Page 10-Tuesday, February 20, 1979-The Michigan Daily
TURNOUT LOW IN YES TERDA Y'S PRIMAR Y
Punch card voting makes debut
boxes that contained the marked
ballots.
City officials had heralded yester-
day's soporific election as the perfect
opportunity to try out punch card voting
- a system which has, in the past
received mixed reviews.
DETROIT'S 1970 experience with the
computer punch cards came to be
known as the "Great Fiasco."
However, the system is currently in use
throughout Washtenaw County and
generally has met with success.
But city officials - wary of the over-
voting, slow returns and computer
tampering that caused the Detroit
disaster - took special care to train
election workers and publicize the new
voting method.
ELEVEN demonstration teams were
trained to show voters how to use punch
cards, and an illustrated brochure was
mailed to more than 57,000 registered
voters.
Herbert Katz, chairman of the First
Ward-Third precinct polling place in
West Quad, said that election workers
had been extensively trained in the use
of punch card voting and that he could
see no real difficultiesjwith the system.
He was, however, thankful for the con-
venient testing ground that yesterday's
low-keyed election provided. "It's kind
of like making a dry run before the real
thing," said Katz.
The first subject of punch card voting
that afternoon was Bill Taylor, a
University graduate student. "I'm so
excited," Taylor said, as he walked
over to a punch card voting stand,
waving in the air his mustard-colored
punch card.
BUT AFTER his first attempt at
punch card, Taylor had very fevy
positive things to say about the system.
"It's the reverse of progress," he said.
"I suspect that the punch card com-
pany wined and dined the mayor."
One of Taylor's major complaints
was that the punch card method
doesn't provide adequate safeguards
against ballot stuffing. According to
Taylor, the old style lever machines
were the most full proof way of making
sure there was no ballot stuffing. "It is
much easier to stuff ballots with punch
cards because you are dealing with
pieces of paper," said Taylor.
According to Katz, however, the pun-
ch card method does guard against
ballot stuffing by having an election
worker available at all times to put the
punch card in the ballot box. "We don't
let the voter put it in the box," said
Katz. "You never know what they're
going to put in."
But Taylor had further reservations
about the new voting system. Taylor
said that there could be several
problems with data processing because
of the large number of people that come
in contact with the ballots. The punch
card goes from the voters hands, to the
election workers, to the vote counters
and finally to the computer.
. "YOU HAVE more people dealing
with the ballots so there is more room
for error," said Taylor. One potential
problem which Taylor sighted was that
the perforations on the computer punch
card could fall out after such frequent
handling. Some of the other problems
Taylor pointed out were thatcards
could get lost and machine operators
could "mess up."
But according to Katz, the advan-
tages of the system far outweigh the
possible disadvantages. "One of the
best things about punch card is that the
voter has control over the ballot
because he can see if he punched the
right hole. With the lever machine you
didn't know if the thing clicked in back
or not," said Katz.
John Koenig, only the second voter to
enter the West Quad polling place in an
hour, agreed with Katz. Koenig said
that he generally liked the system bet-
ter than the machine method. "You can
see who you voted for much more
readily than on the machines," said
Koenig.
KATZ ALSO said that the small size
of the punch card voting machinery,
which comes in a metal suitcase that is
easily unfolded into a compact voting
stand, makes it much easier to accom-
modate a large number of voters.
Although only two stands were set up
for the few people that dwindled into the
West Quad polling place, another five
punch card cases were lined up against
the walls, just in case there was a sud-
den deluge of voters.
Punch card voting is also useful if a
voter happends to make a mistake, said
Katz, because it allows the voter to get
a new ballot and try it all over again.
"It's great for the indecisive -voter
like me because you can correct your
-mistakes," said Alexander Stoll, a
senior in engineering who was one of a
-few voters who tried out punch card
voting at the Union.
VaDl rnoio Dv IJPho NOERUDJRER
A POSTER OF MAYORAL hopeful Louise J. Fairperson hangs on a wall in a
conference room in the Michigan Union. Fairperson is a fictitious candidate
who is backed by the Coalition for Better Housing.
Un-candidate makes
bid in mayo ral race
H 'I1 i;
I
kyIA
Kenworthy victorious
few turn out to vote
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Let us 'help you choose that first job. If you have or are
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(Continued from Page 1)
and a leisurely evening at home, said he
anticipates "a lot of hard work" in the
upcoming weeks. Not at all perturbed
about the low voter turnout, Senunas
said, "I thought it might have been
even lighter than it turned out - there
Wednesday, February 28
LAWRENCE UVERMORE LABORATORY
ARE YOU LETTING
CLASSES GET TO
YOU?
,,o
RELAX
Take a 0t tiQL break
... you deserve it!
TONIGHT-8 p..m.
JEROME
ROTHENBERG
reading at
BENZINGER LIBRARY
The Residential College
(East University between Hill and Willard)
THE PUBLIC IS
CORDIALLY INVITED
was no city-wide race for the
Republicans.
THERE WAS really not much in-
terest in the election," Senunas con-
tinued. "I think most of the interest was
in punch-card voting.
Second Ward Democratic Coun-
cilwoman Leslie Morris, who will be
unopposed in the general election, said,
"Only hard-core, committed people
vote in a primary like this. . . it's going
to be a lot different April 2."
Kenworthy attributed the sparse at-
tendance at polling places to the well-
below-freezing temperatures.
The brightly-lit Democratic
headquarters, located on North Univer-
sity Street above Moe's Sports Shop,
was crowded with 40 campaign
workers, including many student volun-
teers, who drank beer and wine and
munched on potato chips in celebration.
"The decisions the nextt mayor and
Council make will permanently effect
the character, diversity and beauty of
the city," Kenworthy said in his
statement.
Daily city reporter Jeffrey Wolff
contributed to this story.
By ELISA ISAACSON
There is a third candidate running
for mayor of Ann Ar.bor, but neither
Mayor Louis Belcher nor James
Kenworthy have any need to feel
their own chances threatened.
Louise J. Fairperson - whose
campaign literature has graced the
walls of campus buildings for
several weeks - yesterday announ-
ced her "uncandidacy" as a fic-
titious mayoral contender put forth
by the Ann Arbor Coalition for Bet-
ter Housing.
THE GHOST candidate serves as
a mouthpiece through which
coalition members can illuminate
what they call "the serious housing
crisis in Ann Arbor" - a problem
they say neither Belcher or Kenwor-
thy has adequately addressed.
"Our purpose in running (Fair-
person) is to make sure housing is
addressed specifically in the cam-
paign," explained Coalition member
Pat Theiler. Theiler and other
coalition members said they feel
none of the mayoral or City Council
candidates are paying the housing
issue the attention it warrants.
"We've talked to some candidates
and gotten some mixed feedback,"
said Coalition member' Dan Ruben.
"This whole idea is to get our ideas
out to the public and let them be
aired openly."
AT A PRESS conference yester-
day morning, a tape-recorded voice
representing the non-existent Fair-
person explained the Coalition's
strategy for housing reform.
The plan includes a "just evic-
tion" regulation, which would
prevent a landlord from evicting a
tenant, except in the case of illegal
lease violations. Another idea is the
institution of an "anti-speculation
tax. "Prices often double in four or
five years in this town," said one
Coalition spokesperson. "And tenan-
ts must pay for landlords' profits."
The tax would be applied to the lan-
dlords' profits, most likely on a
graduated level, at a rate greater
than personal income is currently
taxed.
Fairperson - also proposes man-
datory disclosure of landlords'
profits. According to the uncan-
didate, too often renters are duped
into believing the annual high per-
centage rise in rent is proportioned
to the cost of living increase, when
the owners are actually reaping a
hefty surplus. Fairperson said she
feels such a revelation would, help
pressure landlords into keeping ren-
ts down.
THE YEAR-OLD Coalition, foun-
ded primarily in order to place two
rent reform proposals on last year's
ballot, decided that running the un-
candidate would be a more effective
road to change than another ballot
proposal. Voters passed the two
proposals last April.
"We thought anything that could
be passed wouldn't be good enough,"
said member Steve Kelly, ex-
plaining that his organization is
trying Ito organize local tenants
around the issue and build support
before attempting any legal action.
Coalition members said they hope
the actual candidates discuss the
housing situation in their own cam-
paigns. "A lot of these are new
issues," said Theiler,
Professor writes new book
A step-by-step practice guide, "Fos-
tering Participation and Innovation: A
Handbook for Human Service
Professionals," has been co-authored
by a University professor.
Designed for social workers, mental
health workers and other social agency
personnel, the book explains various
strategies for increasing participation
in many kinds of community programs,
officials said. In addition, it suggests
ways to establish innovative new
programs and make sure they are ac-
cepted and used.
The authors are Prof. Jack Rothman
of the University School of Social Work;
Joseph G. Teresa, technical planning
officer with the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Education, Department of
Health Education and Welfare; and
Prof. John L. Erlich of the California
State University, Sacramento School of
Social Work.
Surprise accumulations
bury urban Northeast
(Continu.dI frc-_ Page 1)
to several communities, their hands as large department st
NATIONAL GUARD members were that had advertised holiday sales w
ordered in to help clean up roads, fight forced to close.
fires and drive ambulances, with 25 in- The normally bustling airport
ches on the ground in the state capital Washington, Philadelphia andP
of Dover. York were shut down, leaving thou
In New Jersey, where there were drif- ds of travelers marooned. Amtrak
ts up to 15 feet high and accumulations e ms As thek
of 18 to 24 inches over most of the celedc many of its trains in the
southern half of the stae, Gov. Brendan theast corridor, and blowing andb
Byrne declared a limited state of ting snow brought highway travel
emergency and urged businesses to crawl.
suspend operations. "This town is closed down," saic
rCident of Norfolk. Va. where 7 in
ores
were
is in
New
Lsan-
can-
Nor
drif-
to a
d one
aches
"This was definitely a sneaky one,"
said a supervisor in the Newark office
of the weather service, who did not
want to be identified. "Nobody knegy
about this one in advance. It just didn't
show up on the computers."
MANY MERCHANTS were wringing
I CalCHL I 11V Iv1, v ., W1V I"
of snow-an unfamiliar commodity on
the coast-was followed by a predawn
thaw that cut the snow depth to 4 in-
ches, then by rain and sleet and a new
freeze that left streets and highways
perilous.
DO
IT
ANNUALLY
BUT DO IT TODAY!
800 SOCIAL WORK POSITIONS
OPEN NOW IN ISRAEL
TEACHERS ALSO WANTED
MSW's and BSW's needed now in Israel's
urban centers and developing towns.
Community workers especially sought.
Orientation programs, retraining
courses, pilot trips planned. A real
opportunity to live a quality Jewish life
while making a meaningful
contribution. Interviewers coming from
Israel this month. Arrange now to speak
with thAm
BUY A
1979
Michiganensian
Year ook