Letter to the Editor, Intelligencer, March 2, 2008

Don't blame poll workers

To the Editor:

The Feb. 24 Associated Press article, “Poor training often behind Election Day mishaps,” implied that electronic voting machine problems would be solved if poll workers had proper training in how to use and explain the machines.  To pass the buck on voting accuracy to poll workers, and ultimately voters, is not democratic at all.  The onus is on the Bucks County commissioners to seriously consider machines that will allow the voter to actually make a direct mark on a paper ballot and have that ballot available as backup to confirm the totals in case of a recount or audit.

The problem still remains that the Danaher machine we use may not register and count the voters' intended votes. If a voter places his vote by touching the  screen (and hopefully remembers to hit the green "VOTE" button to record that vote), what is his/her assurance that the computer inside the machine is actually recording that vote in the way the voter intended? There is no proof that the vote one casts is actually being tabulated correctly by the computer inside the machine.

On the Danaher, the VOTE button is located in a spot that could easily be pushed by a curious child who enters the voting booth with a parent -- thereby casting a premature or incomplete vote.  In other words, there are problems inherent in the Danaher machines that no amount of training can avoid.  Voters should be able to walk in, mark a ballot, and not be penalized for lack of proper training by overwhelmed poll workers.

Many of the problems could be addressed if the commissioners were to act to change to simple voter-marked paper ballots read by an optical scan machine.  The voter would mark his ballot on paper, actually review that vote and slip the paper into an electronic optical reader, which scans that ballot and totals the vote.  If there were a need for a recount, there would be a tangible paper backup.

It's time to assure voters that each voting day is an important occasion in our country — a day in which the right to cast a vote is be taken seriously — and not a cause of unnecessary frustration, blame or inaccuracy.

Janine Witte
New Hope

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/320-03022008-1496735.html