on the calibre of the Presidential candidates fielded by the two parties and the confusion of the voter therefore as to who would make a better leader.

The immigration official I met upon arrival who took a good five minutes to speak off the record of the confusion on the selection of the candidates who deserves her vote, said she is going to be basing her vote entirely on policies of the party and prefers to block out of her mind the two presidential candidates the parties represent as she is unhappy with either one of them as leader of her country. Clinton and Trump have been rated as the most unpopular Presidential candidates of all time in any US Presidential race ever. 

Security of voting systems, 

voting machines and 

concerns on rigging

Across the United States of America state election officials carried out final tests last week on tens of thousands of voting machines that are part of a multi-step process that delivers results in local, state and federal contests. This week, the last of more than 120 million ballots are expected to be cast in a watershed election to determine who controls the White House, Congress and the direction of the Supreme Court. 

When the machines aren’t in use, they are sealed and locked in a room that abuts a computer closet, which is also disconnected from the internet. Once voting is complete, memory cards are pulled out of the machines and loaded into that computer system in the secure room. The votes are tallied and then loaded into a memory card, which is put in a different computer that sends the results to the Election Director. 

In a span of hours votes will be counted in places ranging from the Moose Lodge in Key West, Fla, to a fire hall in Kodiak, Alaska. The process was designed so the Federal Government didn’t oversee it, but new fears about hackers from abroad have led to a scramble to see if the security protocols in place are sufficient.  

In July a Russia-linked hacker posted online the stolen logging credentials of a Gila County election official. The officials know now that protecting the voting process means guarding against much different threats than they have confronted in the past. Russian officials have denied trying to interfere in the November elections, but the threat has awakened new fears. 

Beyond cyber issues, there are other concerns. Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has promoted unsubstantiated rumours of vote rigging and fraud saying illegal immigrants have entered the US from Mexico and cast millions of votes. 

Election officials have received calls for weeks from people voicing concerns if the election could be rigged. Although the State officials believe their voting machines cannot be hacked, they worry that antagonists could confuse the public by publishing false results on social media or temporarily knocking a state election site offline. 

We met with the Director of Elections Micheal G. Dickerson, Mecklenburg County Board of elections and he enlightened us on the voting process.

While the constitution defines how Federal elections are held state law regulates most aspects of electoral law including primaries, the eligibility of voters (beyond the basic constitutional definition), the running of each State’s electoral college, and the running of State and local elections. 

Every state except North Dakota requires that citizens who wish to vote be registered. 

Traditionally voters had to register at state offices to vote but in the mid 1990s efforts were made by the Federal government to make registering easier in an attempt to increase voter turnout. 

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993, (the ‘Motor voter’ law) required State Governments that receive certain types of federal funding to make the voter registration process easier by providing uniformed registration services through driver’s licence, registration centres, disability centres, schools, libraries and mail-in registration. 

Voters unable or unwilling to vote at polling stations on Election Day can vote via absentee ballots. 

About half of all States and US territories allow ‘no excuse absentee’ where no reason is required to request an absentee ballot. Others require a valid reason such as infirmity or travel be given before a voter can participate using an absentee ballot. 

A significant source of absentee ballots is the population of Americans living outside the United States. 

The mission of the Mecklenburg County Board of elections is to conduct all elections held in Mecklenbug County.

Its principal functions include establishing election precincts and voting sites, appointing and training precincts officials, preparing and distributing ballots, voting equipment, canvassing and carrying the ballots cast in elections and investigating voting irregularities. 

Election Director Dickerson showed us the electronic voting machine and its operations and also the stack of Absentee Votes already come in for the forthcoming elections. The process he said commenced on 17 October and the votes are yet pouring in.