NYT Praises Rush Holt's Bill That Keeps Machines Honest

by: Nick Lento

Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 01:51:50 PM EDT

From today's NYTimes (emphases added):

"Electronic voting machines that do not produce a paper record of every vote cast cannot be trusted. In 2008, more than one-third of the states, including New Jersey and Texas, still did not require all votes to be recorded on paper. Representative Rush Holt has introduced a good bill that would ban paperless electronic voting in all federal elections. Congress should pass it while there is still time to get ready for 2010.

In paperless electronic voting, voters mark their choices, and when the votes have all been cast, the machine spits out the results. There is no way to be sure that a glitch or intentional vote theft - by malicious software or computer hacking - did not change the outcome. If there is a close election, there is also no way of conducting a meaningful recount.

Mr. Holt's bill would require paper ballots to be used for every vote cast in November 2010. It would help prod election officials toward the best of the currently available technologies: optical-scan voting. With optical scans, voters fill out a paper ballot that is then read by computer much like a standardized test. The votes are counted quickly and efficiently by computer, but the paper ballot remains the official vote, which can then be recounted by hand."

This is a complete no brainer folks.  I urge the NJ congressional delegation,  legislature, and governor Corzine to get their butts in gear and to support Holt's initiative.   Support in deeds not just words.   Everyone in our CD needs to co-sponsor this and anyone who doesn't deserves to pay a price when next they ask for our votes.

By the way, optical scan tech could NOW replace all our DRE's and comply with this legislation for LESS money than we are now giving away to Sequoia to replace, upgrade and maintain ancient/obsolete and insecure electronic touchscreen machines.  There are no credible good reasons for NJ to be one of the last states to cling to insecure unverifiable and overpriced/expensive voting machines.  

Lets all contact our legislators at every level and DEMAND that this problem be fixed ASAP!!!

Update....

Here's a list of the 7 NJ co-sponsors (there are 75 in toto) as of today:
Robert Andrews (NJ-1),    Leonard Lance (NJ-7),  Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2),   Frank Pallone (NJ-6), Donald Payne (NJ-10),  Steven Rothman (NJ-9), Albio Sires (NJ-13)

If your congressman isn't on this list please call them now.   On something like this even few dozen calls from people who care can make a real difference.

Shining a light on state government

by: Blue Jersey

Fri Jan 23, 2009 at 08:01:37 PM EST

The text of the bill is not yet available online, yet it is expected to be introduced, assigned to the Assembly State Government committee, heard, and voted on -- all on Monday. This is not the way government should function.

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce noted a similar situation with the pension deferral legislation in the budget committee.

We don't have the text of the pension legislation (contact us if you have it), but this is the statement describing A3648, and below the fold is a draft of the the entire bill (subject to last minute changes):

The purpose of this bill is to suspend the requirement in current law that by January 1, 2009 the voting machines used in this State produce an individual permanent paper record for each vote cast.

Specifically, the bill provides that the January 1, 2009 deadline is suspended until: a) the Secretary of State and the State Treasurer certify in writing that sufficient funds have been provided by the federal government and received by the State to offset the entire cost of ensuring that each voting machine used in this State produces an individual permanent paper record for each vote cast; or b) the annual appropriation act contains an appropriation of sufficient funds to ensure that each voting machine used in this State produces an individual permanent paper record for each vote cast and such appropriated funds have not been reserved by the Governor under a spending reduction plan; or c) the Secretary of State and the State Treasurer certify in writing that sufficient funds have been provided by the federal government and received by the State, and the annual appropriation act contains an appropriation of sufficient unreserved funds, to ensure, when such funds are combined, that each voting machine used in this State produces an individual paper record for each vote cast.

This suspension is necessary because of the dire economic situation in which the State finds itself currently.  Recent estimates reveal that the State will need to close a $2.1 billion budget gap in the 2009 fiscal year and a more severe gap in the 2010 fiscal year.  Although $19 million in State funds had been set aside to help pay the costs of retrofitting the direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines used in 18 of the State?s 21 counties, this money is no longer available for this purpose.  The funds have been placed in reserve to help the State meet its most urgent fiscal obligations and balance its budgets, as required by the New Jersey Constitution.  Without this $19 million, there are insufficient funds available currently to pay for a retrofit of all the DRE voting machines or to change to any other alternative voting system that produces a paper trail of the votes cast by a voter in an election held in this State.

Why Milgram should resign (part 2)

by: Juan Melli

Thu Mar 20, 2008 at 11:24:52 AM EDT

When several counties found inconsistencies in the numbers reported by their Sequoia voting machines, they tried to arrange for an independent investigation by Princeton University computer science professor Ed Felten.

Sequoia threatened legal action to prevent that investigation and said they would conduct their own "independent" investigation instead. The Attorney General's office was content to allow a company to determine the fate of our election system:

The state attorney general is satisfied with the steps taken by Sequoia Voting Systems to identify and remedy problems with its voting machines...

David Wald, a state spokesman, did not comment directly on the county officials' demands, but said, "Sequoia told us they intend to run the machines through another independent lab."

Although the laboratories that conduct these tests are referred to in federal regulations as "Independent Testing Authorities," the fact that the tests are carried out at the expense of manufacturers whose products could be made more marketable by the results makes them anything but independent.  Aside from the obvious appearance, if not outright reality, of a conflict of interest, this arrangement raises questions about the extent to which the public can have confidence in the ultimate integrity of the core machinery used in the electoral process.

New Jersey should move away from the practice of allowing vendors to pay for tests to certify machines as HAVA compliant. If it is determined to be economically unfeasible to arrange independent testing of voting machines via commercial laboratories under contract with the State, New Jersey should explore alternate remedies, such as utilizing the expertise of its own public research universities.

Milgram should resign

by: Juan Melli

Wed Mar 19, 2008 at 08:02:00 PM EDT

Where's the accountability?

The state attorney general is satisfied with the steps taken by Sequoia Voting Systems to identify and remedy problems with its voting machines, a spokesman said today after county officials sent Anne Milgram a forcefully-worded letter demanding she join their push for an independent analysis of the equipment.

David Wald, a state spokesman, did not comment directly on the county officials' demands, but said, "Sequoia told us they intend to run the machines through another independent lab."

Since Rajoppi unearthed the problem, officials in Bergen, Cape May, Gloucester, Mercer and Middlesex counties duplicated what she did, and also found the number of Democrats and Republicans casting ballots did not match when the cartridge printouts from the machines were compared against the paper-tape backup inside the devices.

While six counties reported finding discrepancies, Rajoppi said the problem may be more widespread since the same machines, manufactured by Sequoia Voting System, are used in 18 of New Jersey's 21 counties.

This is complete negligence from the chief election official in the state. Attorney General Milgram should resign for failing to protect our vote.

Scutari Slams Sequoia

by: Juan Melli

Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 02:58:30 PM EDT

"Evidently, Sequoia believes that maintaining its 'trade secrets' trumps the rights of New Jerseyans to have their votes properly recorded in an election. I call upon the company to submit to an independent investigation as proposed by Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi and the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey in order to insure the integrity of its machines ahead of November?s general election."

"Elections fall under our purview, and I am certain that the committee's membership would be very interested in hearing Sequoia defend its policy of preventing election officials from acting to protect our constituents? right to vote."

Sequoia already sold us their crappy machines, but they still make money from contracts for service and training. I think it is important to draw a line in the sand to motivate them and the Attorney General to end their foot-dragging. Current law contains a loophole that will extend the deadline indefinitely, and because the state does not want to pay for new machines, they have no reason to not continue granting extensions. Like in Iraq, the only way to incentivize progress is to indicate that we are serious by setting a clear deadline.