State Election Commission has met challenge
BY LAUREL M. SUGGS Opinon  Charleston Post and Courier  01 November 2004

There has been, and continues to be, so much media coverage about the "hazards of HAVA" (the 2002 federal legislation entitled "Help America Vote Act"), centered mostly on the integrity of electronic voting machines, that some will go into this election uncertain about the integrity of our voting system, no matter how many facts are presented to reassure the voter.

The bright side of the picture is that the South Carolina State Election Commission has conducted a very transparent process in developing their new election procedures to conform to HAVA, and it seems that only one major issue continues to nag some of the public:

Can we be sure that the equipment ed by South Carolina state and county election officials will give us an honest count of the vote on the new electronic equipment ed for use in some counties this November, and in all S.C. polling places by the 2006 elections?

The League of Women Voters of South Carolina (LWVSC) participated in the statewide process initiated by the South Carolina State Election Commission (SCSEC), having representatives on the Training Subcommittee. Our representatives at the national League convention in June, 2004 attended all the meetings held by the advocates for mandating a voter-verified paper trail. Armed with information gained then, and with the help of a couple of national experts in information systems, we also met with the South Carolina State Election Commission in July.

I believe that SCSEC has given us sufficient information to be confident that the equipment chosen and the process being followed for electronic voting has enough safeguards to enable us to vote on the electronic equipment with confidence.

SCSEC has been open and responsive in answering all the technical questions we gave them.

Some lingering doubts by the general public about electronic voting equipment are:

If equipment vendors will not release to public scrutiny the source codes used to program their machines, is it possible to be sure the machines are not "fixed" in favor of the candidates of one party unless machines actually print out a paper receipt the voter may view before casting a vote, holding the receipts from each polling place for SCSEC to use if a recount of votes becomes necessary?

Is the equipment being used kept secure so that a hacker may not gain access to tamper with the results?

Why does the S.C. HAVA State Plan Committee insist that all new equipment purchased come from a single vendor?

The first concern is unanswerable in South Carolina at this time because vendors would not release source codes, claiming they are proprietary. We understand that in some states the vendor allowed code access to the state for verification to software laboratories.

This issue may be one that will be pursued legally sometime in the future, but it won't be resolved in time for Tuesday's election.

In the meantime, it is worth knowing that the equipment purchased has been tested by one of three Independent Testing Associations (ITAs), given a further check by a federal testing organization, and finally tested through random parallel voting checks done by SCSEC.

Is the equipment secure?

We are told that each machine is stand-alone, not connected to the Internet, so that hacking into it would be impossible without direct access.

All equipment is stored in secure storage after testing and then transported to the polls by the staff of the county election commission. Once the election is over, the equipment is returned to secure storage by each county election commission staff.

The question of recommending uniform equipment may also be pursued later because some counties (and some politicians) want to be allowed to pick specific equipment for a particular county or counties.

We think the HAVA State Planning Committee was correct to insist on uniformity because its purpose was to prevent pressure or enticements being offered to influence the decision.

A second strong reason for uniformity is to enhance statewide training of all poll workers so that all voters have fair and informed treatment at South Carolina's polling places.

LWVSC believes that the SCSEC staff is competent and honest, and that we are in good hands for Tuesday's election. We must remember that many of us have been using electronic equipment with confidence at elections for many years.

In South Carolina on Tuesday, the following counties will use the new equipment to vote for the first time: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Calhoun, Cherokee, Florence, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lexington, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union and York. In those counties, demonstration machines are available so that voters may learn how easy they are to use, and voters may call their county election commissions for more information.

Many counties are holding demonstration events in public places, and voters should watch local newspapers to find out about these. The new equipment can provide a vote-by-vote recount if necessary because each machine stores ballots in such a way that this is possible.

The only missing piece for doubters is that a voter won't see a ballot on paper once a vote is cast.

In fact, this has never been the case in any election, and is not in itself a meaningful component of vote security.

For those of us who use electronic equipment now, there will be no change at Tuesday's election, and most of us know these are easy to use.

All of the electronic equipment allows voters to review their votes and make necessary changes before pressing a button to finally cast votes.

Our greatest concern is that voters may be afraid of not getting fair treatment and therefore failing to exercise the right to vote in this important election. The League believes SCSEC has provided us with a good system in the very short time frame available once the voting system solicitation and contract award was approved.

The only voter who is sure to lose a vote is the voter who does not go to the polls and use that privilege on Tuesday.

The League is grateful to the technical experts who have helped us develop informed questions, knowing they will pursue their lingering doubts until the American voter can be totally reassured. We also applaud the hard-working, responsive administrators at SCSEC who have patiently met with us and provided their best answers to all of our inquiries.

Here's what all voters should do:

1) Avoid getting caught up in politics, but keep informed by following the issues raised in our media.

2) Help inform your community:

a. Use "Safeguarding the Vote," an article published by LWVUS and available at LWV.org

b. Seek information from your County Election Commission with respect to:

1) How their machines are stored and transported to and from polls.

2) What forms of ID will be accepted at the polls for those voters who have not previously provided an ID. Note: Poll workers should be adhering to the list stated on the Voter Registration form.

3) Voting accessibility and privacy for disabled voters.

4) What process they use for issuing and counting provisional ballots. (It should conform to SCSEC rules.)

Most important of all don't miss the opportunity to cast your vote Tuesday. If possible, take a friend and help all of us increase our voter turnout this fall.