The Nassau County Board of Elections must make a decision in the near future about replacing the current "lever" voting machines with electronic voting machines. The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Port Washington-Manhasset recently hosted an informative discussion on the topic. There was a sizable turnout for the event, which was held at the Port Washington Public Library. The meeting was chaired by Sue Fitzgerald and Edna Vincenti, co-presidents of the LWV.

Vincenti, who moderated the panel discussion, said, "You all remember election 2000 and the problems in Florida and other states, as well as 2004 with, for example, more votes than registered voters in some cases. In a close election, you find out what is wrong with the voting machines and procedures." She added that this meeting's discussion would be limited to the machines, although many voting procedures also need examining. "We will only be talking about the machines," she said, "because it starts there."

Vincenti explained that the machine requirements are dictated by the "Help America Vote" Act of 2002 (HAVA). The lever machines currently in use in New York State must be replaced because they do not meet two criteria required by the federal legislation: (1) they do not provide complete accessibility so that disabled voters can vote privately and independently, and (2) they do not allow for the voter to review, or change his/her ballot before it is cast. Vincenti commented that once again, New York State is the last to comply with the federal requirements. She added that the New York State Legislature refused to make a choice, and shifted the decision to the local boards of elections. This means that the decision about our voting machines will be made by the Nassau County Board of Elections.

In introducing the panelists, Vincenti said, "Truth in advertising - the State League is supporting the Optical Scanning-type machines." She explained that there are two basic types of voting machines under consideration: the Optical Scanner (OCS) and the Direct Recording Electronic Machine (DRE). The criteria used by the LWV in evaluating voting systems are that they be "accurate, recountable, and accessible" (from the official LWV statement).

Panelist Jo Ann McLaughlin, member of the league's committee on voter registration, explained that the DRE works with a touch screen or a keyboard, similar to an ATM. The voter receives a printed receipt of his/her vote. The DRE would present a "full-face" screen (a New York State requirement); that is, the entire ballot would be contained on one screen with no need to scroll down. She said that each lever machine would have to be replaced by one DRE, as contrasted with the OCS machine, which can serve an entire polling place. McLaughlin pointed out that the DRE is large and heavy, weighing in at about 100 pounds, and requires climate-controlled storage.

Another panelist, Shirley Barsky, co-chair of the LWV's government committee, elaborated on the OCS machine. She reiterated that the OCS is smaller than the DRE, can serve an entire precinct, and does not require special storage and handling. With the OCS, she said that the voter fills out a mark-sense paper ballot and scans it into the OCS. She said, "The machine counts the votes; it does not record them." If the voter makes a mistake, he or she can obtain another (numbered) ballot from the election inspectors. After scanning, the paper ballots are securely stored, and thus would be readily available in case there is a need for a recount. A special marking device can be provided for persons with special needs; for those who are visually impaired, the typeface can be enlarged or the ballot can be printed in Braille.

Barsky pointed out that the OCS machine is highly reliable; they rarely break down. She said that the life of a scanner is 15-20 years, and some are more than 30 years old. If there is a problem, she said, the paper ballots can be securely stored and scanned later.

Panelist Marilyn Howland, LWV's chair of voter services, discussed the relative costs of the equipment. She reiterated that one OCS can serve even the largest polling places, and confirmed that the scanning device is highly reliable, with a failure rate of around one percent and an expected lifespan of 20 years or more. The price of the DRE typically ranges from $7,000 to $11,500 and the OCS approximately $10,500. Howland pointed out that, as yet, there is no prototype for New York State.

Vincenti commented, "Given this information, it should be a 'no-brainer,' but the manufacturers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying." She and the other panelist agreed that the vendors are pushing the DRE over the OCS. Mc Laughlin said, "Sequoia is not even mentioning the scanner in their presentations."

During the discussion period, it was pointed out that the DRE does not leave a voter-verified paper trail, and might be vulnerable to "hacking."

The Port News asked the panelists what assurance they have that the vendor(s) would adequately support the scanning machines 20, 30, or 40 years into the future, given that this is an obsolescent technology. Vincenti said that she was confident, given the large amount of money to be made, any contract between the state and the vendor would specify that the machines would be supported and maintained for as long as necessary.

As always, the LWV provided informative handouts. Vincenti encouraged those in attendance to write to the election commissioners and county public officials to support the scanning devices.

The LWV continues its voter registration drive. For more information about the local League of Women Voters, visit http://members.aol.com/lwvoterspwma (you can also link through the national site at www.lwv.org) or e-mail Edna Vincenti at edna.vincenti@vincenti.com.