Back in 2002, in response to all the hoopla that surrounded voting irregularities throughout our country, the Help America Vote Act* (HAVA) was passed by Congress to provide states with federal funds to replace existing punch-card and lever voting systems. This funding came with a catch. The systems needed to be in place "in time for the first election for Federal office held after January 1, 2006."
Interestingly, New York State's Election Reform and Modernization Act of 2005 (ERMA) requires every county in the state to choose between two new voting systems prior to September 1, 2007. The options are:
1) Paper ballots: Marked by hand, the ballots are then processed by an optical scanner that records the vote. (The ballots are then preserved in the event of a challenge or audit.); orOf course, these devices are not cheap. While published reports estimate the paper ballot system at some $10,250 (each), and the DREs at $8,000 (each), New York has been allocated some $50 million in federal funds to help defray these costs.
2) "Direct Recording Electronic" (DRE) voting machines: Computers with touchscreens or pushbuttons which will print a "voter-verifiable paper trail," which lists the choices made and allows the voter to verify the selections made prior to finalizing the vote.
Attentive readers will have noted that--state legislation notwithstanding--HAVA required these systems to be in place by September 12, 2006 (the first federal election after January 1, 2006). And, those who voted at the primary a few months ago (and/or who reported to their local polling places today) likely observed that the old lever systems were still in place.
In a letter written to Congressman Charles B. Rangel (dated October 18, 2006), the New York City Board of Elections advised that if a special waiver is not secured by year's end, the state will lose its allocation of federal funds. As John Ravitz, Executive Director of the NYC Board of Elections, noted in his correspondence:
Obviously, losing this money would cause a severe fiscal impact for the City of New York as well as counties throughout the State, as we all begin the process of purchasing new voting systems by the end of December.Is this yet another example of our political representatives being crippled by their petty self interests and agendas, to the detriment of the citizens of our great City and State?
Record your vote here.
For a copy of the Board's letter to Congressman Rangel, please click on the following link:
Ravitz letter (dated October 18, 2006)
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* Help America Vote Act of 2002, 42 USCS sections 15301-15306.