[Mt-blind] VOTING MACHINES

[Edward C Robbins]

Jerry,
        I appreciate the report forwarded, but the machines used here in
Montana, for the most part functioned quite well.
        Again, It was the first time in 28 years that I was able to vote
without assistance, or someone else marking my ballot.
Ted Robbins,
 
On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:47:23 -0700 Jerry Hutch <modrepro at mt.net> writes:
> Dan and the list,
> Here is a message about voting machines and their problems that I 
> have received by email.  This is for your information.
> OpEd News, PA, USA Wednesday, February 14, 2007 "Daily Voting News" 
> For February 14, 2007 By JGideon John Gideon of VotersUnite.org 
> According to a new report issued by VoterAction and Demos, "Direct 
> Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines, once considered 
> essential to ensuring private and independent voting booth access 
> for voters with disabilities, often do not work as promised, 
> according to a new report published today. Authored by access 
> technology expert Noel Runyan and published by election reform 
> groups Demos and Voter Action, "Improving Access to Voting: A Report 
> on the Technology for Accessible Voting Systems" shows that, due to 
> inadequate or malfunctioning voting machines, voters with 
> disabilities are frequently forced to ask for assistance or 
> compromise the privacy of their vote- severe violations of federal 
> disability accommodation requirements. The report details 
> significant difficulties for voters with disabilities, including: 
> the lack of a controllable inter!
> face for those who are unable to use touch screens or tactile key 
> inputs; inadequate audio access features for people with visual or 
> cognitive impairments, with dyslexia, or with severe 
> motor-impairments; and lack of privacy curtains to prevent others 
> from reading the voters' selections on their visual displays. "I 
> originally had high hopes for the new voting machines" said Noel 
> Runyan, the author of the report. Runyan, who is blind, is a 
> professional electrical engineer who has spent much of his career 
> developing access technologies for people with visual impairments. 
> "Even with my technical background and the help of poll workers, I 
> could not get the Sequoia Edge II DRE to work. I have since tested 
> most of the available voting systems at conferences and at the 
> National Federation of the Blind's accessible voting systems lab, 
> and my fears have been confirmed: Most of the DREs deployed were not 
> designed with real disability access in mind.""... 
> http://www.opednews.com/articl!
> es/genera_jgideon_070214__daily_voting_news__.htm 
>
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_jgideon_070214__daily_voting_news
__.htm
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