http://oracle.newpaltz.edu/article.cfm?id=2426
The official student newspaper of the State University of
New York at New Paltz since 1938
The New Paltz Oracle
Volume 77 Issue 21
Thursday, April 27, 2006
State Debates the Implementation of New Voting Machines
By Lindsay Suchow, Contributing Writer
Assemblyman Joel Miller (R-Poughkeepsie) hosted a public
forum on Thursday, March 30, at Fishkill Town Hall to discuss the potential new
voting machines that will replace the current lever voting machines being used
in New York State.
Also present on the panel were Fishkill Town Supervisor Joan
Pagones, Bob Brehm, Deputy Director of Public Information at New York State
Board of Elections, Deputy Election Commissioner John Kennedy (R-Dutchess
County) and Election Commissioner Fran Knapp (D-Dutchess County).
After the heavily disputed recounts and confusion of the
2000 election, President Bush passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002,
requiring states across the nation to replace their voting machines with newer,
more secure devices.
New York has been the slowest of all the states to comply
with HAVA legislation and is being sued by the Department of Justice for
failure to meet the new standards. NYS Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office
will be handling negotiations with the Department of Justice in regards to this
lawsuit. In the meantime, this legal action adds even more pressure to the
counties of New York to decide which voting machines are best for them.
Miller was much more concerned with finding an accurate,
safe and fair voting machine than meeting HAVA deadlines. He assured the
attendees of the forum that the state will not certify any device that has not
been fully and extensively tested and re-tested, even if it means that New York
will be the last state to comply with HAVA.
"Speed is least important," Miller said.
"Votes being cast the way they were meant to be cast is critically
important. Whatever machines we use will be accurate and reliable."
According to Miller, New York has been given $216 million in
federal aid in order to comply with the HAVA requirements. This money has been
allotted for expenses such as making machines more handicap accessible,
training poll workers and the cost of replacing the old lever voting machines
that have been used for decades.
The two machines most prominently discussed at the forum
were paper ballot/optical scan machines and direct recording electronic
machines (DRE's). Miller has gone on record saying that he is a supporter of
the optical scanner machines.
"Everybody should be aware of the voting machines to be
used," said Kennedy.
With the optical scanners, voters cast their ballots on
paper and insert it into the device. These machines work similarly to Scantron
mechanisms that are used to score standardized tests. DRE machines are entirely
electronic and votes are cast on a touch-screen; some machines are equipped
with buttons and knobs.
Vendors were expected to be present at the forum to give a
presentation of how the new machines look and are used, but the machines did
not arrive at the forum on time. Nonetheless, even without a visual image, the
pros and cons of both machines, as well as the cost and technology involved,
were discussed extensively, and members of the general public were given a
chance to voice their opinions to the panel.
"I've taken one computer programming course, and even I
could hack into a DRE system - it's not hard at all," one attendee said.
Another member of the public stated that most poll workers
are senior citizens, and that it would be extremely difficult for them to learn
the DRE system.
Although DRE machines were losing the popularity contest
among the general public, the idea of optical scanners also did not go without
scrutiny.
"Whether you are using Opscan or DRE, you're still
using a computer," Brehm said.
A member of the public brought up the recent controversy
over mistakes made in scoring high school students' SATs.
"Anything can be tampered with," Miller said.
While Miller said that he believes the apprehension toward
electronic voting is healthy, he stressed that these changes need to be made
and that elections will remain as accurate and safe as possible.
"Be cynical," Miller said. "But do not think
that there is no chance that this can be done right."
Brehm reviewed the time frames for the new HAVA standards.
He said the certification period for the new machines will last 45-60 days,
depending on whether or not the machines live up to expectations. Once a
machine is certified, the counties have the choice to purchase a contract, try
to get the best prices and negotiate with other counties.
Miller said that complete lever machine replacements for all
counties in time for the fall elections are not likely, but hopefully, some
counties will be able to deploy the new equipment by this fall.
"Local elections are going to be the guinea pigs for
new machines," Knapp said.
For more information on the new voting machines, visit
verified voting at verifiedvoting.org, or the NYS Board of Elections Web site
atwww.elections.state.ny.us.
E-mail Lindsay at suchow84@newpaltz.edu