New York State Voting News 
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NYVV Newsletter #4, April 6, 2007 |
How many voters per machine?
State Board of Elections still doesn't get it...
New
York State voting Integrity advocates are extremely concerned that the State
Board of Elections is prepared to adopt a standard for number of voters per
machine that will be a disaster for New York voters.
The tentative proposal discussed at the March 27 SBOE meeting would allow as
many as 550 registered voters per DRE, which will condemn thousands of New York
State voters to long lines and waiting times at the polls. Other states using
DREs typically assign 225 voters at most to each machine.
Recently NYVV submitted
a proposal to the New York State Board of Elections detailing why New York
must allow no more than 200 registered voters per DRE. The proposal was based
on queuing theory simulations of elections with DREs and scanners and evidence
from other states.
The Board indicated it will formally introduce a regulation stipulating the
number of voters per machine at the next meeting on April 30, 2007.
Let the SBOE know that New Yorkers require sufficient numbers of voting
machines to avoid long waiting times - 550 registered voters on a single DRE
just won't work.
Action Reminder - Fax Gov. Spitzer
Make sure our votes count!
If you've already faxed the governor, good work! Thanks for
standing up for democracy in New York! If you haven't done so yet, please click
on this link now, it's easy to take action. Please contact your friends and
neighbors to do the same.
Draft of Voting Machine Testing Regs Released
The SBOE has released a draft proposal for Section 6210 of the
Voting System Standards. The proposal sets requirements for voting machine
acceptance testing, maintenance, operations, and security. The draft also
includes requirements for ballots, ballot accounting, and how a valid vote will
be determined on both PBOS and DRE systems.
The public must submit comments within the next few weeks. Please take the time
to read the draft proposal and submit comments to the SBOE on this vitally
important section of State voting machine regulations.
Download
the draft proposal here.
New York City Council calls for PBOS!
On March 14, 2007 the New York City Council passed Resolution
131 by unanimous vote. The resolution calls for adoption of paper ballots
and optical scanners as the City’s new voting system.
The resolution passed by the council makes clear that elections must be
observed by the voters, and should not require trusting computer experts to
interpret election results, stating:
“Whereas, Public confidence in the outcome of elections depends on voting
technology that is easy to use and enables citizens to observe, understand, and
attest to the reliable and secure handling of votes;”.
Read the powerful resolution, the supporting quotes from 19 national, state,
and local organizations, and photos of the press conference here.
Events Around the State
Bo Lipari - Will Your Vote Count?
Sponsored by CNY Alliance for Retired Americans, League of Women
Voters, Greater Syracuse Progressive Coalition and Working Families Party
Tuesday. April 10, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Office of the NYS United Teachers
Brittonfield Park, Syracuse NY
NYS Board of Elections Annual Meeting
April 30 - May 2, 2007
Doubletree Hotel Syracuse
6301 Route 298
East Syracuse, NY 13057
NYS Board of Elections Commissioners Meeting
Monday, April 30, 2007, 12:00 P.M.
Doubletree Hotel , East Syracuse NY
HAVA Workshop
May 18-20, 2007
Friday, May 18, 7:30-9:30
Crowne Plaza Hotel, White Plains, NY
Bo Lipari, Aimee Allaud, Laura Porter
New
Yorkers for Verified Voting is a program of International Humanities Center, a
nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.All donations are tax deductible.
New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Bo Lipari
Executive Director
Quicklinks
· New Yorkers for Verified Voting