Another Reason Why Maine Is Better Than the Rest of the Country
There will be a work session on Wednesday for LD 1026, An Act to Provide Uniform Voter Verification and Recount requirements for Voting Machines.
From the BDN:
The Legislature enacted a similar bill last year, but it contained a loophole. Advocates for the handicapped feared that insistence on a voter-verifiable paper trail, to permit recounts in cases of challenge, would interfere with demands that the new machines permit unassisted access by the sight-impaired and other handicapped persons. So last year's bill included an exemption from the paper-trail requirement for the machines specially designed for use by the handicapped.
The situation now is changed. Machines have been developed that provide both features, a verifiable paper trail and handicapped access. One example called AutoMARK is marketed by one of the major voting machine companies, Election Systems and Software. Others are in the works. So the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee should feel confident in going forward with a bill that would require both features in all machines.
Visit the new Maine Politics.
posted by @ 1:06 AM 
1 comments
1 Comments:
I testified in favor of this bill last week at the public hearing. We had a good number of people do so, including people from the Waldo County Democrats and Bruce Cole.
But Julie Flynn at the Secretary of State's office is a roadblock because she believes it would tie their hands too much. She also is not enthusiastic about doing a random audit.
But as far as I am concerned, a vote cast should be verified to be counted properly. People with disabilities should also know that the machines they are voting on are reliable machines. So I say, so what if it might tie their hands in terms of what machines to buy. Isn't democracy worth a little effort?
Posted by Jon at MCLF