Obscure CA Election Code Text May Allow Parties to View E-voting Software

[emlev]

This letter just came to my attention. Apparently it occasionally pays to read the law. This info thanks to a Bay Area activist who read the entire CA election code.

Please get this info to the central committees of all parties that might be interested!

SAN JOSE, CA 95125
August 30, 2005
Via Hand Delivery
Jesse Durazo
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters
1555 Berger Dr Building 2
San José, CA 95112
Dear Mr. Durazo:

On behalf of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee ("SCCDCC"), I write to ask that your office permit two specialists working on behalf of the SCCDCC to check and review the preparation and operation of the electronic voting machines that will be used in the course of the upcoming September 13, 2005 special election in San Jose. I make this request pursuant to Section 15004 of the California Election Code, which provides, in part: The county central committee of each qualified political party may employ, and may have present at the central counting place or places, not more than two qualified data processing specialists or engineers to check and review the preparation and operation of the tabulating devices, their programming and testing, and have the specialists or engineers in attendance at any or all phases of the election.

Under section 15004, we ask that your office please provide us with dates and times when the two representatives of the SCCDCC may check and review the preparation and operation of the electronic voting devices that will be used in the upcoming election. Please also notify us when the devices are scheduled to be tested by your office, so that we can observe the testing process.

Additionally, in order to check and review the programming of the electronic voting machines, we ask that your office arrange for our two specialists to review and inspect the software, including the source code, that is used to operate the voting machines that will be in use. Please provide us with dates, times, and a location for this review and inspection.

Finally, we wish to ensure that our two specialists can attend and observe the use of electronic voting machines during the course of the September 13 election, from loading the software into the machines to delivery of the voting machines to various polling places through final tabulation of the votes and transmission of the results to the Secretary of State on September 13. We look forward to hearing your views concerning how best to accomplish this goal.

Please let us know how we can best perform this review in an expeditious and efficient manner, so as to minimize any possible inconvenience to your personnel as they provide us the access and information that is necessary for the performance of our review of the voting machines, software, and their operation. You may contact me directly at 408.803.1948, or Michael Markman, counsel for the SCCDCC for purposes of this inquiry, at 650.324.7089. Thank you for your prompt assistance in this matter. We look forward to working with you in the days leading up to the election on September 13.

Sincerely yours,
Steven Preminger
Chairman, Santa Clara County
Democratic Central Committee
cc: Michael Markman
Heller Ehrman LLP

[hvn_nbr_2]

1. September 13 election coming up?

Am I in a time warp?

[emlev]

3. The letter was written in August. The info is relevant to the future. nt

[Melissa G]

2. Thanks emlev! Nominated! n/t