New York City Change To Optical Scan Elections: Not the answer, but getting closer

SAVE AS FAVORITE

VIEW FAVORITES

By Paul Lehto (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

opednews.com Permalink

Having helped get rid of DREs in my own home county (and being left with optical scan) I know there is a slight improvement, presuming there has been a perfect chain of custody. But DREs are like the wolf, and optical scan is the wolf in sheep's clothing.

So Beware the optical scan. It too features secret vote counting, proprietary software, no public observation or verification, and the single check of the paper recount is expensive, unwieldy, resisted, and even the laws allowing them tend to be gamed against good recounts.*

The solution is hand counts, because they have the most advanced system of checks and balances every developed by humanity for elections, and we step backwards when we adopt invisible electronics. People readily admit hand counts are best for final recounts (the most accurate system) and for smaller jurisdictions but tend to think hand counts can’t work in the big city. But if you think about it, whatever the ratio that is needed of workers per 1000 ballots in the small town, that same ratio or very close to it will work in the big city. They may have more ballots, but they also have more people to be workers. I doubt that, appropriately encouraged, city folks are less patriotic about their democracy than small town folks because we all realize that in the end, without procedural integrity in our elections, we have nothing at all.

1 | 2

Paul Lehto practiced law in Washington State for 12 years in business law and consumer fraud, including most recently several years in election law, and is now a clean elections advocate. His forthcoming book is tentatively titled DEFENDING (more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author

Contact Editor

View Authors' Articles

Book Recommendations for "Election Reform"

The Election After Reform: Money, Politics, and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (Campaigning American Style)
by Michael J. Malbin

$34.95
Lowest New Price $28.53
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Rowman

Election Reform: Politics and Policy
by James W. Ceaser

$27.95
Lowest New Price $20.85
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Lexington Books

ELECTION 2000: Uncounted Votes
by Committee on Government Reform

$19.95
Lowest New Price $19.94
Number of pages: 92
Publisher: Cosimo Reports