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A new path for Arizona voters

Almost as scary as the apocalypse is the prospect of the Internet taking over the world. Even more so if it makes the electoral process unfair, as some Pima County Democrats are alleging.

Recent accusations that Internet voting is unfair to minorities are shedding unfair light on a program that is actually helping to increase voter turnout.

In order to encourage people to vote, Internet voting was proposed by State Democratic party chairman Mark Fleisher. After negotiating with various Web sites, Fleisher agreed to work with election.com, the Web site at which all state Democrats can vote between 12:01 a.m. on March 7 to 11:59 p.m. on March 10.

Fleisher is now being criticized by state democrats, particularly from minority-concentrated areas such as Pima County.

According to Pima County City Councilman Jose Ibarra, the process is unfair to minorities who do not have access to the Internet.

"There's a potential here for disenfranchising minority and low-income people who don't have access to computers."

True, many low-income families and schools do not have the luxury of an Internet connection.

But the polls haven't disappeared.

It is not as if voting is now entirely dependent on the Internet, that we have reverted to a technologically driven political system that leaves those who do not have access to the Web by the wayside. Internet voting is simply another option voters have, and it is not meant to be unfair to anyone.

In fact, when Internet voting was challenged in a lawsuit filed by the Virginia-based Voting Integrity Project, the federal judge hearing the case ruled to continue Internet voting.

Pima County Democratic Chairman Jesse George believes Internet voting actually expands the public's ability to vote.

"Internet voting is simply an extension of traditional voting," George said. "There are still adequate polling sites in minority communities. Nothing is being cut back."

Internet voting is a new vehicle Democrats are using to increase voter turnout. Already, turnout is expected to be higher for this election than in 1996. In the last presidential primary, only 12,000 Democrats voted in the entire state - a figure that is beyond shameful.

This year, nearly three times as many have applied for absentee ballots alone.

Councilman Steve Leal, who represents the South Side, argues that something as important as elections should not be held on the Internet, that the potential for error makes it dangerous.

But an overwhelming number of people are using the Internet for very important things. We have Internet income tax filing, Internet gift ordering and Internet banking. It is surprising that Internet voting was not launched sooner.

Ibarra and Leal are expressing legitimate concerns. Ideally, all registered voters in every neighborhood would have access to the Internet.

But the fact that they cannot use the Internet to vote does not make the election process unfair. As long as there are a sufficient number of polling places in every precinct in the state, all Arizonans have a chance to exercise their right to vote.

"There was a day when there were poll taxes and literacy tests, when minorities were prevented from casting their ballot," George said. "Those days are gone. Anybody can vote. Internet voting is just an extension of our civil rights."

What makes Internet voting even more impressive is that the Arizona Democratic party is already handicapped when organizing its primary. Because the Republican legislature conveniently scheduled primaries at a date that does not jive with the Democratic National Committee's guidelines, the state only funds the Republican primary.

Republicans, who are supposedly against big government and extra taxes, receive $2 million in taxes to fund their primaries. Democrats fund theirs on their own.

Despite the fact that Chairman Fleisher has spent less than $20,000 on the state's primary, he has allocated it to the fight against voter apathy by using it to begin Internet voting.

Internet voting does not mean the world will become completely cyber-driven tomorrow. But it does provide a new medium by which citizens can exercise their right to vote.

Between March 7 and 10, Arizona Democrats will test the innovation. And the polls will still be around.