Forum Two: Voting Machines

Six years after the fiasco in Florida in the 2000 presidential race, the nation is still grappling with voting machine problems and election administration snafus that could create controversy again in 2008, unless we achieve true election reform at the state and federal level.

On Friday, January 5th, People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation continued their series of events focused on election reform with “Will Your Vote Count?: A Forum on Voting Machines and Voter Verification.” Moderated by Mary Jean Collins, Senior Vice President and National Political Director of People For the American Way, voting machine experts and activists from across the country discussed how technology can help or hinder efforts to run safe, fair elections.

The forum began with a video montage of voting machine problems captured on tape by citizen volunteers working with partner organization Video the Vote. Lead-off speaker Kindra Muntz of the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections provided an overview of the controversy surrounding the 18,000 unrecorded votes in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, and her organization’s effort to make sure all Sarasota County voters have the benefit of a verifiable paper trail. Courtenay Strickland Bhatia of Verified Voting reviewed the litany of voting machine problems that appeared across the country in the midterm elections.

Kindra Muntz and the Hon. Trey Grayson

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson discussed the challenges that he faces in Kentucky, where there are touch-screen voting machines without voter verifiable paper or audit trails. Noel Runyan, one of the nation’s top developers of access technology for persons with disabilities, discussed how states can address the unique challenges presented in accommodating people with disabilities, while also providing paper and audit trails in time for the 2008 elections.

Larry Norden

Larry Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice discussed his 2006 report “The Machinery of Democracy: Voting System Security, Accessibility, Usability and Cost” and its findings. Norden is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the problems connected with voting technology, and potential solutions. Thomas Hicks, Elections Counsel for the U.S. House Committee on House Administration, reviewed election reform legislation that is currently moving in Congress.

“Voting integrity is one of the most important issues we’re facing today,” said Collins. “It’s crucial that we have opportunities like today’s forum to bring diverse leaders together so that we can move forward together to truly reform the electoral system.”

Forum Two: Voting Machines

Read more about our series of forums on election reform: