Dear Editor:
Our Democratic process is again vulnerable with the "Help America Vote Act." If computerized voting is enacted it is essential that the voting process be subject to great scrutiny as the opportunity for exploitation is more serious than ever. At this time the process for review and comment on the Preliminary State Plan. Our concern is that any voting machine that does not have a verifiable paper trail. The growing concern from election reform specialists and computer security experts about the integrity of the machines on the market indicates to me that it would be wise for Ohio to move slowly and not to aim for 2004 primaries. The HAVA is causing states to rush to purchase machines that suffer serious flaws. Hundreds of renowned computer scientists consider a voter-verified paper trail to be a critical safeguard for our precious voting rights. The current HAVA does nothing to protect the integrity of our elections against computer malfunction, computer hackers, and computer fraud.
Reform legislation has been presented by Representative Rush Holt in response to the growing number of concerned people, which would require all voting machines to produce a voter-verified paper trail. We would hate to see Ohio caught with unusable machines.
We suggest that Secretary of State of Ohio. put out requests for proposals with the speculation that includes a system that would produce a voter-verified paper record and bans the use of undisclosed software and wireless communication devices in voting machines.
Primary contact:
Wilberta Eastman
1039 E Hyde Road, PO Box 262
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
937-767-1511
And Natural Law Party of Ohio
Dennis Slotnick, Chairman
915 Washington,
Genoa, OH 43430
419-855-1346
Our Democratic process is again vulnerable with the "Help America Vote Act." If computerized voting is enacted it is essential that the voting process be subject to great scrutiny as the opportunity for exploitation is more serious than ever. At this time the process for review and comment on the Preliminary State Plan. Our concern is that any voting machine that does not have a verifiable paper trail. The growing concern from election reform specialists and computer security experts about the integrity of the machines on the market indicates to me that it would be wise for Ohio to move slowly and not to aim for 2004 primaries. The HAVA is causing states to rush to purchase machines that suffer serious flaws. Hundreds of renowned computer scientists consider a voter-verified paper trail to be a critical safeguard for our precious voting rights. The current HAVA does nothing to protect the integrity of our elections against computer malfunction, computer hackers, and computer fraud.
Reform legislation has been presented by Representative Rush Holt in response to the growing number of concerned people, which would require all voting machines to produce a voter-verified paper trail. We would hate to see Ohio caught with unusable machines.
We suggest that Secretary of State of Ohio. put out requests for proposals with the speculation that includes a system that would produce a voter-verified paper record and bans the use of undisclosed software and wireless communication devices in voting machines.
Primary contact:
Wilberta Eastman
1039 E Hyde Road, PO Box 262
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
937-767-1511
And Natural Law Party of Ohio
Dennis Slotnick, Chairman
915 Washington,
Genoa, OH 43430
419-855-1346