The Democratic National Committee used paper ballots Saturday while electing its new chair to verify that each vote was legitimate, despite the Democratic Party's adamant opposition to voter ID laws.
Prior to the vote, Donna Brazile, who was still interim DNC chair at the time, told the committee in Atlanta on Saturday that the DNC would use paper ballots instead of electronic "clickers," as original intended, to "verify every name and signature."
"Pursuant to the rules of procedure, the chair has the discretion as to the voting mechanism," Brazile said. "It is my determination, based on the system that we tested this morning, that I would like to use paper ballots. And I'll tell you why."
"We have to make sure that we can not just count the ballots but verify every name and signature," Brazile told Democratic Party members, receiving applause."And I want to make sure that at the conclusion of all of our votes, that you, the members of this party, will be able to review those ballots."
Brazile's step to ensure that ballots could be verified appeared to be an attempt to ensure only registered members of the DNC cast votes in the election.
Democrats and Republicans have generally differed on their approach to ensuring secure elections.
The Republican Party's official platform argues that voter ID laws ensure the security of elections, stating: "We are concerned, however, that some voting procedures may be open to abuse. For this reason, we support legislation to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and secure photo ID when voting."
The Democratic Party's official platform paints voter ID laws as a restriction on voting rights, saying: "In the wake of the Supreme Court gutting a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, 14 states passed or implemented some form of voting restriction. These actions included eliminating same-day registration, reducing early voting, prohibiting out-of-precinct voting, and imposing strict photo ID laws."
Former Labor Secretary Tom Perez was elected the next DNC chair on Saturday, beating out Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.), who was named deputy chair.