Testimony
before Board of Elections in New York City, November 21, 2006.
Thank
you for holding this hearing and giving the public a chance to express their
feelings.
Commissioners,
as a representative of The Bronx Nation Discussion Group, I am urging you to
select paper ballots and optical scanners.
My main concern is the integrity of the machines we vote on.
Electronic
voting technology is dangerous. It
gives one person the power to shift votes in every machine in an entire state
in a matter of seconds. A study by four
Yale students showed that if only one vote is shifted per machine in a
statewide race, the outcome of many races can be changed. Let’s avoid the problems that have plagued
other states that rushed into e-voting a few years ago and are now considering
going back to paper ballots. We can
avoid lost electronic votes, incorrect tabulating results, votes that jump on
the touchscreen from one candidate to another and just plain computer crashes.
Precinct-based
optical scanning systems have been used for over 20 years and are proven
dependable. And they cost much less to
purchase and use. The choice is clear –
we hope that you, the Commissioners of our New York City Board of Elections,
agree.