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ing at least the federal minimum hourly wage to all registration and polling place staff and by selecting staff based on qualifications above and beyond tradiditon partisanship.

FindingsL Chief State election Official
The LWVEF study found that although the Secretary of State or State Attorney General is usually charged with general responsibility for administering the state election code, in fact, it is one of many duties of is or her office and therefore its implementation is, with few exceptions, decentralized to the local level. Where regular reports are made to a central state authority, moreover, the survey revealed that they generally contain no more than facts and figures regarding registration and voting rates and occasionally information on the kind of voting system used (automatic voting machines, paper ballots, etc.). Furthermore, where the state authority issues guideline to local officials it usually provides no mechanism for monitoring or enforcing them.

The community study also found that, in the event that local officials are confused about how to interpret any part of the state election code, they must take the initiative to seeking state counsel. Except when their intervention is specifically requested, state authorities generally take little action to insure uniform and liberal interpretation of state election laws at the local level. Finally, state authorities generally do not monitor the way local officials use the extensive discretionary powers provided by most state election codes.

Therefore, the election systems project committee recommends:

That each state locate responsibilty for the implementation of state election laws in a single state official or office and that the uniform interpretation and administration of the election code throughout the state be the sole responsibility of that official or office:

That the state election official establish and issue to evey local election official minimum standards and performance guidelines; that the state official also establish a supervisory structure within which he or she can under the guidelines and take corrective notion where the standards are not being met.

That the state authority conduct mandatory training sessions for local officials which cover both the technical aspects of efficiently managing an election system as well as the local officials' legal obligations to aggressively extend the franchise and protect the voting rights of all citizens;

That both the guideline and the training sections be developed within the philosophical context of the vote as a right rather than a privilege;

That the chief state election official through and established supervisory structure and regular training sessions keep local election officials abreast of the most current legal opinions on voting rights and establish reporting procedures with the most recent court decisions.

Finding: Organized citizen initiative in registration and voting
Since election officials have so often been unwilling to support outreach efforts, citizen groups have fr many years tried to fill the void by initiating registration and voting service which would meet citizens' needs. The data now show, however, that their efforts and restrictive practices of local election officials. Interviews with their representatives also show that citizen organization recognize problems in the current election system that the officials tend to overlook.

Therefore, the election systems project committee recommends:

That citizen organizations add to their present outreach programs an aggressive effort

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to scruntinize the policies and actions of local election officials during both electon and non-election periods:

That citizen organization demand not only a role in the selection process of the chief local election official in their comminities but also adequate representation of their constituencies on local and state boards of election where they exist. Where they do not exist, an effort should be made to create them.

The role of political parties, mass media and educational institutions

Although the LWVEF study did not specifically examine the current system, based on the overall findings and the experiences of Committee members, the following recommendatons are offered:

Political parties, because of their vital role in a democratic society have a responsibility to see that responsive and responsible election officials are appointed and elected, The must use their considerable influence to insure that election officials use their discretionary power to aggressively recruit voters and to allocate available resources in a manner that expands the electorate. Political parties should further support all efforts to provide adequate funding for local election officials.

Mass media should direct its enormous capabilities toward both informing the public of its voting rights and increasing the visibility and therefore the public's awareness of the system and administrators through which that right must be exerxised. Such efforts might include a regular newspaper column devoted to registration and voting information, r.g., the requirements of the law, location and office hours of local reistration and polling places, announcement of deadlines, etc. Reporters should cover not just the electon but also the operation of local electon systems on election day. Officials should allow reporters access to the polls at any time during the polling process.

High schools and colleges, through their curricular or extracurricular programs, should provide information on the legal and administrative requirements pertaining to the franchise. By this means, not only can the crucial facts be made know, but a new rather than a privilege might be fostered within every American citizen.