http://www.syracuse.com/articles/opinion/index.ssf?/base/opinion-3/1190797507150710.xml&coll=1
Post-Standard Letter
September 26, 2007
To the Editor:
It has been five years since the Help America Vote Act
passed as a federal law. HAVA required states to replace old voting machines
with new voting equipment that will be accessible to voters with disabilities
and voters who speak other languages.
The implementation was left up to the states. When it comes
to voting machines, our state officials have been practicing a wait-and-see
approach from the get-go, despite strong urging by the disability community and
advocates for voting integrity.
The state officials passed the responsibility of purchasing
the new voting machines to the local boards of election without providing any
guidelines or choices of certified new voting equipment, resulting in years of
delay. In addition, the state recently sought another federal extension for the
implementation of HAVA, this time until 2010!
This effort failed, thanks to a statewide outcry by the
disability community. In the meantime, voters with disabilities who have
difficulty with, or are unable to use pull-lever machines, continue being
denied a private and independent vote at polling places due to lack of access
of the existing voting machines.
Any uncertified equipment carries a risk of being
inaccessible and unreliable.
I urge the state Board of Elections to immediately convene a
task force, consisting of voting machine experts, members of the disability
community and voting integrity advocates, and start the certification process
now, without a further delay!
Beata Karpinska-Prehn
Syracuse