University of Virginia Library

Poll Watchers

Three years ago poll watchers for student
elections were as rare as a turnout above 50
per cent, because the number of ballots cast
in any given election always came close to
corresponding to the names on the sign-up
sheets. The following year, however, there
was evidence that at least one ballot box was
stuffed, probably by just one person, and the
Student Council's Political Societies and
Elections Committee established a system of
poll watching which was fairly erratic. The
candidates were responsible for rounding up
friends or pledges from their fraternities to do
the job. The system never worked very well —
many poll watchers never showed up on
election day — and so the Council authorized
pay at one dollar an hour for students to
guard the ballot boxes during the elections
which ended yesterday.

The difference between an amateur and
professional poll watcher is amazing. We
remember the old poll watchers; they always
seemed a little bored with their task and more
often than not were surly if asked for voting
information. But yesterday's pros would flag
you down a half a mile away to ask if you had
voted and were eager to tell you which of the
many ballots you should use. They would
look the other way when you marked your
ballot and were very careful not to offer any
suggestions on how to vote.

Many students on the Grounds question
the need for poll watchers, saying that in a
school with an honor system this is a fairly
frank admission that that system does not
work. This is really a fairly weak argument, in
our opinion. Certainly there are probably
students in this University who do lie, cheat,
and steal, not to mention stuffing ballot
boxes if given the chance, and who even get
away with it. But their numbers are few. It
only takes one person to muck up an election.
Rather than present the obvious temptation
of having an open ballot box we think it is
best to keep the poll watchers. Our only
regret is that the Council could not round up
enough people to station a poll watcher at
each ballot box yesterday. We hope they
work a little harder to have all the locations
covered in the December elections.