FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2022
CONTACT: Lulu Friesdat, Founder, SMART Legislation
SMARTlegislation@gmail.com
Full Release download | Civil Rights Leaders Letter | Experts Letter
Top Election Security Experts and Civil Rights Organizations
Describe Ticking Time Clock for NY Elections
Areas of interest: Voting Rights, 2022 Midterms, Election Security
Leaders and Experts letters
New York City – May 23, 2022 — Today prominent civil rights leaders joined election security experts and good government groups in warning that New York elections are at a dangerous crossroads. In a pair of letters, they express alarm that a new style of voting machine, called “hybrid” or “universal-use”, will take hold in the state. “Hybrid” voting machines combine a ballot-marking device and a scanner/tabulator in one system. “Universal-use”
refers to a set up where all voters use the same voting machine, usually a touchscreen ballot-marking device. Both types are in the process of being approved by the New York State Board of Elections, and they often do not offer a hand-marked paper ballot option.
These voting machines have other worrisome features, such as counting votes with barcodes. In the letter, experts say that using barcodes to count votes makes it “impossible for the voter to verify who they voted for.”
The letters caution that these machines will change New York’s entire way of voting, undermine
confidence, and vastly increase election budgets. They warn of longer lines to vote, because when “everyone votes on the ballot-marking device … everyone waits longer.” They recommend lawmakers take action to protect New York voters by immediately passing two bills updating New York’s election security laws, which have not had
an overhaul since 2008. The recommended bills are NY A1115C/S309B and A829A/S6211. Full release here
Full Release download | Civil Rights Leaders Letter | Experts Letter
Press release A1115C/S309B (in images)
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