Does such a product exist? We would guess that somebody's been working on it, or the requirement wouldn't have been inserted into the February Holt Bill. Has it been tested?
Is it certifiable? Since the product didn't exist when the EAC's own federal e-voting testing and certification requirements were devised, the answer has to be no.
Bottom line: the Holt Bill is mandating for the 2008 elections that every polling jurisdiction, with already limited funds for healthcare, education, and roads maintenance, invest several thousand dollars into an untested, uncertifiable technological device, that will convert the durable, human readable ballot into digitized data, which will then, if we have faith in the programmer, convert it into all kinds of other media.
Additionally, our election officials, trained and skilled in running elections, will now be converted themselves into Information Technology (IT) project managers, spending the next two years developing specifications and requirements for a whole new technoelection toy to work within the unique and specific ballot design requirements for their jurisdiction.
For our next act, Tom Cruise will play the part of the Presidential candidate in row A, Jennifer Garner will play the part of the Presidential candidate in row B, and Elton John will sing the ballot to the tune of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Is this any way to run a democracy?
That's it. The latest technoelection timeline brought to you by US Congressman Rush Holt, PFAW, and some as yet unknown evoting industry baron.
God bless America. Land that we love. Fight on my fellow Patriots. This can not stand.
-- Nancy Tobi, Chair Democracy for New Hampshire
DFNH Fair Elections Committee
PO Box 717 | Concord, NH 03301
www.DemocracyForNewHampshire.com
