January 14, 2008 - The Daily Star
Energy generated by the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary has quickly intensified the sense of 2008 as an election year.
Until this month, New York has been at a standstill in resolving which voting machines to install to provide voting accessibility for all.
Finally, after a lawsuit filed by the federal government, the state Board of Elections came up with a plan for replacing lever voting machines. The new machines won't be in place for the presidential balloting, but the development nonetheless is a major step forward.
As required by U.S. District Court, the Board of Elections this month submitted a proposal for replacing the machines by September 2009. And considering the state's molasses-like response to complying with the Help America Vote Act, it is especially good news that the proposal calls for having a handicapped-accessible ballot-marking device at polling sites by September's primary.
It is likely that counties will purchase optical scanners, ending a debate on which equipment to purchase.
The project is a multimillion-dollar change, and we have often stated preference for optical scanners over the direct-recording electronic devices. The scanners, which record paper ballots, are more secure and reliable than DREs, which don't have paper ballots that can be recounted.
We look forward to timely implementation of the state's plan. Access to reliable and accurate voting methods is key to maintaining accountability and keeping democracy alive.