NY State and City unready for voting machine headaches

[Bill Bored]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/09/22/2009-09-22_state_and_city_unready_for_voting_machine_headaches.html

State and city unready for voting machine headaches
by Neal Rosenstein
Special to the News

Tuesday, September 22nd 2009, 8:32 PM

I took both my kids to the polls with me last Tuesday, to take part in a historic primary. Historic? I don't mean the historic low turnout or unprecedented loss of so many incumbent Council members. It was historic because it was probably the last chance I'd have to let my kids pull that big red lever inside our voting machines before they're all replaced next year.

Unfortunately, I'm worried that the state and city aren't doing enough to make sure that replacement goes as smoothly as it should.

-snip-

Optical scan offers many advantages, provides a genuine paper trail in case of close races and should help reduce lines. But a lot has to happen before the changeover to help make sure that voters aren't disenfranchised when the switch is made.

For starters, we need action in Albany to make sure all those paper ballots are properly audited and counted. Public confidence in election results will depend on confidence the scanners worked properly. That means the state Board of Elections has to listen to auditing experts now, and develop protocols that guarantee votes were counted properly. So far, the board's proposals fall far short of that goal.

The state board should also be faulted for directing counties to turn off a feature that would alert voters if they missed or "undervoted" a ballot. That's ludicrous. We have a scanner that can remind voters they forgot to vote for City Council or President and they want it turned off? They appear more interested in making their work easier and pinching pennies than encouraging participation and accurate results.

-snip-

The clock is ticking; we've got a year. Albany and the city need to start now to ensure we'll be ready for the big change in the way we vote.

Neal Rosenstein is Government Reform Coordinator for New York Public Interest Research Group, NYPIRG.

[Historic NY]

1. We used lever machines in Orange County on the primary day 9/8/09

[Wilms]

2. I'm glad people are noticing.

Neil is right to suggest the State BoE should listen to statisticians.

But they won't.

Hopefully, he'll support retaining levers.

[DURHAM D]

3. I'm sorry but - is "unready" a word? nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. was going to say I'm "unsure"

but yes, according to the dictionary it is.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/unready