State let seven counties bypass checks for federal standards

[mimitabby]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/207125_testing08.html

Saturday, January 8, 2005

Untested voting systems used
State let seven counties bypass checks for federal standards

By LEWIS KAMB
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Voting systems in King, Pierce, Snohomish and four other counties skipped typically required testing procedures before being used in last fall's elections.

But although the systems weren't tested to ensure they properly functioned to federal standards, Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed said he's confident they tallied and recorded ballots accurately.

The lack of outside testing "didn't affect the way the ballots were counted in King County or anywhere else," Reed, a Republican, said this week. "The systems operated accurately. We ran a lot of our own tests and had a lot of observers to make sure of that."

But some reform activists say Washington's failure to meet its own elections standards by skipping the independent tests -- recommended by federal officials and required under Washington rules -- only raises more questions about the integrity of this state's elections process.

That's especially true in the aftermath of an extremely close governor's race that has cast a spotlight on problems with Washington's election process and caused Republicans to challenge Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire's 129-vote victory over Dino Rossi, some say.

"We had (counties using) untested, uncertified software (to run voting systems) ... and we had the secretary of state making up last-minute emergency rules to circumvent the law to let them do it," said Linda Franz, a member of the non-partisan activist group Citizens For Voting Integrity-Washington. "In my opinion, it raises a lot of questions."

...................

So far, none of the systems has completed the tests.
P-I reporter Lewis Kamb can be reached at 206-448-8336 or [e-mail]

[Florida_Geek]

1. And there was the manual recount

if there was major problems it would have come out in the manual recount.

[rodeodance]

2. seems the prob. was it was a "business as usual mentality" of official,

both state and county--Dem and Repub (for many, not all).

[Moderator]

3. mimitabby

Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to four paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

[mimitabby]

4. sorry about that, it's early. i fixed it though

I think i'll send that reporter the 30 page report written on the Sequoia voting machine problem in Snohomish County, WA..
feel free to write to him, for accurately reporting the news!!
m