Carroll County's commissioners should honor a request from the Board of Elections for a modest increase in its budget. The population of the county has grown to the point where more precincts, election judges and voting machines are sorely needed. Meanwhile the federal government's new "motor-voter" law has created additional processing expenses.
While the number of registered voters in the county has nearly tripled in the past 25 years, from 23,416 to 64,802, the number of voting precincts has not kept pace. The county had 27 precincts in 1970 and today has only 41, roughly a 50 percent increase. Six precincts were added last year, but more are needed. In some parts of the county, particularly the fast-growing areas in the southern part of the county, polls are swamped on Election Day.
To alleviate some crowding, the election board has proposed the creation of seven new precincts. Far from just a matter of redrawing lines, new precincts mean additional election judges, more voting machines -- and added expense. The board told the commissioners it would have to add 120 election judges to the 480 who worked last year and lease seven more computerized vote-counting machines if the new precincts are created. The board is seeking a 4 percent increase, resulting in an operating budget of $392,000.
Meanwhile, the federal "motor voter" election law -- allowing people to register to vote when they renew their driver's licenses or register their cars -- is one of those unfunded mandates that local officials complain about. Carroll County's election board has done an exceptional job in making the new system work. Last month alone, 108 new registered voters were added to the rolls. Processing these new voters has increased the elections board's workload, so it is requesting $28,000 for two additional clerks.
Maintaining a smooth-running election system is in everyone's interest. Ellen Sauerbrey's challenge of the vote count in last fall's gubernatorial race underscored the need for efficient poll operations. Voting is the most fundamental activity in a democracy. It should be made as accessible and headache-free as possible. Carroll's Board of Elections has maintained a high level of performance as evidenced by consistently high turnouts -- 69 percent in 1994, for example. The commissioners can continue that record by approving the board's request for a deserved increase.