ACLU calls for probe into election problems

SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES

4:05 p.m. March 3, 2004

SAN DIEGO – The American Civil Liberties Union today called on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to convene a panel of experts to investigate problems with the new touch-screen voting machines.

"The ACLU is very troubled by the numerous reports we have received of voters having been disenfranchised yesterday due to start-up problems with the touch screen voting machines," Nancy Sasaki, executive director, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial counties, said in a statement.

Sasaki said the ACLU wants the Board of Supervisors to assemble a panel of experts, community leaders and county staff to investigate the problems before the election in November.

"We ask that this investigative panel report its findings to the Board of Supervisors and the public no later than July 1, 2004 so there will be time to make any necessary changes," Sasaki said.

Reports of difficulties with the card that activates the voting machines began to come in to the Registrar of Voters office soon after the polls opened yesterday.

Problems were reported throughout the county, where about 10,000 touch screen machines were being used for the first time.

Several people were turned away from their polling places when the problems could not be immediately corrected.

The ACLU called on the panel of experts to answer the following questions:

 How many people were unable to vote because of late starts at some polling places?

 How many voters were diverted to other polling places and because of that were unable to vote for candidates on the ballot at their home polling place, but not on the ballot at the new polling place?

 What delays occurred in which precincts? Was any community disproportionately affected by delays?

 Are the reports accurate that poll workers calling for assistance as early as 6:45 a.m. reached only an answering machine at the Registrar of Voters main office? Why was there not a better back-up plan in place? Why did many polls have to wait for a technician to come to the location before the glitch could be resolved?

 Is it true that at some polling places private citizen voters fixed the problem themselves?

 Are there any election outcomes which may have been affected by the disenfranchisement of voters? If so, how does the Registrar of Voters propose to remedy this problem?

 What steps will the Registrar of Voters take to prevent a recurrence of this situation in the November election?