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Washington,
DC –
Rep. Rush Holt today responded to the growing chorus of concern from
election reform specialists and computer security experts about the
integrity of future elections by introducing reform legislation, The
Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003. The
measure would require all voting machines to produce an actual paper
record by 2004 that voters can view to check the accuracy of their votes
and that election officials can use to verify votes in the event of a
computer malfunction, hacking, or other irregularity.
Experts often refer to this paper record as a “voter-verified paper
trail.”
“We
cannot afford nor can we permit another major assault on the integrity of
the American electoral process,” said Rep. Rush Holt.
“Imagine it’s Election Day 2004. You enter your local polling place
and go to cast your vote on a brand new “touch screen” voting machine.
The screen says your vote has been counted.
As you exit the voting booth, however, you begin to wonder.
How do I know if the machine actually recorded my vote?
The fact is, you don’t.”
Last
October, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA),
groundbreaking election reform legislation that is currently helping
states throughout the country replace antiquated and unreliable punch card
and butterfly ballot voting systems.
HAVA, however, is having an unintended consequence.
It is fueling a rush by states and localities to purchase computer-voting
systems that suffer from a serious flaw; voters and election officials
have no way of knowing whether the computers are counting votes properly.
Hundreds of nationally renowned computer scientists, including
internationally renowned expert David Dill of Stanford University,
consider a voter-verified paper trial to be a critical safeguard for the
accuracy, integrity and security of computer-assisted elections.
“Voting
should not be an act of blind faith.
It should be an act of record,” said Rep Rush Holt. “But current law
does nothing to protect the integrity of our elections against computer
malfunction, computer hackers, or any other potential irregularities.”
There
have already been several examples of computer error in elections.
In the 2002 election, brand new computer voting systems used in Florida
lost over 100,000 votes due to a software error.
Errors and irregularities were also reported in New Jersey, Missouri,
Georgia, Texas, and at least 10 other states.
“A
recount requires that there be a reliable record to check,” said Holt.
“Without an actual paper record that each voter can confidentially
inspect, faulty or hacked computer systems will simply spit out the same
faulty or hacked result.
Every vote in every election matters. We can and should do this in time
for the 2004 federal election.”
Key
provisions of The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of
2003 include:
1)
Requires all
voting systems to produce a voter-verified paper record for use in manual
audits and recounts.
For those using the increasingly popular ATM-like “DRE”(Direct
Recording Electronic) machines, this requirement means the DRE would print
a receipt that each voter would verify as accurate and deposit into a
lockbox for later use in a recount.
States would have until November 2003 to request additional funds to meet
this requirement.
2)
Bans the use
of undisclosed software and wireless communications devices in voting
systems.
3)
Requires all
voting systems to meet these requirements in time for the general election
in November 2004.
Jurisdictions that feel their new computer systems may not be able to meet
this deadline may use an existing paper system as an interim measure (at
federal expense) in the November 2004 election.
4)
Requires that
electronic voting system be provided for persons with disabilities by
January 1, 2006 -- one year earlier than currently required by HAVA.
Like the voting machines for non-disabled voters, those used by disabled
voters must also provide a mechanism for voter-verification, though not
necessarily a paper trail.
Jurisdictions unable to meet this requirement by the deadline must give
disabled voters the option to use the interim paper system with the
assistance of an aide of their choosing.
5)
Requires
mandatory surprise recounts in 0.5% of domestic jurisdictions and 0.5% of
overseas jurisdictions.
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