"Election integrity cannot be assured without openness and transparency. Using electronic voting machines to conduct elections is dangerous to democracy because there is no way of ensuring their accuracy. It is imperative that there be a required voter-verified paper trial for every election so that any errors and irregularities caused by the voting machines can be discovered.
Unfortunately, there are no such requirements for the so-called "Direct Recording Electronic" machines currently being used in many communities and states. With the computer technology in use, there is a constant risk for a program flaw, or worse, tampering with the software which could change votes and thus change the outcome of elections. Without a "voter verified audit trail", meaning a permanent record of each vote that the voter can check to verify that it represents his or her intent, these changes might never be detected!
As Rep. Rush Holt stated, "We cannot afford nor can we permit another major assault on the integrity of the American electoral process. Imagine its Election Day 2004. You enter your local polling place and go to cast your vote on the brand new "touch screen" voting machine. The screen says your vote has been counted. As you exit the voting booth, however, you begin to wonder. How do I know if the machine actually recorded my vote? The fact is, you don't".
This is why I am strong supporter and co-sponsor of Rep. Holt's bill H.R. 2239, otherwise known as the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accountability Act of 2003". If instated, this bill would:
Require all voting machines to produce a voter-verified paper record for use in manual audits and recounts
Ban the use undisclosed software and wireless communications devices in voting systems
Require all voting systems to meet these requirements in time for the general election in November 2004
Require that electronic voting systems be provided for persons with disabilities by January 1, 2006
Require mandatory surprise recounts in 0.5% of domestic jurisdictions and 0.5% of overseas jurisdiction.
We have already seen the consequences of inaccurate vote keeping in Florida during the 2000 Presidential Elections where over 280,000 ballots were uncounted, leaving the sum of disenfranchised Floridians far greater than the 537-vote margin by which the state was won. Thousands of nationally and internationally-renowned computer scientists consider a voter-verified paper trial to be a critical safeguard for the accuracy, integrity, and security of computer-assisted election. Many of them can also list dozens of plausible ways for computerized voting machines to be compromised.
While there is certainly room for improvement in voting technology, electronic voting machines are not the answer. I believe that election reform is an issue that deserves close attention, but we must also guard against changes that inadvertently create even worse problems. Unless we are using auditable voting equipment, public confidence in our elections will be eroded and the results of any election will remain open to question."
http://kucinich.us/statements.htm#110603From his website, no copyright issues
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