OPINION:
On June 3, the day after the presidential primary, D.C. lawmakers and officials under the direction of the mayor made a confession: Caretakers of D.C. voting rights had screwed up big time.
There’s no question it’s their fault.
The elections board had waved its white flag in February, advertising to registered D.C. voters and other interested parties that the primary was to be held on June 16. Well, the date was wrong, the board corrected its mailer and mailed a new bunch.
That date error alone should have sent red flags and rung alarms throughout City Hall that would have been heard from one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other, but it didn’t.
Hence, the board’s single disinformation or misinformation mailer, whichever you prefer, led to other critical voting rights problems, including mail-in balloting, technical difficulties and long lines at polling places.
They include, according to D.C. Council member Charles Allen, a Democrat originally from Alabama and currently representing Ward 6:
• “Widespread and persistent technical difficulties with voters’ ability to request mail-in ballots through every method the Board offered;
• “Voters failing to receive mail-in ballots upon request;
• “Inability for voters to track mail-in ballot receipt and processing using the Board’s website tracking software;
• “A dearth of coordinated, timely, and consistent public relations concerning mail-in balloting, relevant deadlines, and Vote Center operations; and
• “A lack of planning and resources devoted to the enfranchisement of particularly vulnerable populations, such as incarcerated residents in the D.C. Jail.”
Said Mr. Allen: “These issues were not resolved by the Board prior to the Primary Election and led directly to hours-long lines at Vote Centers, an overwhelming number of voters not receiving their requested mail-in ballots, and ultimately, disenfranchisement.”
Disenfranchisement in itself in 2020 is enough to make our ancestors squirm due to executive incompetence and lack of legislative oversight. As it were, D.C. citizens couldn’t even exercise their right to vote for a president/vice presidential ticket until 1964.
What hypocrisy! What hypocrisy to demand the right to be a state when the city’s leadership doesn’t hold itself accountable to an estimated 410,000 registered voters in a closed primary.
It’s a good thing the legislature is slated to begin airing the D.C. Board of Elections’ dirty laundry next week, when voters, the White House and Congress should begin paying closer attention. The timing gives the District four full months to get its act together.
After all, there’s no point painting the street “Black Lives Matter” if votes don’t count.
Unless, that is, the District is primarily interested in photo ops.
• Deborah Simmons can be contacted at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.
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