Allegheny County switches voting machines

[Junkdrawer]

Allegheny County has scrapped a deal to buy electronic push-button voting machines and will instead buy 4,700 touch-screen units from a different supplier, Chief Executive Dan Onorato announced yesterday.

Not all of the machines can be in place for the May 16 primary, and the county is making plans to deal with possible long lines at polling places.

Mr. Onorato also criticized the federal law that is requiring the county to replace its 40-year-old mechanical lever machines.

"If it was up to me, I'd be using the lever machines," he said. "I think this is the biggest waste of federal money I've ever seen."

Mr. Onorato's announcement came less than six weeks before the May 16 primary, when counties across Pennsylvania must have new voting equipment in place or face legal action from the U.S. Justice Department under the Help America Vote Act.

Last week, Secretary of State Pedro A. Cortes, who oversees elections in Pennsylvania, told Mr. Onorato that the machines the county had planned to buy from Sequoia Voting Systems were unlikely to be certified in time for the primary because of software problems.

...

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06096/679896-103.stm

Not mentioned in the article is Mike Shamos - the sole man who did the testing. Mike is infamous in voting reform circles and is succeeding in his apparent goal of moving more and more of us into that Diebold/ES&S fold.

BTW: I'm still waiting to see why the Westmoreland case was overturned so that voters can't pick their own voting system as required by the PA Constitution. The PA Supremes overthrew the case a month ago and promised an opinion to follow. So far, no opinion.

[AndyA]

1. "I think this is the biggest waste of federal money I've ever seen."

That statement pretty much defines the Bush Administration and The Republican Party, doesn't it?

[GDAEx2]

2. This "Help America Vote Act"...

has to go down as one of the top doublespeak names foisted on us. Right up there with "Healthy Forests Initiative" and the "Patriot Act".

<>

[Junkdrawer]

3. Well, it all depends on what you mean by "America"...

Its people or its wealthy rulers. :shrug:

[paparush]

4. Add "Clear Skies" to that list as well...damn Orwellian thugs.

[Mnemosyne]

5. Another DUer calls it the

Hacking America Vote Act. I think that says it all.

Welcome to DU GDAEx2! :hi:

[Daylin Byak]

6. You know what's sad about this whole voting sham...

The only reason Dan Onorato pick that voting machine was because the machine was able for the voter to see the elections all at once, like a lever machine.

So what's more important Danny? making sure that the voter can see the whole entire ballot at once, or making sure that each and every vote that is casted gets counted the fair and right way?

[Mnemosyne]

7. Paper ballots now! Then morans won't have hard choices.

I've got to check out Pennachio again. I liked what I'd read about him before. I do not like Casey at all, nor his father. If need be I will hold my nose one last time and vote to get scumtorum out, but it will be the last time.

2006 is the election that will show me if it's still worth even voting anymore. I am that disgusted and I have voted every year except one since 1976.

A very late welcome to DU! I must have missed you until now, sorry! :hi:

[FogerRox]

8. Sorry I missed this to recommend

[Mnemosyne]

9. It made it though! Scumtorum is not worried at all.

This leads me to believe he knows something we do not. He is third in the Senate, that is dangerous to the entire country. Most of the state now have hackable machines now thanks to HAVA, bad news.

I am going to an ES&S demo on the 20th. Any suggestions as to what would be the most important info on them to take with me to hand out? I want to keep it short and sweet for attention spans sake. Any ideas greatly appreciated! :) :hi: