LWV Is Split on Paperless DREs

["Pete Klammer" <pklammer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"League of Women Voters Is Split on Paperless Computer Voting Systems"

New York Times (06/11/04) P. A22; Konrad, Rachel 

Hundreds of members of the League of Women Voters are infuriated with their
national leadership's refusal to advocate their demands for the inclusion of
a paper-based audit trail in electronic voting systems, and some local
chapters are threatening to oppose the group's national position at the
league's Washington, D.C., convention this weekend. In 2003, league leaders
declared that paperless voting terminals were reliable and officially stated
that vote thievery was beyond the systems' capabilities, but this did not
pacify many members who believe that paperless systems make legitimate
recounts impossible. League President Kay Maxwell says paperless terminals
are beneficial to the blind, the illiterate, and non-English-speaking
voters, and adds that calling for a paper trail so close to the presidential
election would force hundreds of U.S. counties to scramble to upgrade their
systems at a cost of millions of dollars. She argues that the possibility of
hackers exploiting paperless machines is a less serious threat than low
voter turnout and problems with voter registration. League member Kim
Alexander calls the league's official support for paperless systems a major
barrier to voting reform. Some local chapters warn that they will express
their opposition to the league's national posture by nominating new board
members and a new candidate for president who endorses paper trails. One
such contender is former ACM President Barbara Simons, who claims the
league's stance shows that the organization is not in sync with younger
voters who are experienced with computers and are familiar with their
inherent risks.

Click Here to View Full Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/politics/campaign/11league.html

(Articles published within 7 days can be accessed free of charge on this
site. After 7 days, a pay-per-article option is available. First-time
visitors will need to register.) 



 --
Pete Klammer / ACM(1970), IEEE, ICCP(CCP), NSPE(PE), NACSE(NSNE)
    3200 Routt Street / Wheat Ridge, Colorado 80033-5452
  (303)233-9485 / Fax:(303)274-6182 / Mailto:PKlammer@xxxxxxx
 Idealism may not win every contest, but that's not what I choose it for!