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 The Green Party of New York State announced it's preference for precinct based Paper Ballot / Optical Scan (PBOS) voting machines as the most practical method for New York State to comply with the requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Citing studies provided by New Yorkers for Verified Voting and wheresthepaper.org documenting the many failures of, and problems with, Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) touch screen voting machines, GPNYS said of the choices being offered to voters in New York State, only PBOS meets the requirements necessary for accurate and transparent elections. In opting for PBOS, GPNYS is proclaiming it's opposition to DRE's and their inherent flaws. If these are the only choices in the race to comply with HAVA, then we must go with the method that's the safest. Greens acknowledge the reservations many have of adopting electronic systems in the wake of the 2004 election but at the same time point out that our choices have been limited by misunderstanding of HAVA requirements by legislators who hold the mistaken belief that we must acquire some type of electronic voting machines. It should be noted that PBOS is not GPNYS' first choice, or necessarily the best choice. Greens would have preferred full paper ballot elections, a system that is used successfully in many countries including Canada. Opponents of this method believe it's too time consuming and subject to fraud despite it's widespread use. Another acceptable choice for Greens would have been to retain our present lever machines.These machines have proved their reliability for decades. They're easily maintained, even by poll workers, but have fallen into disrepair by the misperception that they're outdated, and by the allure of modern systems. They were built to last 150 years and parts for these machines, despite statements to the contrary, are still readily available from the manufacturer. Neither of these methods is precluded by HAVA. However, state legislators have all but eliminated these choices from the discussion, having opted for the more expensive electronic systems. They've further muddied the waters by throwing the choice of voting systems to county election officials who, for the most part, were not involved in the original decision making process. The result may be a hodge-podge of incompatible systems. PBOS machines costs half that of DRE’s; last significantly longer; are easier to maintain (don’t require vendor technicians); are precinct based, requiring less machines per polling site thus reducing costs further; and produce a verifiable paper trail. Confidence in the integrity of our election systems by voters must not be compromised by the false promise of quick and easy results. This choice, however, comes with certain caveats. PBOS systems are electronically based and must be programmed accurately. Problems have arisen with optical scan systems in the past such as misreading or ignoring voters choices due to obstructions on the lens, for example. Programming errors whether by mistake or design are possible. The paper ballot is the key to accuracy, the intention of the voter, and the integrity of PBOS. Unlike DRE’s, in which information is stored only in digital form and is not subject to any meaningful verification, a paper ballot is a real world, three dimensional object which permanently records the voters choice and can be looked at and verified at any time. The optical scan only reads the voters marks and tallies the results. It does not become the repository for the votes. Therefore, accurate collecting and archiving of the paper ballots must be the primary concern of election officials, and nothing less than a 100% audit must be required in the event of a recount. The 3% audit proposed in the Senate and Assembly bills is not acceptable. The requirement that PBOS be precinct based also insures that election results are not electronically transmitted, which would make them subject to interception and manipulation. GPNYS also advises that PBOS machines be purchased with incorporated software for the future possibility of Instant Run-off Voting (IRV), Proportional Representation (PR) and mail-in voting options. PBOS machines are capable of handling these systems but would require expensive retro-fitting if not purchased as IRV ready. Neglecting to address this now would result in reluctance to institute these democratic reforms later, continuing the “winner-take-all / lesser of two evils” system that the Green Party sees as the major stumbling block to true democracy. The Green Party has an opportunity to take the lead in educating the public on voting reforms. The short term goal is to ensure that DRE's or any other fully electronic voting systems will never be used in New York State. Greens will continue to advocate for fair and accurate voting systems, as well as more democratic methods such as IRV, PR and mail-in options, continue to challenge unfair ballot access laws and fight for the rights of disenfranchised voters. Top of page |