Making Votes Count
Aug 16th, 2006 at 9:31 am by Susie
Here in Pennsylvania:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Voter advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to stop Pennsylvania counties from using “paperless” electronic voting machines, saying that such systems leave no paper record that could be used in the event of a recount, audit or other problem.
The suit asks the state’s Commonwealth Court to decertify machines used in 58 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The other counties use optical scanning systems, in which voters fill in bubbles on paper forms that are counted in scanning machines; the plaintiffs say such systems should be in use statewide.
“Whatever the initial promise may have been for electronic voting, we now know … that they are simply not ready for prime time,” said Lowell Finley, an attorney with the nonprofit group Voter Action, which has been involved in similar suits nationwide.
The lawsuit alleges that certifying paperless electronic voting machines violates the state’s election code and constitution.
This lawsuit is long overdue and I hope it succeeds and fast
Yep, this is hugely important.