Editorial: Poll order
State considers new voting systems with ties to Tier
Editorial    Binghmpton Press and Sun Bulletin   23 May 2005

The federal government is requiring states to upgrade voting procedures and New York, as usual, is dragging its feet.  
But Albany has to make a decision soon, or risk losing millions in federal aid for the project. It would be best if the state adopted a uniform plan, but as usual Albany is prepared to punt the decision down to the counties, which could mean a nice mishmash of voting procedures across the state.

New York voters will adapt to a new form of voting, but the state/counties should strive to make the new system as simple and accurate as possible.

And while it's likely that the state or counties will opt for electronic solutions this is the 21st century, after all it would be smart to adopt one that produces a paper record also. You can never have too many backups for voting systems.

Two of the systems available are "optical scan" and "direct record electronic" (DRE). The former consists of inexpensive voting booths (estimated $200 each) and a ballot scanner (estimated $5,000). But HAVA also requires one accessible DRE ballot-marking machine at each polling place (estimated $7,500) for people with disabilities. Basically, each voter fills in a paper ballot and then feeds it to the scanner. If a mistake is made, the scanner rejects the ballot and the voter can prepare another one.

The full-face DRE (estimated $8,000) with built-in voting booth provides access to all voters and touch-screen technology (names light up when a voter s them). If a mistake is made, the screen will not process the votes until it is corrected. Also, if a vote is not cast in any specific race, the machine will "ask" the voter if he or she intended to leave that line blank (voters always have that option, of course).

The initial costs of the optical-scan system are less, but the continuing costs are going to be considerably higher because the counties will be responsible for printing the scannable ballots for every election (estimated 60 cents each). The DRE system requires printing only a relative handful of ballots necessary for the touch-screens.

Either way, the conversion to electronic voting machines offers the potential for an added benefit to the Tier should Sequoia Voting Systems, a company that originated in Jamestown but is now headquartered in Oakland, Calif., be chosen to supply any machines.

The company is responsible for some 1,000 jobs statewide some of which are at Harvard Custom Manufacturing in Owego, Sequoia's vice president for business development Alfred Charles told the Press & Sun-Bulletin's editorial board last week.

Charles said the benefits of direct record electronic machines greatly outweigh paper-ballot options while still providing a paper record. They offer accessibility to hearing and vision impaired. Plus, they minimize the chances for error in paper systems.

"There are too many hands on paper voting systems," Charles said. "Sometimes, ballots can change hands 20 times" in the counting process.

People also have misconceptions about electronic voting, he said. The systems are not networked or linked to the Internet, so hacking through those portals is no concern. They also come with batteries for backup power if the electricity fails.

But no systems are immune from problems. Some Sequoia machines (equipment age unknown) didn't work in New Orleans on election day. Other companies saw failures with their equipment, also. Even paper voting can be a problem if a polling station runs out of pens or pencils.

Perhaps an important component of this is ensuring each polling station has well-trained staff with back-up alternate plans ready for worst-case scenarios. If hospitals and municipalities have disaster plans at the ready, shouldn't every county have a similar plan for election day? It's that important when democracy is at stake.