http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--votingmachines0516may16,0,5869747,print.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

Senator: Give us more voting machines for disabled

By MARC HUMBERT

AP Political Writer

May 16, 2006, 4:49 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. -- An influential state senator called Tuesday for a federal judge to reject a plan the lawmaker said could leave New York's disabled with too few fully accessible voting machines for this fall's elections.

John Flanagan, chairman of the Senate's Elections Committee, also said he was introducing legislation that would provide a $10 million infusion of state funds so counties could buy more accessible voting machines in time for the elections.

At issue is a possible settlement being negotiated by the state Board of Elections and the U.S. Department of Justice, which has sued New York state for failing to comply with provisions of the federal Help America Vote Act adopted in the wake of the disputed 2000 presidential election.

Among other things, HAVA requires states to have voting systems in place for this fall's elections that can be used independently by disabled voters.

Under a state plan before U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe in Albany, many counties across the state would have just a few accessible voting machines in place for the 2006 state elections. That would leave many polling places without such new machines. In New York City, only one polling place in each of the city's five boroughs would have fully accessible machines for the disabled, said Flanagan.

"It is a bad plan," Flanagan told an Albany news conference.

In a letter to Sharpe, the Long Island Republican called the state board's plan "wholly insufficient to meet the needs of voters with disabilities in New York state. I believe the state can do better."

Flanagan's news conference came as Sharpe met with state and federal officials to discuss the state's proposed plan. State board spokesman Lee Daghlian said Sharpe appeared receptive and could approve the state plan as early as Friday.

Flanagan said he was asking Manhattan Democrat Keith Wright, chairman of the state Assembly's Elections Committee, to join him in sponsoring the $10 million legislation.

Asked about the Flanagan plan, Wright said he has been pushing for more machines.

"I'm glad he's finally gotten religion," Wright said, calling the current state plan "a horrible remedy."

Flanagan said the state plan he wants rejected would require only about $1 million to be spent on new machines for this year's elections.

Advocates have said about 1.3 million New Yorkers with disabilities voted in the 2000 election, but almost 2 million more did not. That would mean disabled New Yorkers vote at about the same rate as all eligible voters statewide.

Federal officials have said New York has been the slowest state when it comes to complying with HAVA. While the federal legislation envisioned all states having new machines in place for all voters by this fall's elections, New York officials have said that won't be possible before the 2007 elections.

Daghlian said counties have been hesitant to spend heavily on new voting machines for this fall's elections given that they may not be compatible with new equipment they will need to have in place for 2007.