After the 2000 presidential election sparked concerns over voting process, Virginia officials were under added pressure to correct previous problems. But from preliminary reports, voting on Tuesday was problem-free and much smoother than in the past.
"All reports say that it was an incredibly smooth election," said William Atkinson, deputy secretary for the Virginia State Board of Elections. "Virginia elections officials should be very proud of the elections we had."
Local registrars in Charlottesville and Albemarle County also said voting on Election Day went well.
Sherri Iachetta, general registrar for the City of Charlottesville, said the only change this year was to reprogram voting machines to inform the voter when an overvote was made so that the voter had the opportunity to change it. An overvote occurs when a person votes for more candidates than allowed in a particular race.
This change was mandated by the State Board of Elections.
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Another change this year was increased education of poll workers regarding identification rules. A Virginia law enacted last year requires voters to show identification or sign an "affirmation of identity" form. Some poll workers and voters were unaware last year that voters could sign the pledge rather than show identification. Some voters may have been turned away from the polls last year because of this miscommunication.
Complaints over this issue, combined with an increase in awareness of other voting problems, caused many civic groups to step up voter rights education programs.
The American Civil Liberties Union produced a "2001 Virginia Voter Empowerment Card" that included specific voter rights and phone numbers to call with problems.
Local political party workers and groups produced 10,000 of these cards and distributed them by request. The ACLU also used the card to initiate a large education campaign on voter rights.
"It was a vehicle to talk about the rights of voters ... and the fact that people should be voting," Virginia ACLU Executive Director Kent Willis said.
Willie Dell, voter empowerment coordinator for Virginia's local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People branch, said her office worked for a process of voter empowerment that included voter registration, education on the issues and getting people to the polls.
Dell said the efforts were successful and the NAACP received fewer complaints than last year. The NAACP sponsored an exit poll and is compiling the results
"We put in people's heads the knowledge so that they would know what their rights are," Dell said.
The Virginia State Conference NAACP cosponsored the ACLU pamphlet and distributed 4,000 of them.
"Historically, racial minorities have faced problems when trying to vote so it was logical to do this with them," Willis said.
The People for the American Way created an "Election Protection" project in Virginia and New Jersey with the NAACP National Voter Fund and many other groups. Hundreds of volunteers worked outside polling places in Virginia to help answer any voting questions. They also established a toll-free hotline that on Election Day was staffed by 40 lawyers, advising those who had problems.
People for the American Way President Ralph G. Neas said these efforts, combined with education of the poll workers, led to fewer complaints compared to last year.
Advocacy groups also are working toward future changes in the election process through the Virginia General Assembly Task Force on Voting and Elections.
Willis said the ACLU is pushing for uniformity across districts clarifying whether college students should register to vote at school or in their hometown.
Virginia law requires residents to vote where their domiciles are and where they intend to stay.
Albemarle and Charlottesville registrars let students decide where to register, but advise them to first make sure it's acceptable for health insurance, scholarship or tax purposes.
Students can register "where they consider to be their legal resident address ... it's not our place to second guess," Albemarle County general registrar Jackie Harris said.
Willis and Larry J. Sabato, government and foreign affairs professor, said the law gives registrars leeway in deciding who is eligible to vote in their locality.
Sabato, who serves on a voting and elections task force, said he thinks students should vote where it is convenient for them.
"It's asking a lot to ask [students] to secure absentee ballots," Sabato said. "They are so unlikely to vote anyway that this additional burden reduces voter turnout even further"
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