http://www.weeklybeat.com/
May 19, 2006
County
to Choose Voting Technology Preference
By Jeremy Schwartz
As a result of ongoing negotiations between the New York
State Board of Elections and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), counties
across the state will likely have to state a preference for a voting system
before the certification process is complete, possibly as early as June.
In March, the DOJ filed suit against the state, alleging
that it had failed to comply with provisions of the 2002 Help America Vote Act,
including the adoption of voting technology accessible to the disabled and a
statewide voter database.
The lawsuit threatened to pull more than $49 million in
federal funds earmarked to the state for the purchase of new voting machines if
compliance was not forthcoming.
In early April, the State Board of Elections filed an
interim plan for HAVA implementation, which the DOJ agreed to on April 28.
Under the agreement, the state must submit a plan by June 15 detailing the type
of handicapped voting device to be used by disabled voters in the fall
elections.
Additionally, by July 15, the state must submit a long-term
plan for HAVA compliance, including the stated voting machine preference for
each county.
According to New York State Board of Elections Spokesman Bob
Brehm, the state is currently in the process of certifying disabled-accessible
voting devices for use in the fall primaries, to be followed by testing of
permanent technology that would be used by all voters.
The two dominant technologies are optical scan/paper ballot
and direct recording electronic machines (DRE). With optical scan, a voter
marks a paper ballot, which is then fed into a machine for processing.
Both technologies provide a paper trail of each ballot cast
that can be used in the event of a re-count. Proponents of optical scan say the
technology is less expensive than DRE machines and less susceptible to fraud
and technical malfunction.
With computerized DRE machines, voters use a touch screen to
cast their ballots.
Advocates of DRE contend that while the upfront costs of the
technology are greater, the need to purchase paper ballots as well as
handicapped-accessible ballot-marking devices make optical scan the more
expensive option.
A ballot-marking feature is included with DRE machines but
not with optical scan/paper ballot.
On May 12, a group of Dutchess County Legislators and
advocates for optical scan machines gathered outside the County Office Building,
calling for Legislature Chairman Brad Kendall (R-Dover/Union Vale) to allow a
resolution, requesting the county’s election commissioners to select optical
scan, onto the Legislature’s June agenda.
Kendall, who said it was inappropriate for the Legislature
to put political pressure on the commissioners, pulled the resolution off the
agenda.
“This is not a political issue. (The Legislature) has a
responsibility to make sure that each person’s vote in this county is counted,”
said Assistant Minority Leader Sandy Goldberg (D-Wappinger).
Kendall said he did not foresee the resolution being placed
on the June agenda either.
“The main reason is the State Legislature does not give the
County Legislature any jurisdiction in this matter. (If legislators have
opinions or concerns) they are more than welcome to talk to the election
commissioners themselves,” said Kendall.
Legislator William McCabe (D-LaGrange/Union Vale/Wappinger)
said the Legislature should offer its opinions on voting machine technology to
the county Board of Elections.
“(The Board of Elections) is the only department directly
under the Legislature’s control; I think it’s entirely appropriate,” he said.
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