Fixing the system

Nonpartisan group offers common-sense voting machine reform

Op-Ed in Vacaville Recorder  01 September 2004

In California, we are painfully aware of the shortcomings of touch-screen voting machines.

Even though Solano County used Diebold machines without problem in the presidential primary in March, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley decertified the AccuVote-TSx voting machine in April.

Critics complained that the machines could not provide paper proof for voters. In addition, there were fears that hackers could access and alter election results.

Mr. Shelley made his feelings about Diebold clear, calling the company "reprehensible" and stating "they broke the law."

It took a $415,000 settlement from Solano County to terminate a multimillion-dollar contract with the company.

So it is with interest that we review recommendations from Common Cause, a nonprofit lobbying organization headquarted in Washington, D.C.

In a press release, Common Cause noted its recommendations coincided with a four-day conference for elections officials in Washington, D.C. Among the festivities were elaborate parties hosted by voting machine vendors, including a dinner cruise on the Potomac River.

"As Election Day approaches amid serious concerns that our nation's voting system has not been fixed since the debacle in 2000, the spectacle of elections officials sailing down the Potomac on a dinner cruise sponsored by voting machine vendors sends the wrong message to voters," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree. "Voting machine manufacturers should get off the boat and back to the business of making sure our votes are counted accurately."

We agree. Common Cause has other notable recommendations:

• Shut the revolving door that allows elections officials to leave public service and immediately take lucrative jobs with the elections industry.

• Establish a strict ban on gifts of any kind, including meals, travel and lodging.

• Require comprehensive financial disclosure requirements for elections officials.

• Establish strict rules for the contracting process to ensure openness and competitiveness.

• Require vendors to adhere to strict nonpartisan policies and practices. They should avoid the appearance of "taking sides" in elections.

• Require the hardware and software that Americans use to cast and count votes be open to the public.

We join Common Cause in calling for these common-sense reforms. It's obvious that much needs to be done to regain Americans' confidence in voting systems, to regain accountability and transparency to the process.