The need for valid election audits and recounts is a "good-government" issue that transcends party lines. The Texas Republican and Democratic Party 2004 Platforms both call for a voter-verifiable paper ballot to ensure election integrity.
The Republican platform section on Fair Elections Procedures (page 6) calls for "prohibition of internet voting and any touch screen voting or other electronic voting which lacks a paper trail."
The Democratic party platform section on Protecting Democracy: Election and Campaign Reform (page 23) calls for: "A requirement that electronic voting systems deploy a voter verifiable paper printout to ensure that our votes are counted and can be accurately recounted and a certification and selection process for voting systems that is open to public review, testing, and analysis".
Texas Secretary of State Geoffrey Connor issued a press release this week denying that there were problems with electronic voting -- while the State of Ohio dumped Diebold for security holes.
Connor describes electronic voting as a "special interest" issue, even as Republican adminstrations in Ohio and Nevada have dumped insecure evoting systems and required paper trails.
Ohio and Nevada reached their conclusions after security reviews by expert security consultants. Connor representatives say there are no plans to commission a study here.
Connor claims that evaluation process here is the best in the country. But we've seen the videos (they're available under the Open Records Act). There's little discussion of security in the evaluation, and no methodical testing against security criteria. The evaluation itself is conducted behind closed doors.
Connor reassures Texans that there have been no proven incidents yet of voter fraud. The security of a Diebold system is equivalent to leaving your door open, and your front door key on the mat. Connor is telling us "I've left my front door unlocked for a month, and nobody has broken in yet, it must be safe."
Without a voter-verifiable paper trail, there is no good way to audit an election in the case of voting system tampering. So if there has been fraud, we would have no way of knowing.
Unlike his peers in other states taking leadership roles, our Secretary of State has his head in the sand.
Contact Geoffrey Connor and let him know that Texans want him to act:
• stop deploying new electronic voting systems until the concerns raised by reports in Ohio and other states have been addressed
• review and approve voting systems providing a voter-verified paper ballot, so Texans can confident that their votes count.
• Commission an independent study in the State of Texas to examine the security and auditability of the electronic voting system and voting process
• Review for State certification electronic voting systems that provide a voter-verifiable paper ballot, which provide assurance of a valid recount in case of security issues
The Ohio Secretary of State ordered three Ohio counties to halt their purchase of Diebold Systems based on new security tests. The new Ohio report will be published when the study is complete.
Evoting is stalled in Ohio because of the problems revealed over the last year. According to the AP story, thirty-one Ohio counties had planned to replace their machines, but most backed out as the November election neared.
On Tuesday, July 13, activists in Texas joined thousands of people in 19 states sending a message to policymakers demanding auditable voting machines.
In Texas, 16,388 petitions were presented to the Secretary of State. A press event at the Capitol drew over 150 activists, cheering the remarks of paper ballot activist Bev Harris and Rice computer security expert Dan Wallach.
The story received coverage around Texas, including:
* Houston Chronicle