Letter to the Editor: Support New Voting Machines

We would like to clarify some of the comments contained in a recent Record Review article on "Concerns raised over voting changes."

The League of Women Voters has been studying the voting machines issue since the passage of the Help America Vote Act in 2002 and, although the new machines may not be perfect, we feel they are the best of the options provided by various manufacturers. 

In response to Mr. Chryssos' comment, "If a hacker can get into a touch-screen, a hacker can certainly get into this machine just as easily," we would like to explain that unlike ATMs, the Image Cast optical scanners are not networked -- they stand alone at each polling place.  Further, they are programmed by employees of the Board of Elections in White Plains. 

A tape of the machine is run by election inspectors before the polls are opened to the public -- the tape must show all zeros indicating that no votes have been cast.  If a vote appears, the inspector must call the Board of Elections.  

Regarding the privacy issue raised by Ms. Fumagalli, the Board of Elections has agreed that voters may void their own ballot, by marking it VOID, tearing it and placing it in a secure envelope.  It is important for voters to know that they will not be "filling in little circles."  Rather, voters must fill in a square completely--a check mark or an X will not be acceptable.  

The optical scanner reads and records the ballot, giving the voter the option to accept the recorded result or to reject it.  If the ballot has not been filled out properly, the voter will be alerted by the machine and the voter can reject the ballot and ask for another one, up to three ballots.  In the case of over-voting for a particular office, if the voter does not reject the ballot, the over-vote will cause that line not to be counted, although votes cast for the other offices will be counted.  It is important to note that the actual ballot will be dropped into a locked box in the machine and will be available to be compared to the tape printed by the machine at the end of the voting day. 

Voters should be encouraged to use these machines.  They have been used elsewhere in the state and in the country with good results.  

We urge voters to attend a demonstration of the new machines to be given by the Board of Elections on Thursday, July 29, 7 to 9 p.m., at Fox Lane High School.  Information and a video are also available at www.westchestergov.com/boe.   

Rosemary MacLaughlin and Del Bashkow

Co-Presidents

League of Women Voters of Bedford, Lewisboro and North Salem