Reply #23: Bill Richardson: New Mexico governor, on a range of issues

[rumpel]

Sun Sentinel, FL

Posted March 26 2006


Q. You're in Florida to talk about optical scanners for voting machines. Why?

A. I believe that -- for the purposes of credibility and for the purposes of voters' feeling that they are participating -- the best system is the paper ballot with the optical scanner. Voters want to see a paper trail. They want to be sure that their vote has been counted. I am urging all secretaries of state, county clerks to pursue this new technology.

It's because a verifiable paper trail, I believe, is part of democracy. Voters want to know that their vote counted. They want to see it. It's a matter of civic duty … You have to have the optical scanner, verifiable paper trails, that you use with pen and pencil. I believe that is the best technology right now. With a touch-screen there is still a margin of error.

Q. Is this something Congress should take care of or is it best left to the states?

A. It should be done locally. The Hava Act … the federal law that technologically brings the paper ballot and provides mainly federal funds for training -- that has exhausted its role. They have a good funding source. But I believe it should be done locally. What we did in New Mexico is we mandated the paper ballot but I also put in $11 million from the state budget to complement $29 million from Hava, so that all the county clerks would have their own machines … The Congress, they don't have an appetite to deal with this again. In any event, nothing passes in the Congress, period. So, I would encourage state officials to look at this and pursue it. Of all the states, it would seem to me that Florida and Ohio should be the most serious. Florida, Ohio and New Mexico, if you remember the last election.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-opqa26mar26,0,4720109.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial