Activists cast votes for paper ballot machines
PEF resolution pushes for optical scanning technology as election officials weigh reforms
  
By JAMES M. ODATO,    Albany Times Union   October 11, 2005  
ALBANY A group of activists plans a rally today at the state Board of Elections to unveil a resolution approved by Public Employees Federation delegates in favor of the state using paper ballot machines.  
The rally is being conducted by at least three groups, Democracy for the Hudson-Mohawk Region, the Alliance for Democracy and Peacemakers of Schoharie County, which plans to submit a petition at the board's meeting.

But the resolution may be the most remarkable aspect of the demonstration, said William Sell, a PEF member who built a consensus of delegates in favor of optical scan voting systems.

The machines scan paper ballots filled out by voters. With the state planning to spend $200 million to modernize its election system, some county officials are considering optical scan technology to replace lever voting machines. But many are more interested in direct-recording electronic voting machines and are leaning toward buying the DREs, which employ touch-screen technology.

Sell was one of the 800 PEF delegates who unanimously adopted the resolution in favor of optical scanners at the annual statewide convention in Rochester last month, he said. The resolution also calls for PEF to lobby for optical scanners. PEF's administration has not announced the union's preferred voting machine technology, however.

``The unique thing about this, is this resolution came from the floor,'' Sell said.

The resolution says optical scanning is more reliable and cost-effective and has been used in New York at the Division of Lottery, Department of Education and Department of Motor Vehicles. Since unionized employees know how to use it, counties wouldn't have to hire consultants to program and maintain the systems, Sell said.

The resolution supports the optical scan machines as well as the ballot marking machines that disabled voters would need in New York if scanning machines are the chosen technology.

Machine makers say the resolution seems off base because both the electronic and scanning machines have similar programming requirements and the scanners being used by state agencies such as the lottery aren't equipped to handle the full-face ballots required in New York.

``Obviously, it's someone who's a very strong advocate for the use of a paper ballot system,'' said Alfie Charles, a spokesman for Sequoia Voting Systems. ``I question how any system doesn't need to be programmed. Somebody has to program a scanner, same as a DRE.''