Voters Deserve Professionalism In Balloting

Sometimes, the problem isn’t the problem.

Or, at least, it’s not the whole problem.

If that sounds confused, it may be because we’re writing about the Benton County Election Commission. Again.

This is the commission charged with ensuring Benton County is prepared for one of the most important acts government engages in - the collection and tallying of the votes of the people. You know, that whole democracy thing most Americans embrace with pride.

But voters’ experience on Nov. 6 didn’t promote much pride at all, and now the commission is beginning the process of figuring out why Benton County balloting was such a mess.

Election Commission Chairman John Brown Jr. saidthe other day he wants the county go back to paper ballots, a move some no doubt see as a giant step - into the 20th century. The latter want electronic voting machines, just more of them and ones that actually work as promised.

Those are legitimate discussions, but the voting method isn’t really the problem. Election Day showed election offcials could be lining up rocks and wouldn’t have been able to count them. These circumstances are a symptom of a county government that has not demonstrated a strong commitment to voting.

Brown’s suggestion, well-intentioned as it may be, sounds like he’s just tossing up his hands and giving up on modern-day balloting, but this isn’t rocket science. How many Arkansas counties pulled oft election night with only a few glitches, not a wholesale breakdown of the process? Most of them.

Voters want a reliable form of electronic voting backed up by a plentiful supply of paper ballots. They want a process that works, and they’re not asking too much.

The county judge, the Quorum Court and the election commission must view Nov. 6 as a failure, no less important than a bridge collapse or response times by the county sherift. The election coordinator position needs more authority and resources and, perhaps, training. The Election Commission either must go learn from counties that successfully hold regular elections or bring in help from the outside to help them become more professional in the conduct of elections.

Elections are never a surprise. There is always time to plan adequately for them if the right people bring the right skills to the job.

It’s time that happens in Benton County.

FAYETTEVILLE, SPRINGDALE ENDORSEMENTS Two men will vie Tuesday to represent the residents of Fayetteville’s Ward 4. Alan Long holds a master’s degree in business from the University of Arkansas, the school that attracted him to Fayetteville a decade ago. He’s lived in both parts of Ward 4, the part west of Interstate 540 and now near the college campus. He’s taken an active role in community concerns.

We endorsed neither Long or his opponent, Mike Emery, in the Nov. 6 election, but the voters spoke. In Tuesday’s runoft, we favor Long for his demonstrated involvement in public policy issues. We’re hopeful a four-year term will give him a chance to bring his knowledge and the people’s concerns to municipal government.

In Springdale, we again back the incumbent we supported on Nov. 6. That’s Jeft Watson, a reliable and steady presence on the council who isn’t hesitant to raise necessary questions and won’t just go along to get along. We remind voters that institutional knowledge about the city and city government is a valuable asset. That, combined with his respectable history on the council, makes him a great candidate to keep in off ce.