A modest proposal on poll workers

The City of Milwaukee is putting on a push to recruit 750 more poll workers, to be in place by September's primary.

It is no secret that there were many, many problems in the 2004 presidential election in Milwaukee. Not fraud, but bureaucracy run amok, with a shortage of trained poll workers compounding the problems caused by huge turnouts.

A Journal Sentinel editorial encourages people to volunteer, and that's good idea. (Call 286-3491.) The Election Commission is reaching out to ask businesses and organizations to encourage employees and members to work at the polls, and that's a good idea, too.

But why not go another step toward professionalizing the election system, by using people who already work for city government -- especially people in clerical or administrative jobs who are trained and efficient at handling paperwork.

Why not shut down city government on election day, or maintain a skeleton staff in most departments, and assign everyone else to a polling place?

City workers could get some training sessions during work hours, and you know they'd show up as scheduled on election day -- because that would be their jobs. Election day wouldn't be a holiday, just a day they worked at a different assignment.

Would this cost a little more in terms of lost time from work, versus the pittance the city pays poll workers as a stipend? Sure. But isn't running an efficient, fair election something the taxpayers should finance? It is the responsibility of city government, not the old lady down the street, to see that everyone eligible gets to vote and that our votes are properly counted.

Trying to anticipate the objections from the wingnuts: This should be a volunteer effort, 1000 Points of Light? Too many city workers are members of the public employees union, and probably Democrats? (The truth is that the right won't like anything that might shorten the lines or make it easier for people to vote in the city. Their goal is to lower turnout, not facilitate it.)

Worth a shot? After 2004, how could we do worse?