NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — 479-271-1049.
That is the number for the Benton County Election Commission. If you want to talk to the chairman - that’s me - dial 221 when the automatic system answers. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have about any commission activities, including aircraft charters.
In particular, if you write opinions for a newspaper or if you hold a position of public trust in government, you might want to check with us before you offer an uninformed view of our activities.
I only mention those opinions because lately some putatively responsible individuals have apparently been stricken with some malady which prohibits them from absorbing factual information concerning the Benton County Election Commission.
The latest such event was the use of a chartered aircraft to fly to Omaha, Neb., to pick up mission-critical materials for the general election. Anyone who bothered to ask us would have known, as the commissioners and staff did, that it was the most cost-effective and efficient means to move the election preparation forward. Suggestions that we take a commercial flight ignore the cost and the fact that it would have required an overnight stay in Omaha. The idea of driving 10 to 12 hours up there might sound acceptable until you consider that the whole purpose of the charter was to buy time. We might have saved $500, but we would have lost a day, perhaps two, in the preparation for the election.
If the law allowed us to holdthe general election in Benton County on a Thursday or Friday, we could have certainly saved the county some money. But we are stuck with those fussy old statutes that put tough scheduling requirements on us and the vendor of these services, ES&S, was running behind schedule. Yes, the charter trip cost $300 to $400 more than the usual shipping costs for these materials, but that extra expense bought us two extra days in the preparations for the election - days that are crucial to any chances of success.
As long as I have the soapbox here, I’d like to ask a few questions of my own: Where are those folks who want to accuse us of being spendthrifts when it comes to talking about the savings and additional income at the Election Commission?
In this general election alone, we saved over $24,000 just in printing and shipping costs. Only one public official has contacted me about election-related topics and only one newspaper person - our factually reliable beat reporter - has asked about our activities. One is left to wonder where all those folks who want to appear knowledgeable about our activities find their information. Fortune cookies?
A Ouija board? Notes passed during study hall?
No matter. The facts are less scandalous but perhaps more satisfying to the voters and taxpayers. This Election Commission has a core staff of two full-time and onepart-time employees.
In the run-up to the general election, some of these people will work 60 hours a week or more - without overtime pay - to do everything possible to ensure the best possible election.
The numbers are daunting;
these good folks will have prepared 169 different ballots for Benton County voters; they will have tested, retested and packed up 240 voting machines, along with more than 50 separate items which must correctly be provided to each of the 69 polling places; and they will have identified and scheduled the assignments for 542 poll workers.
On Election Day they will be responsible for counting hundreds of absentee ballots, then receiving all the equipment back from the polling places, accurately merging the totals of electronic and paper ballot results, then double-checking it all for absolute accuracy.
The task borders on the impossible, yet these people, along with the staff from County Clerk Tena O’Brien’s office, are dedicated to coming as close to perfection as time and resources allow.
If casting your ballot is a simple thing - walk in, sign up, vote and leave - you can thank the dedicated people who have worked tirelessly to make it easy for you. It takes a lot to do it right; sometimes that includes chartering an airplane to get the job done.
Any questions? If so, please call me. My number is at the top of this column.
BILL WILLIAMS OF BELLA VISTA IS CHAIRMAN OF THE BENTON COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSION.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 10/25/2010