The right to vote,as well as the principle of "one person, one vote," are cornerstones of our democracy...Equally fundamental is the assurance that each voter knows that her or his vote counts and is counted as intended.At this time in our history,many have lost confidence in our voting system. This confidence must be restored.

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In USA v. New York State Board of Elections, et al. (US District Court,Northern District of NY, Civil Action No. 06-CV-0263) Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney Brian Heffernan argues that even though no electronic voting systems exist that meet NY's voting technology standards, NY must use the faulty technology.

The right to vote, as well as the principle of “one person, one vote,” are cornerstones of our democracy. The anti-slavery, women’s suffrage, and civil rights movements as well as the expansion of voting to young people are all part of the history of voting rights in this country. Equally fundamental is the assurance that each voter knows that her or his vote counts and is counted as intended. At this time in our history, many have lost confidence in our voting system. This confidence must be restored.

Last year, I observed five hand-counted paper ballots (HCPB) elections: three in Massachusetts, one in Vermont and one in Maine. All five hand-countings of the paper ballots were conducted smoothly, without any hassles and were finished in a timely manner. Although HCPB do not address the egregious suppression of the vote, coupling the elimination of this suppression with HCPB is the only way we will have fair, honest, transparent elections.

In Acton, Maine, in the General Election on November 7, 2006, I observed six teams of two counters each, hand-count paper ballots. Each team was made up of a Republican and a Democrat. Not only did each team hand-count the paper ballots, but also they immediately audited the hand-count. That is, they did a second hand-count immediately after the first hand-count. With seven races and two initiatives, the six teams of two people each were able to hand-count twice 944 ballots in four hours.

An ideal HCPB election would have these essential components: The counting process happens at each precinct immediately after the polls close. Each ballot is hand-counted by registered voters from that precinct in full view of other registered voters from that precinct. Each team of counters is made up of minimally a Republican and Democrat, but better to have each party on the ballot be on a counting and observing team. The counting process is videotaped. Results are posted at each precinct, immediately after the counting. A chain of custody of the ballots and ballot boxes is specified. Ballot boxes are observed and videotaped as they are opened and closed and move from place to place.

Let's say in our HCPB elections, we pay each hand-counter $18/hour - a decent wage for the most important job in preserving our democracy. Let's say in each precinct of 1000 voters, we use twenty counters, ten teams of two counters each. Let's say we pay them for six hours. That comes to $2160.00 for the cost of the hand-counters on election night. It also keeps the money in the community.

Electronic voting machines cost thousands of dollars to buy, and then there is the maintenance and replacement. States have paid millions of dollars to privatized voting machine companies to buy both DRE's (touch screens or direct recording electronic) and optical scan voting machines (op scans or opti scans). Both DRE's and optical scans are electronic voting machines. And although op scan electronic voting machines use paper ballots, these ballots are counted by machines. Both DRE's and optical scan electronic voting machines have been publicly hacked. It is way past time to get rid of these electronic voting machines entirely, never mind by-passing New York State Law to buy them.

Sheila Parks, Ed.D.

Authors Website: http://www.whilewestillhavetime.org

Authors Bio:

Sheila Parks, Ed.D., is a former college professor. She had a spiritual awakening many years ago and left her career to do peace and justice work full time.

She is the founder of the grassroots group On Behalf of Planet Earth (found on FB). The group vigiled at the Japanese Consulate/Boston in 2014, standing in solidarity with the people of Japan about the tragic and disastrous meltdown of nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi, The group now focuses on closing all nuclear power plants now. We are also focusing now on boycotting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The entire country of Japan is radiated and is not a place where we should be sending our young athletes or anyone else.

Nuclear power plants are crimes against humanity, all living creatures, and our beautiful and so troubled planet Earth. They leave radioactive waste that lasts hundreds of thousands and even millions of years. They cause leukemia and other cancers. We stand in solidarity with all our sisters and brothers working to keep all fossil fuels in the ground, stop fracking, close all pipelines, halt the construction of new pipelines - that includes all the corporations that do this work for the oil and gas industries.

She spent many years in the struggle against nuclear weapons with the Catholic Left. Many of those years involved lots of non-violent civil disobedience against nuclear weapons and other evils of the USA society. She spent a year in prison for a Plowshares action against first strike nuclear weapons, Trident II.

Defending the abortion clinics with her body for many years was a part of her feminist activities.

Parks spent 13 years working for voting rights, against all electronic voting machines and for the solution of hand-counted paper ballots. She is the author of a book, published September 6, 2012: "WHILE WE STILL HAVE TIME: The Perils of Electronic Voting Machines and Democracy's Solution: Publicly Observed, Secure Hand-Counted Paper Ballots (HCPB)Elections" and the Founder of the Center for Hand-Counted Paper Ballots.

She lives in Watertown, MA, and is an ardent socialist feminist, internationalist, investigative journalist and peace & justice activist/organizer.