Floridians deserve a flawless voting system

 

We are disappointed that Constance Kaplan, former Miami-Dade County supervisor of elections is taking the full blame for the failure of an inherently flawed election system. In June 2004, the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition called on Gov. Bush to order independent audits of Florida's voting systems to determine whether they work properly. This would help increase voter confidence and show that state officials are doing everything possible to protect voters' rights.

The governor's response was that it was our goal ''to undermine voter confidence.'' The office of Secretary of State Glenda Hood followed with its statement that Florida has the most rigorous certification process in the country.

The proof of this flawed system has now been made clear with Kaplan's admission that these machines are capable of being programmed to erase votes. Her statement that these ''glitches'' did not affect the outcome of the vote misses the point. Miami-Dade voters deserve a system that is reliable and accurate. They should not be forced to settle for a defective, problem-prone system that cost millions of dollars and was obsolete before it was delivered.

Miami-Dade's legislative delegation must use this opportunity to lead the state. It must remind the state that we are not the only county in Florida with an ES&S voting system. It also needs to demand that Bush, Hood and the Legislature pass a bill requiring a voter-verified paper record and routine auditing of the state's 67 election systems.

The Legislature must enforce article 10 of the Voters Bill of Rights, which states that the voter has the right to ``vote on a voting system that is in working condition and that will allow votes to be accurately cast.''

SANDY WAYLAND, legislative chair, Miami-Dade

Election Reform Coalition, Miami