Dan Jacoby Testimony before the
. New York City Council
Governmental Operations Committee
April 24, 2006
http://politics.danjacoby.com

My name is Dan Jacoby. I live and vote in Queens. Thank you for holding this hearing and giving me the opportunity to speak.

Electronic voting regularly results in irregularities. When the problems are visible (votes switched on the screen, system crashes) we call the election a "debacle" or "disaster" or "train wreck."

But we don't know how many invisible irregularities regularly occur. Recently we got a clue. The Palm Beach, Florida audit log of their November 2004 election, obtained by citizens via FOIL requests, showed over 100,000 computer errors that may have altered the results of the election.

Professional computer systems are extensively tested in real-life conditions. No election system has been subjected to full Mock Election testing.

This is why we need Resolution 228. Full public testing via a Mock Election, and the other measures in the resolution, will show us how usable and accurate these systems are – in a way that no federal or state testing will.

Resolution 228 is common sense. I hope that all 51 Council Members will sponsor Resolution 228, and pass it very soon, and that our City Board of Elections will see the wisdom of each of the suggestions listed.

Thank you.