It is easy to say that America needs to improve its democratic system. It is not so easy to figure out how. But in the eternal spirit of American optimism, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002.

HAVA's goals are lofty, but its stipulations are overwhelmingly bureaucratic. While the legislation contains genuine efforts to improve and standardize elections across the country, critics argued that vague language and intimidating length would render HAVA nearly impossible to implement. Thus, the Dane County Clerk's Office had its work cut out for it while sorting through county and city responsibilities, identifying changes in procedures it hoped would make elections more organized, fair and accurate.

When it learned of the upcoming changes, the city clerk's office in Madison realized it needed to organize training sessions for election officials. There, officials would be introduced to the newly purchased AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal.

The AutoMark, as it is frequently called, is a machine that enables voters with disabilities to cast their ballots independently, some for the first time. In the past, election officials had to mark ballots for voters with vision impairment or physical disabilities. While these ballots were obviously counted the same way as everyone else's, there was something very undemocratic about the inequality of access and process for disabled voters.

The AutoMark's significance therefore, lies in its potential to become a vehicle for unprecedented enfranchisement. For voters with vision impairment, it provides a Braille keypad and an accompanying set of headphones that play instructional prompts to guide voters through a virtual ballot. It also has a "Sip-N-Puff" device that allows voters to mark their own ballot without using their hands at all.

While the new voting techniques sound simple enough, the city clerk's office realized the new technology could be intimidating for poll workers. As a Madison election aide explained, most poll workers are retired and elderly so it was up to the clerk's office to make the AutoMark non-threatening. So they held an optional meeting for poll workers where clerks and volunteers could explain the AutoMark, along with other procedural changes taking effect on primary day.

It is one thing for county and city officials to grapple with federally mandated changes and pursue the arduous goal of full-fledged democracy, but here is where the quiet champions of democracy appeared before Sept. 12:

On the night of Sept. 7, five days before Tuesday's primary, the city clerk's office said more than 600 poll workers showed up at its voluntary training session. Six hundred came to learn about the AutoMark and ensure they were prepared to help others cast their votes. We can't forget many of these poll workers are older members of the Madison community and yet, they rode the bus, arranged car pools or even walked to the city county building (located in an area where safety is no longer a certainty) voluntarily to attend this training session.

Maybe I am overreacting, but this is the reason American democracy perseveres. There is an overwhelming belief among citizens in Madison and beyond that each vote must count and individuals can empower themselves to assure that it does.

So while Congress can mandate the use of fancy and expensive new equipment and write legislation to "Help America Vote," it is reassuring to know that the system isn't broken. In fact, this display of volunteer spirit and personal responsibility from 600 of our Madison neighbors has made me confident that 2006 will bring free and fair elections that, regardless of the outcome, will make this city and this country proud.

Sarah Howard ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and journalism.