Increase Confidence in Nation's Voting System
Legislation would ensure that all computerized voting machines
allow voters to check their vote before it is cast
New York, NY - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today announced the "Protecting American Democracy Act of 2003." Senator Clinton has introduced this legislation to address serious concerns about the general security of electronic voting machines and the ability of voters to be confident that their vote is properly recorded. At the press conference Senator Clinton was joined by Assemblymen and New York State Democratic Chairman Herman D. Farrell, Assemblyman Keith Wright, Chair, New York State Assembly Committee on Election Law, New York State Senator John D. Sabini, Ranking Democratic Member of the New York State Senate Committee on Election Law, Senator Liz Krueger, Neal Rosenstein, Government Reform Coordinator for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Rachel Leon, Executive Director, Common Cause NY, Margaret Fung, Director, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Michelle Maglione, Director, Citizen Action, NY, Michael Godino, Queens Independent Living Center and Sharon Shapiro-Lacks, Center for the Disabled in New York City (Manhattan Independent Living Center). "You go to an ATM, you get a receipt. You play the lottery, you get a ticket. Yet when you cast your vote, you get nothing. The systems used by the people of the United States to exercise their constitutional right to vote should be as reliable as the machines people depend on to get their money. What's required for money machines should be required for voting machines" "There is no civil action more important in a Democracy than voting. Yet right now, many Americans have concerns about the integrity of the electoral system. We must restore trust in our voting, and we must do it now," Senator Clinton said. "Casting a ballot without having a voter verified paper trail poses great risks to the security and integrity of our election process. Its like asking Americans to use ATMs that never allow you to count your cash or receive a receipt detailing your transaction," Neal Rosenstein, Government Reform Coordinator, NYPIRG. Thanks to the Help America Vote Act of 2002 ("HAVA"), it is expected that New York will convert to electronic voting by 2006. Senator Clinton's legislation is designed to make sure New York voters have full confidence in the new system before it is implemented. The "Protecting American Democracy Act of 2003" is designed to make sure that when voters use the new system they know that the votes they cast are properly recorded. In addition, the legislation addresses the potential threat from attempts at computer "hacking" of these electronic systems. Specifically, the legislation will guarantee that voting machines used at federal polling places throughout New York and across the country provide voters with a chance to verify their vote before it is permanently recorded. Specifically, it would amend HAVA by adding a voter verification requirement, giving each voter an opportunity to verify his or her vote at the time the vote is cast. This will ensure that every New Yorker's Vote is counted right, and every American's vote is counted right. While requiring that all jurisdictions give voters the ability to verify their votes, the legislation also gives state and local governments the flexibility to employ the most appropriate, accurate, and secure voter verification technologies, which may include voter-verifiable paper ballots, votemeters, modular voting architecture, and/or encrypted votes, for their State or jurisdiction in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner. In addition to ensuring that voters have an opportunity to verify their vote, Senator Clinton also believes that it is vital that we improve the security of new voting systems. A number of recent studies -- including a July 2003 study by Johns Hopkins and the November 2003 study conducted by Compuware Corporation and InfoSENTRY for the Ohio Secretary of State -- pointed to significant and disturbing security risks in electronic voting systems, their processes and procedures. To address these critical security issues, the "Protecting American Democracy Act of 2003" amends HAVA, adding a security requirement for voting systems. Specifically, this bill requires that electronic voting systems adhere to the current security requirements for federal computer systems or, more stringent requirements adopted by the Election Assistance Commission. In addition, immediately upon enactment, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must provide security consultation services to State and local jurisdictions. Two million dollars in Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006 are authorized by the legislation to be appropriated to assist NIST in providing these security consultation services.
from Sen. Clinton's senatorial website.
