Monday, August 9, 2010

The News & Observer had great fun with a “gotcha” story about state elections director Gary Bartlett – and more fun with a follow-up about all the “Democrats and Republicans” who “denounced election officials.” The reporters were quite selective, citing only three denouncers who had quotes that fit their story line; they avoided people like me who might ask questions about the integrity of their initial “gotcha” story. People anxious to bash the current governor or electronic voting machines or other pet peeves were quick to use the damaging factoids and insinuations in the initial story to their advantage; they were happy to believe the paper had uncovered a major scandal. A more careful reader would likely remain confused by the mysterious relationships between a machine vendor and a ballot printer, a boat ride in 2002 and a contract in 2006. Apparently such confusion passes the N&O’s quality standards. Through the muddle, there was enough information for the careful reader to see that neither Bartlett nor Bev Perdue selected the vendor, and counties are free to buy ballots from other printers, as long as they meet standards. Ironically, the push by citizen advocates (and N&O editorialists) to avoid a Florida fiasco by enacting rigorous equipment and election standards had the most influence on which company now supplies voting machines in our state. Joyce McCloy summarizes that history in her blog entry that defends Bartlett against the N&O’s sad reporting. Nobody’s perfect, but it’s worth note that Bartlett’s integrity and his reputation for making elections accessible and fair have won national acclaim for North Carolina.