NY: Voting machines raise practical questions or Tell me again...why are we tossing lever machines?

[Wilms]

NY: Voting machines raise practical questions

How do you sell something that is probably not needed? The first rule of selling is never ask the question "Do you want to buy?" The question should be phrased as "either-or." This gives the best chance for a sale.

snip

I also realize that many of our lever machines are quite old and may be difficult to keep in repair. If this is so, perhaps buying new lever machines would be a better investment.

Let me pose two questions: How durable are these new computerized devices versus the lever machines we know last for decades? And since our lever machines operate manually and do not require electricity, what would happen to any electric machine in case of power failure?

RICHARD BERKUN

Albany

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=664320&category=OPINION&newsdate=2/18/2008


Quite obviously someone who thinks things through...no thanks to New Yorkers for (Probably Un)Verified (Electronically Counted) Voting.

Thanks to tbyg52 on the Daily Thread

[NYC]

1. I like the lever machines.

I'm still hoping something will happen so we can keep them.

[aquart]

2. A judge is forcing state compliance with HAVA.

WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT!!!!!

[Bill Bored]

3. Levers ARE Compliant with HAVA

Our Attorney General and others representing the State of NY have been doing a shitty job in this case. The judge has been doing a shitty job too. The idea is to convince us that we are not in compliance with a federal law that nobody actually bothers to read, and then spend our money to "comply" with it by moving to electronic vote counting.

We should be fighting to keep the levers once the HAVA accessibility requirement has been met with ballot markers, or perhaps right now.

[Wilms]

4. Right now sounds about right.

NYC has already used the Automark and HANDCOUNTED the ballots produced, did they not??

[aquart]

5. Levers are compliant?

THEN HOW FUCKING DARE THEY TOUCH MY LEVERS????????

[Rene]

6. The computerized systems will have to be re-programmed for every election

Very expensived for towns, cities, states. Keep the lever machines. They've been stable for years.
A large group of us go to the High School at 8pm each election night and watch the vote counting from the back of the machines. 1 reads counts aloud.....3 document on spreadsheets 1 documents in computer.
It seemed to be very honest to me.

After our Nov Diebold election....we had 3 recounts of our Town's 3700 ballots....4 anounced totals.
I've filed an election complaint that I'm still waiting to hear about.

[kster]

7. How did you do your recount? What did you recount, paper or

Did you re announce the numbers on the back of the machines? Just curious.

[kster]

8. kick.nt

[Wilms]

9. .