April 14, 2005 Contact: Sandy Galef, 914-941-1111

Galef Constituent Poll On Help America Vote Act “HAVA”

State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef released the first week results of her poll of constituents on the Help America Vote Act, HAVA. Galef has received over 200 responses in the first week of her April newsletter asking constituents in the 90^th Assembly District what voting system they preferred in New York – electronic voting, paper ballot with optical scan, or other.

The results show an overwhelming support to vote by paper ballots that are scanned optically to replace the current lever machines now in use for elections. The results are as follows:

63.3% favor optical scanning of paper ballots

13.8% favor electronic voting

16.7% favor other means, such as phone-in voting, email, or keeping current lever machines

6.2% had no response at all.

Galef said “There is much debate going on in Albany over what system to use and there is also a deadline to meet in order to obtain more than $200 million dollars to upgrade our system. New York will forfeit the federal dollars if we don’t make changes by the 2006 elections. I personally favor the system of using paper ballots and then scanning them optically. It is verifiable, less costly, and a simpler approach that, so far, is the option preferred by my constituents.”

Galef will continue to report on responses until the survey is completed on the Help America Vote Act, which is a federal law that requires states to change to a more user friendly system of voting. The Assemblywoman’s district includes the towns of Ossining, Cortlandt, Kent, Putnam Valley, Philipstown, and the city of Peekskill.

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