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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 24th,
2005
Contact: Jordan Isenstadt (c)
516.991.3842 (w) 212.490.9535 (f) 212.490.2151
STATE
SENATOR LIZ KRUEGER CONDEMNS SENATE REPUBLICANS FOR VOTING DOWN AMENDMENT
ADOPTING OPTICAL SCANNING AS STATEWIDE VOTING MACHINE STANDARD
Albany, NY – State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) sharply criticized her Senate
Republican colleagues for voting against an amendment that would have adopted
optical scanning as the standard statewide voting system. “We are a few months away from a federal
mandate to have new voting machines in every county,” stated Senator Krueger. “Optical scanning is the only technology
that will assure the voters of New
York State
that their votes are counted accurately.
The fact that this amendment did not pass proves yet again that the
Senate Republicans are more interested in protecting the desires of voting
machine vendors than the voting rights of New Yorkers.”
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA), a federal law that was
passed in response to the 2000 Bush-Gore fiasco in Florida, requires all states to upgrade
their election procedures by January 2006.
This includes updating voting machines, registration processes, and
poll worker training to ensure fair elections at all levels. Presently, the US Department of Justice (DOJ)
has started legal action against New
York State
for not complying with HAVA. New
York was the last state in the union to complete
HAVA legislation. The package of legislation
languished in the Legislature for over two years and in the end the legislative
leadership decided in favor of local decision-making by county boards of
elections. The counties are in the process of choosing between purchasing PBOS
(Precinct-Based Optical Scanning) machines, DRE (Direct Recording Electronic)
systems, or some other voting technology.
The amendment that was rejected by the Senate Majority is
also a free standing bill (S. 5625) sponsored by Senator John Sabini (D-Queens). This bill would require the State
Board of Elections to adopt a statewide voting system using equipment bought
through a competitive-bidding process which will become the exclusive,
official voting system used in New York State starting in the Primary and
General Elections of 2006 and thereafter. The voting machines would be PBOS
and would be used in conjunction with precinct-based paper ballots, and a
ballot marking device for the disabled.
In testimony presented before the State Board of Elections
in December, Senator Krueger said,
“I strongly urge the City of New York and the
counties of New York
State to reject DRE
systems as it selects the HAVA-compliant voting technology that New Yorkers
will be using for many years to come.
As I see it, PBOS systems should be used for two reasons: 1) A PBOS
system is more accurate, secure and recountable than a DRE system, and 2) A
PBOS system will cost the City significantly less money in both the short and
the long term. According to New Yorkers for Verified Voting, in a voting
district with three lever machines, the cost for DRE machines will be
$36,000. The cost for the PBOS machines with a ballot-marking machine will
only be $10,000. Maintenance and storage costs – which will not be paid by
federal funds – are significantly lower for the optical scanners than for the
DRE machines. Because PBOS systems are simpler and more straightforward, it
is both easier and cheaper to train election assistance workers for PBOS
systems. No one knows the expected life of a DRE machine, but some predict
that they will have to be replaced in five years, to be paid by either the
state or local government.”
Senator Krueger
concluded earlier today, “a reliable voting technology is a basic requirement
for the integrity of New York
State’s elections.
Equally important, that technology must be transparent and inspire voter
confidence. It is clear that optical scanners are that technology and we will
continue to push for its institution.”
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