Robert Dyer in action. Yes, that's me at the Board of Elections office in Twinbrook. And I've got a ways to go because the District 16 ballot isn't on that wall. It's on the other wall. Behind a bush. While trying to confirm my name on the ballot display, I found myself wondering what year it was. 2006 or 1906? There have been many changes to voter registration and voting recently, and it seems that some parts of the process are still in need of an update.

This setup is unnecessarily inconvenient for candidates and voters who want to preview and proofread the ballot before it is finalized. If you live in Bethesda or Clarksburg, it's really out of your way to go to Rockville in a 3 day challenge period. And the letter I received gave the impression that the method in the above photo was the only manner in which one could examine the ballot. Wouldn't it make sense in 2006 for the ballots to be on the internet?

Not only were the ballots not in order, and accessible only by the lawn in front of them, but I was also being accosted by swarms of insects the entire time. And there's a manhole someone could trip over. Now, being 34, and assuming I don't contract West Nile from the bug bites, I managed to survive. But this would be quite a hazard for senior citizens and the disabled. If there was another way for those individuals to check the ballot, it was not advertised in the letter. Which is like having a teletype number for deaf people and not printing it.

So I filed a complaint with the Board and the Montgomery County Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Officer. Two days later, I received a response from the County's Election Director, Margaret Jurgensen. She agreed that the ballots should be on the internet and that the Board will try to make that possible in the future. Also, she said that there were office hours on Saturday, July 29, during which the ballot was available on the counter inside the board office. Of course, those hours, as well as an apparent viewing opportunity during the Friday, July 28, office hours, were not advertised in the letter. Ms. Jurgensen says that she is directing the staff to update the letter to include this information.

I thank the board for clarifying this. And in the future, when you can examine the ballot online without driving to Twinbrook, remember to thank me.