Oct. 18, 2004
SCOTT DODD, Staff Writer
Charlotte Observer
Concerned about terrorists trying to disrupt the presidential election, officials in the Carolinas are trying to strike a balance between keeping voters safe and scaring them away from the polls.
That means you shouldn't expect to see uniformed police officers at polling places unless they're directing traffic. But it also means police will be ready to respond to problems, along with state troopers and even the National Guard, if necessary.
State officials in the Carolinas told the Observer that they are taking more security precautions than ever before for the first presidential election since the Sept. 11 attacks. That includes urging extra training for poll workers and coordinating with police and emergency officials to set up backup voting sites.
N.C. elections officials will tour the state's emergency operations center this week, and they even have a plan to use satellite phones to keep in touch if the regular phone lines go down. Both states plan to send further instructions to county elections directors this week.
The FBI has also said it is stepping up interviews of people suspected of having links to terrorists. Officials fear a repeat of March's deadly train bombings in Spain, which came three days before a national election.
"Spain is certainly at the forefront of our minds," said Gary Bartlett, executive director of the N.C. State Board of Elections. "An attack anywhere in the country could have a chilling effect on voting."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that terrorists may be planning an attack timed to disrupt the presidential election, although no specific threats have been reported.
"We're very much aware of the concerns," said Marci Andino, executive director of the S.C. Election Commission. "Nine-eleven has changed the way we look at things."
Last month, the National Governors Association sent guidelines to state officials to help them prepare for the possibility. The template includes advice for coordinating with police, providing security for ballots and making emergency polling changes.
But officials don't want to post armed guards at polling places, either. National civil rights advocates have warned that a heavy police presence could intimidate voters and might violate federal law.
In Charlotte, the police department is reviewing its staffing levels in each patrol district, a spokeswoman said, and may cancel any one-day vacations to ensure that enough officers are on duty for Election Day.
But the department doesn't plan to send police officers to the polls unless they're called there by precinct judges.
"We will be ready to respond," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Capt. Eddie Levins, head of the criminal intelligence unit. "The main goal is that the process works with no interruptions."
In South Carolina, elections officials are developing an emergency contact plan that will be distributed to each county this week, Andino said.
The main concern, she said, is to make sure that everyone knows what to do in an emergency.
In North Carolina, Bartlett sent an Oct. 6 memo asking county officials to practice their security plan with poll workers.
"If you have to think instead of act, it could affect someone's health and safety," he said.
He plans to send follow-up instructions this week, asking each county to pick a backup polling site and urging officials to do more reviews. He is concerned that because of the crush of early voting and everything else officials have to do before Election Day, security plans may not be emphasized.
"Everybody in the Board of Elections office is so busy now that it may be hard to take the time to do what needs to be done," Bartlett said.
Several local elections officials told the Observer that they are aware of concerns but are not planning to do much different this year.
Cabarrus County elections director Linda Grist said officials have included a "what to do if ..." section in their instructions to poll workers and routinely provide guidance on how to handle emergencies at the polls.
"We've been training on this all along," she said.
York County, S.C., hasn't done anything specific for this election, director Wanda Hemphill said, but the elections board does provide advice to poll workers on how to handle problems.
Much of the preparation so far has been at the state level. Bartlett has met with N.C. homeland security officials, the FBI and the National Guard to develop contingency plans for security.
The terrorism worries are a far cry from the usual concern of elections officials: the weather. Polling places have been evacuated for flooding and tornadoes in the past, and even chemical spills, Bartlett said.
He hopes those emergencies provide good experience -- and that nothing worse happens.
"Every election we have at least one bomb threat," he said. "We've been lucky enough that no bomb has ever been found."
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