Article: Action Alert: ACTION NEEDED IN NYC VOTING MOVEMENT

Here is information from Teresa Hommel about upcoming machine demonstrations
and training sessions in NYC. If you are in the city these will be worth
your time. For the rest of us, the information below about how long it takes
to
vote on electronic voting machines ("DREs") is important. If counties that
purchase DREs don't buy enough, voters will be standing in long lines. Think
Ohio 2004.

Quote: Excessive wait times with DREs is one more reason to support Paper
Ballots/Optical Scanners!

Allegra

ACTIVISTS -- WE NEED YOUR HELP!

New York City's Election Commissioners must choose either paper
ballots/optical scanners ("PBOS") or electronic voting machines ("DREs" or
"Direct
Recording Electronic" Computers) to replace our current lever voting machines.
We
need people to (1) attend training sessions to learn the local issues, (2)
attend equipment demonstrations and question vendors, and (3) speak in favor of
PBOS at the commissioners' hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at 4 PM at 42
Broadway, 6th floor

Two training sessions in NYC
_http://www.wheresthepaper.org/ny.html#Announce_
(http://www.wheresthepaper.org/ny.html#Announce)
DAYS: Saturday Jan. 6 and again on Saturday, Jan. 13
TIME: 1-4 pm
PLACE: Community Church, 28 East 35 Street (between Park and Madison Aves.)
WHY: Learn the NY-specific issues! Prepare and practice your testimony!
RSVP: Connie Dondore 212-777-5533 or _cdondore@msn.com_
(mailto:cdondore@msn.com)

Machine Demonstrations, confirm with Board of Elections prior to attending,
212-487-5300
Thurs. Jan. 4, 2007, Staten Island, 6 PM, County Clerk Hearing Room, 126
Stuyvesant Place
Thurs. Jan. 11, 2007, Manhattan, 5 PM, Fordham Univ, Pope Auditorium, 60
St/Columbus Ave.
Mon. Jan. 22, 2007, Brooklyn, 5 PM, Medgar Evers College, 1650 Bedford Ave.

Board of Elections Hearing
Jan 23, 4 PM, 42 Broadway, 6th floor.

WHY DO WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION?

Reason 1 -- future disenfranchisement of voters because of
not enough machines and long wait times (like Ohio)
_http://www.wheresthepaper.org/PeakHoursWaitTimeReport.pdf_
(http://www.wheresthepaper.org/PeakHoursWaitTimeReport.pdf)
Wait time is based on how many voters are assigned per machine.
Example 1:
200 pollsite voters per DRE. During peak voting hours:
average wait -- 19 to 35 minutes
longest wait -- 39 to 70 minutes
25% to 58% of peak time voters will wait 30 or more minutes.
Example 2:
275 pollsite voters per DRE. During peak voting hours:
average wait -- 51 to 70 minutes
longest wait -- 102 to 141 minutes
70% to 79% of peak time voters will wait 30 or more minutes.

New York City Board of Elections' August, 2006 study:
_http://www.wheresthepaper.org/NYCBOEVotersPerMachineReportv_34.2.pdf_
(http://www.wheresthepaper.org/NYCBOEVotersPerMachineReportv_34.2.pdf)
page 20, recommends 554 registered voters per DRE with the assumption of 50%
pollsite turnout:
277 pollsite voters per DRE.

State Board of Elections' December, 2006 study:
_http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/hava/DRAFTAIRSTUDY.pdf_
(http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/hava/DRAFTAIRSTUDY.pdf)
page 26, recommended pollsite voters per DRE:
Avante DRE - from 218 to 247
Sequoia DRE - from 207 to 243
Liberty DRE - from 295 to 342

Excessive wait times with DREs is one more reason to support Paper
Ballots/Optical Scanners!
Jurisdictions with many thousands of voters per Scanner report no waiting
lines.
The State Board's Study recommended:
pollsite voters per Optical Scanner: 1588 to 2571

Reason 2 -- Wasting money on DREs will take money away
from schools, firehouses, hospitals, libraries, etc.
_http://www.wheresthepaper.org/ny.html#costReports_
(http://www.wheresthepaper.org/ny.html#costReports)
This November, 2006 cost report showed that PBOS purchase will
cost about $30 million. DREs will cost about $106-132 million.
NYC will get either $53 million or $72 million (depending on the
outcome of a legal dispute). We could have money left over
with PBOS, or we could let our tax money go to DREs
instead of other needs.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!

RSVP for a training session, and plan to attend a demonstration of equipment
and the hearing!

If you want to question vendors you will enjoy it more if you have been
reading the Daily Voting News. You can subscribe or read the news online at
_http://www.votersunite.org/news.asp_ (http://www.votersunite.org/news.asp) The
Daily Voting News provides us with most of the material that we use as
questions. What's in the news? Nearly every day another city or county is
trying to
figure out how to get rid of their DREs and return to paper ballots and
optical scanners. The two reasons? Cost overruns and malfunctions!

Allegra Dengler
Dobbs Ferry, NY

_http://citizensforvotingintegrity.org_
(http://citizensforvotingintegrity.org/) /
_http://www.nyvv.org_ (http://www.nyvv.org/) /

"... touch-screen machines are highly vulnerable to being hacked or
maliciously programmed to change votes. And they cost far more than voting
machines
should." New York Times editorial, March 9, 2005