Polk Co. Iowa Suffers From Ballot Programming Errors

[Wilms]

Polk Co. Iowa Suffers From Ballot Programming Errors

Iowa Candidates Are Realizing They Might Really Have Not Lost

By John Gideon, VotersUnite.org and VoteTrustUSA

June 26, 2006

snip

It should come as no surprise to the state of Iowa that now a candidate in Polk County has announced that he plans on challenging the election results. He just happens to be a five-term incumbent who was running against a political newcomer and lost by a wide-margin.

The problem in Polk County is that officials have closed their eyes and ears to the facts that there is a ballot programming error as they try to make the issue into a political threat to the Polk County Auditor who happens to be running for Secretary of State.

The problem is the poor workmanship from ES&S and poor procedures that seem to be wide-spread in the state of Iowa. The problem is not with county auditors or elections officials unless they allow the 'status quo'. Every county in the state that used the same software and machines MUST do a hand recount of every paper ballot cast in the primary. No exceptions. The state is responsible to the voters and candidates to ensure this is done. If not; the voters need to begin asking why their votes are not important.

A long-term, but hopefully not too long-term, fix is to kick ES&S and their ballot programming out of the state. Oklahoma did it early on. The Iowa counties can easily do their own ballot programming and they will then be in control of their elections and not share that control with someone else. The voters of the state of Iowa deserve no less.

snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1429&Itemid=113