Matt Rammelkamp's Blog

Personal blog of Matthew Rammelkamp from 2005 - 2009. Blog is now changing sites to www.MatthewThomas.tv

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Protect NYS Fair Elections!

The New York State Board of Elections has proposed a dangerous plan that would allow uncertified DREs to be used in polling places around the state in 2008. The proposal would allow DREs to be used without undergoing the full certification testing required under New York State's regulations and that citizens fought so hard for.

The Board's proposal would allow a DRE to be used in each polling place as an accessible voting machine, using the VVPAT as the official ballot. But since a DRE's VVPAT cannot be read back or verified by the voter in any way other than direct visual observation, a DRE fails to satisfy even the basic requirement of allowing all voters to verify their ballots. The Board is considering allowing an inaccessible DRE to be used as an accessible voting device!

The Board's proposal would bypass the full and thorough testing process that was guaranteed to New York State voters. In light of all we have learned from other states about the massive failures of DREs, we can't allow this to happen.

Within the next week, the State Board will finalize documents that would allow DREs to be used in every polling place in New York State in 2008 without undergoing full and rigorous testing. If this happens, it will condemn New York State voters to years of the same problems, high costs, and security risks that other states using DREs have experienced.

The State Board of Elections is opening the door to making New York a DRE state - we can't let that happen. Please act now.

Click HERE to easily send a fax to the New York State Board of Elections.

-New Yorkers for Verified Voting