Long voting lines at some Grand Rapids polling places during the November 2012 presidential election were caused by many factors, a task force led by two former U.S. attorneys reported this week to city commissioners. … Too many poll workers were inadequately trained for the job. The city should recruit workers with laptop computer skills, and increase pay for workers who are bilingual or proficient in use of the e-poll book. The city also should hire a training consultant to help the city clerk develop a new training model for poll workers, and then evaluate workers to determine whether or not they should be hired again for the next election.
“We get a number of people of my age that don’t know how to use computers and really are (intimidated) by technology,” Brady said.
Said Smietanka: “We need to get younger people in as precinct workers not just because they can work with computers, but because we need the next generation involved in the political process. We need to focus on bringing more young people in.”
Full Article: 6 ways to fix long voting lines, and 6 Grand Rapids polling places still at risk | MLive.com.