Two Distinct Roles: Bipartisan Team or Verification Board Members
Whether ballots are hand-counted or tabulated by machines, the work done by the clerk and election judges must be reviewed for accuracy before being certified. As set forth in Missouri statutes, that final responsibility is performed by a Verification Board.
My experience with Verification Boards in Missouri over the past few years has given me some insight into what I believe to be the primary problem, that clerks are using the Bipartisan team as the Verification Board. They are basically combining the duties of these two distinct roles.
If there is nothing else that stands out of the distinct roles of the Bipartisan teams and the Verification Board, this one point is critical: the Verification Board is reviewing the work of the clerk, the election judges, AND the bipartisan teams. The Bipartisan team cannot review its own work. The Bipartisan team cannot be the Verification Board.
How this evolved into “Legacy Teams”
My observations about this combining of bipartisan teams into the verification board is discussed in Finding: Legacy Teams Undermine Bipartisan Intent. Clerks have come to rely on particular teams of election judges to help them with the election tasks. They rely on these judges’ experience — some judges have served in these positions for decades — because it makes it easier for the clerk.
It is understandable that clerks may prefer Legacy Teams. It saves the clerk time in finding and training new people. It is probable that they trust and rely on Legacy Teams. The biggest problem, though, is that the bipartisan nature of elections is that it is supposed to ensure fairness and is not based on saving the clerk time.
County Political Committees Have Statutory Duties Related to Elections
The clerk should request lists of nominees from the county committees, and they are supposed to provide the lists. But many committees have said they did not know about this obligation. Some clerks have said they did not know they were supposed to make the request. Some committees say they offered lists to their clerk, but the clerk declined saying they already have the “regular” people they like to use.
“Clerks Can ‘Run’ Verification Boards Any Way They Want”
That’s a statement that was made to me by a member of the former Secretary of State’s staff. The process for how a clerk administers elections is, in large part, up to the clerk as long as it complies with statues. But “any way they want” is a stretch, in my opinion.
The intent for elections in Missouri to have bipartisan oversight is well-documented in the statutes. The way to get back to bipartisan involvement and taking the burden off clerks, is for election officials, county committees, and voters to re-learn the laws around verification and take responsibility for their statutory obligations.
More About Verification Boards
Big Misunderstanding – Verification Board vs Bipartisan Teams
Clear up Verification Board vs. bipartisan teams for secure elections!
Convening the Verification Board: Ensuring Election Security
Verification Board ensures election accuracy, Missouri & beyond!
Checking the Math – Verification Board Overview
Verification Board verifies election math for secure county results!
Tags: legacy teams ▪ math ▪ Missouri ▪ verification board
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