Resolution in support of "PBOS" voting
technology (Paper Ballots and Optical Scanners
with Accessible Ballot-Marking devices for voters
with disabilities and minority languages)
as the new voting technology for New York State
and New York City.
Whereas:
Observable,
easily-verified public elections are the foundation of our democracy, and
Our county Boards of
Elections will soon choose new voting systems to replace our mechanical lever
machines, and
Public confidence would
be strengthened by the use of paper ballots which are marked directly by
voters, but would be lowered by the use of electronic voting systems because
electronic ballots cannot be witnessed by voters or observers, and
Precinct-based optical scanners
and accessible ballot-marking devices are reliable, secure, easy to use, and
enable non-technical election observers to ensure the integrity of our
elections, and
Optical scanners have
been successfully used nationwide for over thirty years, and are currently used
in more jurisdictions than any other voting technology, and
Bi-partisan public
employees can perform all work related to the conduct of elections if we use
PBOS, so that our elections will not be turned over to vendors of electronic
voting systems, and
PBOS will be much less
expensive for purchase and use than electronic voting systems, and
PBOS provides the
advantages of quick election-day results and accessibility without the risks
associated with electronic voting, and
Other jurisdictions' use
of electronic voting systems has resulted in election irregularities, lawsuits,
lower voter confidence, and
The September, 2005,
report from the U. S. Government Accountability Office has verified the
problems with electronic voting and this report has resulted in bi-partisan
concern in Congress,
Therefore:
We urge the New York
State Board of Elections to certify precinct-based optical scan voting systems
for purchase by county Boards of Elections throughout New York State, and
We urge the Board of
Elections in the City of New York to select PBOS as the new voting technology
for the City of New York, and
We resolve to send this
resolution to our Republican and Democratic County Leaders, our Republican and
Democratic Election Commissioners, and the Co-Executive Directors and
Commissioners of the New York State Board of Elections.