AP article: Voting Machine Vendors Campaign: NY

[chomskysright]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1220-07.htm

Voting Machine Vendors Campaign
More Than $854,000 Spent on Lobbying in 3 Years as State to Replace Lever-Action Models

by Mark Humbert


ALBANY -- In just the last six months, companies looking to cash in on New York state's expected move to replace its aging lever-action voting machines with electronic models have spent more than $357,000 on lobbying, according to a new report.

The report from the New York state chapter of Common Cause, a copy of which was obtained Sunday by The Associated Press, shows that over the past three years, voting machine companies have spent more than $854,000 on lobbying in the state.

The spending figures come from required filings with the state Lobbying Commission.

Rachel Leon, executive director of Common Cause/New York, said the spending is likely just the "tip of the iceberg" because lobbyists only have to report spending aimed at influencing legislation, not the lobbying of state agencies such as the Board of Elections.

[48pan]

1. I Like our Machines

We fill in a circle on a printed ballot and feed the ballot into an optical scanning machine. The machine does the count and the ballots remain for checking the validity of the machine. If there is a machine breakdown, the ballots can be refed into a different machine.

The machines even separate ballots with write-in votes to a separate bin. Only one machine is needed per ward and the city only needs one or two spares in case of breakdown.

I think Ohio has the same machines, but Florida has the black boxes. The black boxes without paper trail should be banned.

[movonne]

2. Here is where New York becomes a red state....

[DireStrike]

3. There should be no electronic voting or scanning.

The votes should be counted by hand in a public room fully accessible to the public. Everywhere.

I'm going to write to my representatives and let them know that they can either keep our current machines, go to paper-and-pen voting, or lose my vote for eternity.

[SoCalDem]

4. BEHOLD: The "reddening" of NY state

:grr:

P A P E R ...before it's too late..Better stall that repube governor of yours, and hope that the new Dem governor will have enough sense to put a stop to the Diebolding of New York..

Let Diebold (and all the others) make all the ATM machines they want..each teansaction has paper trail and camera , so mistakes can be corrected quickly.. Voting errors take millions of dollars, miles of hurt feelings, acres of vengeful anger and can take YEARS to correct..

Voting is too important to trust to machines.. We need simplicity, openness, and recountable (by hand).. That is ALL we need..

[NashVegas]

5. A Grassroots to Keep the Lever Machines

should focus on the fact those are made in Jamestown .. unless that's been outsourced, too.

[NVMojo]

6. I wonder how I could find out how much Sequoia spent on lobbying

the state of Nevada in the past two years?

[Liberty Belle]

7. Keep NY blue--keep these machines out! Kick!