Today Is D-Day For Electronic Voting Machines

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/stories/58720

Today Is D-Day for Electronic Voting Machines

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted August 3, 2007.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen will decide today whether to ban new electronic voting machines for next February's presidential primary. No matter what she decides, it will make waves from Capitol Hill to county election offices. SACRAMENTO, CALIF. -- Friday, August 3, is a day that will likely live in political infamy for election integrity activists across the country.

California's Secretary of State Debra Bowen, a newly elected, reform-minded Democrat, will decide whether or not the largest state will use electronic voting machines in its new, early presidential primary next February. No matter what Bowen decides, she will make waves from Capitol Hill to county election offices.

If Bowen bans some or all of all of the machines, she will face an open revolt from most of the county officials who oversee California elections. She also will be sending a big message to Congress, where efforts to regulate electronic voting machines have stalled. The strongest proposals there -- requiring a paper trail to verify votes and tough new audits -- echo existing California law, which Bowen would be saying no longer is sufficient.

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"You will not find a group more dedicated to doing their job to ensure voter confidence in the election process than California elected officials and their staff members, with the support of their vendors," said Beverly Ross, Tehama County clerk and recorder, expressing the sentiments of many at the Sacramento hearing.

On the other hand, if Bowen doesn't ban some or of all of the machines, she will frustrate some of her strongest supporters, election protection activists and others, such as computer security experts, who have applauded her efforts to assess vulnerabilities in California's electronic voting systems.

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"These machines are not good enough for our democracy," said Gail Work, chair of the Election Integrity Committee of the San Mateo County Democratic Party. "We've seen partisan-appointed registrars with their photos in vendor marketing materials. We've seen in San Diego election results that are certified prior to the votes being counted ... We've seen sleepovers where electronic voting machines are sent home with poll workers."

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[Mnemosyne]

1. Needs a

:kick:

Morning Hissy! :hi:

[glitch]

2. Here's another k & r nt

[hootinholler]

4. !

[diva77]

3. not posted yet at SoS website...

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vsr.htm

[puebloknot]

5. Ultra-Important. Here's a K&R