All-paper-voting bill unveiled-Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Wed-2/27/08

[kpete]

All-paper-voting bill unveiled
-Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News, Wed-2/27/08

"It makes (county clerks') jobs a lot harder,
and I do not want Colorado to be a laughingstock.

Whose laughing at paper ballots and fair elections?
I for one, think we should cry until we get:

TRANSPARENT ELECTIONS
- Hand Counted,
Paper Ballots!!!-

Lawmakers present paper-ballot bill

La Plata County clerk worries state could be ‘laughingstock’

February 27, 2008
By Joe Hanel | Herald Denver Bureau

DENVER - Most Colorado voters will use paper ballots this fall, if high-ranking legislators get their way.

Lawmakers announced a bill Tuesday requiring a mostly paper- ballot election, to the dismay of many county clerks who had wanted either an all-mail ballot of greater use of electronic voting machines.

"We're not relying on computers as much as we were in the past," said Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver. "It's low-tech, but we think low-tech means there's less likelihood there will be problems."

The bill will not require any changes in La Plata County, said County Clerk Linda Daley.

But larger counties will have to re-do their whole systems, Daley said, and it's getting too late in the year for such major changes.

"It makes (county clerks') jobs a lot harder, and I do not want Colorado to be a laughingstock. It could turn out that way," Daley said.

more at:
http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/08/news080227_1.htm

Paper ballots for Colorado voting?

Lawmakers favor paper,
though scanners still in limbo

Colleen Slevin
The Associated Press
Aspen, CO Colorado
February 27, 2008


DENVER — Legislative leaders said Tuesday they're moving ahead with a proposal to conduct this year's elections mainly by paper ballot even though most counties still don't know whether they'll be able to use their optical scanners to count the ballots.

Colorado is one of five states considering a return to all-paper elections after having problems changing to electronic systems, according to a report released last week by Electionline, a project of The Pew Center on the States.

The other states are Florida, New Mexico, Ohio, and California, according to the study.

The bill assumes that most of the scanners will be recertified by the secretary of state but still would set aside $3.5 million to reimburse counties who want to buy more scanners so they can count ballots more quickly, Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver, said. The price tag could rise if some of the scanners aren't approved for use in this year's primary and general election.

Plans for Colorado's elections were thrown into confusion in December when Secretary of State Mike Coffman decertified most of the state's electronic voting machines because of security and accuracy concerns.

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20080227/NEWS/165008797

also of interest:
http://www.moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com/news.html?AID=1205

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[cyberpj]

1. WHY NOT JUST USE COLORED MARBLES? Easier to see and count.

Edited to add:
Of course, I mean for Presidential elections only. Which means that Presidential elections would have to be separated from all other elections.

OR...

what other innovative ideas do people have?

[sonias]

2. TX - Travis voting glitch prompts 'what-ifs'

AAS 2/27/08
Travis voting glitch prompts 'what-ifs'
County officials say electronic system is reliable, but critics still pushing for a paper record or return to optical scanning.

Saturday evening, Jan Dawes ran into a problem when she went to Highland Mall to vote in the primary.

As the Austin resident hit the "cast ballot" button after she'd made her choices on the eSlate voting machine, a message appeared warning her to "Reconnect to system to record vote."

It turned out that a pin in the back of the machine had become disconnected from the electronic ballot box, one of three places where votes are stored electronically. Reconnecting the pin would have automatically sent her vote to the ballot box.

But technicians wanted to make sure everything was all right. So they canceled Dawes' vote, rebooted all machines at the site and had her vote again.

:mad:


Sonia

[cyberpj]

3. Please educate me about optical scanning and problems - is it true that they are also a possible

problem because it's not the counting at each location but the changes that can occur at central electronic tabulators (due to hacking) that is at risk?

I would agree that anything scanned leaves a paper trail but if votes can be changed by tabulators then how is that better? It would also make those seeking office less likely to challenge results unless they could challenge the tabulations directly instead of precincts.

What a mess.

Paper and pencil votes counted by kindergarteners would be the safest way to go!

[sonias]

4. All software based systems can have problems

But at least with voter marked paper ballots and precinct based optical scanners, you have a paper record to verify and to use in recounts, and in audits. It's a hell of a lot better than paperless DREs.

You're never going to get the county clerks and election officials to agree to go back entirely to hand counted paper ballots.


Sonia