Florida's supervisors of elections have proposed some fundamental changes to the way the state conducts its elections, including regional precincts, expanded early voting and mail-in ballots. Both the Legislature and voters should give these suggestions serious consideration, because the job of modernizing the state's voting process is far from finished.

Of immediate concern is a new state law that requires elections supervisors to evaluate every polling place this year to determine if they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are more than 6,700 precincts in the state, and the requirements are strenuous. The buildings that house polling places will need paved parking and possibly ramps. The size of door openings, as well as the strength it takes to open a door and the time it takes the door to close, must be measured. Complicating the issue, polling places are most often found in churches, which are exempt from some ADA requirements and therefore likely to fail the test.

Ion Sancho, Leon County's elections supervisor, said he figures only 10 percent of his 123 voting locations are completely ADA compliant. He figures making improvements to the buildings (assuming the owners would allow it) would cost his county $400,000. Statewide the costs could be $10-million or more.

The state's elections supervisors figure there has to be a better way. "Should polling places be accessible to the handicapped? You betcha!" Pasco County Supervisor Kurt Browning told the Orlando Sentinel. "But in my opinion, it's absurd to have to provide for something you don't need in every single precinct. And who pays for it? We do."

The Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections has asked the Legislature to study some fundamental changes in voting laws that would help relieve the stress on the system.

Currently, most Floridians vote on Election Day at small, neighborhood precincts, which require a large, highly trained workforce. Larger, regional polling places could be put in public buildings that are already handicapped-accessible, such as libraries and government offices, and would require fewer poll workers overall. With computerized ballots, voters could choose the nearest voting place rather than the assigned precinct.

The supervisors would also like to see expanded early voting. Currently, counties can allow voting prior to Election Day, but only in elections offices. It proved popular in the last general election, but with few sites available, lines grew long. The Legislature should allow each supervisor to expand early voting to other sites, which would relieve the pressure on Election Day.

Leon County's Sancho favors mail-in balloting, such as the system used in Oregon. Voters would receive a ballot in the mail and could either fill it out at home or take it to an elections office. While mail-in balloting would eliminate the need for polling places and a large temporary workforce, Florida residents are probably not ready for such a dramatic change.

Sancho and the other supervisors are right. The job of fixing what ails Florida's system of voting isn't finished. In a way, it has only begun. The coming costs and burdens imposed by new election laws are so great that the Legislature needs to begin rethinking the way we vote.

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