Fran Baskin

 

Hearing before the Governmental Operations Committee and Technology in Government Committee, New York City Council January 29, 2007

 

I support paper ballots and optical scanners with accessible ballot marking machines for voters with special needs.

 

With paper ballots, everyone votes on the same kind of ballot. After you fill it out, it goes through the scanner and into a sealed box.  If something goes wrong, the box can be opened and the paper can be read and counted. You don’t have to be a technical computer person to read and count paper ballots.

 

With electronic voting machines, you can’t be sure of the electronic records, and you can’t be sure that the voters have verified their voter-verifiable paper printout. A paper ballot filled out by the voter directly or with a ballot marking machine is better.

 

Please pass Resolution 131 to urge the New York City Board of Elections to select a paper ballot and optical scanner system when we have to replace the lever voting machines.

 

Thank you.