I don't think that voting machines are a bad idea. I do think there are major problems with the ones we have now. Despite demonstrated security flaws, makers of electronic voting machines hide and deny problems with their products, which has led to serious voting irregularities. Something needs to change before the next election. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an action alert you can participate in.
On Election Day 2006, flawed electronic voting machines may have disenfranchised thousand of voters in Sarasota County, Florida's close Congressional race. The result was decided by 363 votes, yet over 18,000 ballots cast on the county's e-voting machines registered no vote in the race, an exceptional anomaly in the state.
EFF is representing several Sarasota citizens in a lawsuit to make sure every vote counts, but this problem goes far beyond any one county or state. Millions of voters nationwide cast their votes on electronic machines that lack paper trails. Voters thus could not verify that their votes were accurately recorded, and election officials were not be able to conduct a full and thorough recounts.
Thankfully, there's an existing solution for the whole country: Rep. Rush Holt's Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act contains several critically important election reforms, including the requirement of a paper audit trail for all electronic voting machines, random audits, and public availability of all code used in elections. The bill gained the support of 220 bipartisan cosponsors in the last Congress, and will be re-introduced at the start of the new year.
Make your voice heard on paper audits now using the form below and tell Congress to support this crucial reform.
So, if you want something to change, send a letter.
