http://www.tonawanda-news.com/opinion/local_story_097093232.html?keyword=topstory
April 07, 2006
CNHI News Service
— Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it.
This is what the Help America Vote Act has the potential to become. We
supposedly need new voting machines even though New York’s present mechanical
ones are far superior to those of many other states, including Florida’s
butterfly ballots. If we do replace them, they should not be electronic
machines.
The reasons include deliberately bad ergonomic designs to
confuse able-bodied voters, let alone the elderly and disabled who have special
needs. An exhibit of these voting machines was on display in New York City a
few years ago; this was presented on Bill Moyer’s “Now” program on PBS.
Even more disturbing is how easily they can be hacked, and
they do not leave a paper trail. Diebold, the largest manufacturers of
electronic voting machines, is the most hackable and unreliable of them all. In
California, it was shown how flawed Diebold was when the machines malfunctioned
in that state’s March 2004 primary elections. After exposure by state
officials, Diebold was later decertified for the November elections. Another
concern: some electronic voting machine companies might be foreign owned or
could be bought by foreigners. Remember the UAE ports deal.
Since they leave no paper trail, there is no permanent hard
copy record to fall back on for recounts, especially in close elections. More
practical would be a paper ballot that takes no rocket scientist to figure out
if there are technical problems. And I don’t mean the butterfly ballot, but a
ballot with large print and check boxes to be selected that can be used by both
the able bodied and the disabled, and the selection would be made in a secluded
area before deposit in a ballot box. Canada has used the paper ballot for years
with little problem.
New York’s slowness might prove to be a blessing in
disguise. Call your state representative and visit the Black Box Voting Web
site (www.blackboxvoting.com) for more information.
Susan R. Wilke
North Tonawanda
© 2006, Tonawanda News
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