PRESS RELEASE from Citizens for Integrity
As a clean and open election advocate for 52 years I have made some observations concerning the September 18, 2018 Sioux Falls School Bond election. These observations are my opinions based on being part of the process from the 1960’s into the age of computer based elections. The insight I have gained into the deeper workings of modern elections was dealt with when I was Chairman of the Minnehaha County Election Review Committee in 2015.
In these years of observing and partaking in elections in South Dakota, I have seen some interesting election practices but I have never witnessed this elections poor practices. We must fight every day to keep elections fair to all participants, so we as citizens can accept the final outcomes as the voter’s choice.
This election may be the worst organized election I have witnessed in my life.
I have personally witnessed during absentee voting process:
1. No South Dakota Secretary of State Office direct support or oversight of election process
2. An unknown vendor support for computer based poll books
3. No audit trail capability to verify the number of ballots issued and who voted absentee at IPC
4. Single clerk voter check-in of voters
5. No printed poll book at IPC absentee voting or any voting location to verify voter check-in
6. Voter check-in process with no hard copy verification by secondary individual
7. Voter check-in on a computer with the voter not able to verify data entered
8. Poll workers admitted no previous experience working an election
9. Voter check-in required voters to fill in absentee envelops with little guidance from inexperienced clerk
10. No label printers used in previous elections to guarantee legibility for absentee voting audits
11. Questionable ballot marking instructions
12. The election polling locations are disproportionally located in the southern part of the Sioux Falls school district leaving citizens north of 6thstreet with no convenient polling place
13. The Minnehaha County Election Review Committee recommendations for consistency in voting locations was ignored for election day
I am an advocate of hand counting and / or verifying ballot results when our election choices are controlled by machines. This election will be forever tainted no matter what the results are.
Bruce Danielson
Citizens for Integrity
PO Box 491
Sioux Falls, SD 57101
FAX: (605) 334-9511
Cell: (605) 376-8087
Email: bruce@citizens4integrity.org