Politics - State curtails e-voting - sacbee.com
New National Hero...Debra Bowen!!
State curtails e-voting
L.A. system decertified; restrictions on two others
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Last Updated 1:09 am PDT Saturday, August 4, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A13
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, bowing to fears of computer fraud, Friday decertified Los Angeles County's electronic voting system and sharply curtailed the use of two other machines that California counties had hoped to use to conduct the February 2008 presidential primary.
She said she would allow unlimited use of one system, Hart InterCivic, as long as security and auditing safeguards are implemented.
But in the case of two major companies -- Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting Systems -- Bowen said she would allow just one machine per polling place, apparently to provide an accessible option for disabled voters.
Electronic voting critics had unsuccessfully lobbied Bowen's predecessor to stop the machines' use in California. More than three dozen California counties have invested millions of dollars in the technology and some will be forced to replace many machines by February under Bowen's order.
"I reject the notion that I should not require changes in security simply because counties already own (the machines)," Bowen said.
The tested systems are used by 43 of California's 58 counties and by 9 million out of 15.7 million registered voters, according to UC Berkeley.
Bowen, a Democrat who was skeptical of electronic voting during her tenure in the state Senate, commissioned $1.8 million in tests this spring by the University of California to explore the security faults of three electronic voting systems.
She had said she would issue a decision by Friday to comply with a requirement to give counties six months' lead time to make changes.
But she delayed acting for hours, finally holding a press conference at her downtown office as midnight approached.
Stephen Weir, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, questioned her decision-making process, saying Bowen could and should have waited until Monday to act.
Weir said Bowen is moving the ball "in the wrong direction" because she used an improper system to test the machines. He said her decision essentially tells "the voting community out there 'your voting system is damaged, but we're going to fix it.' That doesn't feel good to me."
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Weir failed to explain why a "damaged voting system" is to be preferred. Fucking retard!
Now other states are going to be dumping their broken systems like bad habits! Hoo Rah!
State curtails e-voting
L.A. system decertified; restrictions on two others
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Last Updated 1:09 am PDT Saturday, August 4, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A13
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, bowing to fears of computer fraud, Friday decertified Los Angeles County's electronic voting system and sharply curtailed the use of two other machines that California counties had hoped to use to conduct the February 2008 presidential primary.
She said she would allow unlimited use of one system, Hart InterCivic, as long as security and auditing safeguards are implemented.
But in the case of two major companies -- Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting Systems -- Bowen said she would allow just one machine per polling place, apparently to provide an accessible option for disabled voters.
Electronic voting critics had unsuccessfully lobbied Bowen's predecessor to stop the machines' use in California. More than three dozen California counties have invested millions of dollars in the technology and some will be forced to replace many machines by February under Bowen's order.
"I reject the notion that I should not require changes in security simply because counties already own (the machines)," Bowen said.
The tested systems are used by 43 of California's 58 counties and by 9 million out of 15.7 million registered voters, according to UC Berkeley.
Bowen, a Democrat who was skeptical of electronic voting during her tenure in the state Senate, commissioned $1.8 million in tests this spring by the University of California to explore the security faults of three electronic voting systems.
She had said she would issue a decision by Friday to comply with a requirement to give counties six months' lead time to make changes.
But she delayed acting for hours, finally holding a press conference at her downtown office as midnight approached.
Stephen Weir, president of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, questioned her decision-making process, saying Bowen could and should have waited until Monday to act.
Weir said Bowen is moving the ball "in the wrong direction" because she used an improper system to test the machines. He said her decision essentially tells "the voting community out there 'your voting system is damaged, but we're going to fix it.' That doesn't feel good to me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weir failed to explain why a "damaged voting system" is to be preferred. Fucking retard!
Now other states are going to be dumping their broken systems like bad habits! Hoo Rah!
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 12:37 PM
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