Assemblywoman Galef wants to tell our localities how to save taxpayer money.

[clear eye]

She is holding two forums in Croton-on-Hudson in October, but she is bringing in experts on only one topic per forum--the first on property assessments and the second on school district consolidation. No other ideas for saving money are to be considered.

In the past she has told me to "just keep dreaming" about repealing the NYS law to require counties to replace the lever election machines. Last year Westchester County bought a $5M climate-controlled bldg to house the upcoming electronic voting machines and counters (something the mechanical machines don't require). The new system would also require much more frequent and higher priced repairs than our current system. Going by the experience of other states, we're talking over $100K/county additional maintenance costs per year (not including the basic cost of the elections that we're already paying). So I wrote her the following:

Dear Assemblymember Galef:

One way NY localities can save money (lots of it) is by not being forced to purchase expensive, high maintenance election machines and counters. That would take repealing the law that NYS passed requiring the purchase.

If it's not too much trouble.

Signed,
Constituent

If you live in the 90th Assembly District, you can reach her at [e-mail]

[Bill Bored]

1. Right! Tell her to change the law to allow LEVER VOTING MACHINES forever!

Galef is one of the biggest proponents of optical scanners, even though the federal Help America Vote Act allows lever voting machines.

We now know that the scanners are not going to be properly audited to see who won elections, and will cost the counties an arm and a leg after the federal HAVA money runs out (about a year after purchase).

While it was a good idea to support scanners instead of unreliable touch screen machines, that was really a false choice. It's time to give up on e-vote counting because no one wants to do the necessary hand counts to see who really won and lost elections.

Tell Galef to do the right thing and amend the Election Reform and Modernization Act of 2005 to permit continued use of lever machines.

For more information, see Teresa Hommel's site:
http://www.wheresthepaper.org/ny.html#WhyKeepLevers

[clear eye]

2. HAVA money doesn't even cover the full cost of purchase from what I've read

Seems there are cost overruns or something.