We’re not out of the dark, yet
Well, I thought we had this battle won, but touch screen voting may still be an option in New York State:
Judge Kimberly O’Connor ruled that the state Board of Elections’ Jan. 24 decision to disqualify Liberty Election Systems’ product from a list of approved machines counties could choose from was “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law.”
“We felt that our system has always been in compliance with state law and federal law, and we’re very confident that we have a great HAVA- compliant device, and we look forward to supporting the county boards that want to purchase our equipment,” Liberty President Robert Witko said Monday. HAVA is the Help America Vote Act, which was passed after the vote-counting problems in the 2000 presidential election and required states to overhaul voting systems.
Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters disagreed, saying touch-screen machines are a “failed technology” that other states have purchased and then scrapped.
“This is a really disappointing decision for the disabled community here in New York. This essentially is not a usable machine for the disabled community,” she said, adding that it would be difficult for people in wheelchairs and with low vision to use. “If any county chooses this machine, they do so at great risk.”
So, where is this coming from? I see nothing arbitrary or capricious about the decision to avoid touch screen technology for voting machines. We have seen that it has failed in other states and the ability to hack into these machines is a potential threat. Optical scan is the only way to go.
I just saw a report on this on CBS, which showed the machines that were on display here being reviewed and rejected elsewhere. Here’s the video of the broadcast:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3782679n?source=search_video