I met with the Palm Beach, FL Supervisor of Elections Monday:

[tgnyc]

I and a group of local Dem. activists met with Dr. Arthur Anderson, the new surpervisor of elections. We asked him about the whole electronic voting situation. Here's my report:

Contrary to what the conventional wisdom appears to be in Palm Beach, Dr. Anderson is completely willing to institute paper-trail e-voting for his county. The county commission has even allocated $4 million to purchase the necessary printing equipment.

Under Florida law, however, no county may use paper printouts because no such technology has been certified by the Secretary of State. It would take an act of the state legislature to allow such ceritification to take place, and the Republican-led legislature has shown no interest in doing any such thing.

The interesting thing is that the equipment manufacturers -- Sequoia, Diebold, and the rest -- have demonstrated little interest in attaching the printers to their machines, even though it would allow them to increase their revenues and profits if they did so. That right there I find HIGHLY suspect.

Anyway, I say that paper "trails" aren't the answer anyway, since they only come into play in the event of an unlikey recount or audit. Paper ballots printed by the machines but counted by hand are the only real way to go.

It's clear that the manufacturers and the state governments have entered into a collection of unhealthy relationships, in which both sides have agreed not to encourage the other to do what is clearly necessary to make the voting methods we use reliable and trustworthy.

The battle, folks, in your state capital. Call your state representative and your state senator and raise a ruckus. Do it now.

While you're at it, check out our website: http://www.intelligencesquad.com.

[KoKo]

1. ES&S has a paper trail. It's a toilet paper trail though. Why

haven't Florida activists worked for the "Opti-Scan" machines? Paper Ballots with counting?

It's too late now for Florida...didn't they have to already order their machines to get HAVA funds? How many counties are paperless trails there?

[PVK]

2. Amen and say it again!

"The battle, folks, in your state capital. Call your state representative and your state senator and raise a ruckus. Do it now."


I have been doing this since November 2004. I also have been in contact with my AG.

It's starting to make a difference.

[Land Shark]

3. sequoia doesn't have a paper trail device that's approved

they're still at the 'prototype' phase or something like that. This was admitted under oath recently in litigation in New Jersey or Maryland, i forget which state. Professor Venetis' case.