Voting Technology
After the 2000 election and the passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002, states moved to modernize election administration by retiring antiquated lever and punch-card voting machines and implementing new electronic voting machines. Electronic voting machines have not been the panacea to vote-counting woes that many had hoped they would be. Until recently, there has been surprisingly little empirical study on electronic voting systems in the areas of security, accessibility, usability, and cost. The result is that jurisdictions are making purchasing decisions and are adopting laws and procedures that do little to promote these goals.In 2006, the Brennan Center released two comprehensive, empirical analyses of electronic voting systems in the United States, The Machinery of Democracy: Protecting Elections in an Electronic World and The Machinery of Democracy: Voting System Security, Accessibility, Usability, and Cost. The Brennan Center continued its study of electronic voting security in Post-Election Audits: Restoring Trust in Elections. Since the Brennan Center initiated its study of electronic voting, it has been called upon to provide expert testimony before Congress and to assist election officials in developing procedures that promote secure and reliable voting systems.
NAACP New York State Conference, et al. v. New York State Board of Elections, et al.
A coalition of groups representing low-income and minority voters sued the New York State and New York City Boards of Elections in US District Court to prevent the use of a voting machine configuration that would lead to tens of thousands of lost votes.
A lawsuit filled by the Brennan Center and other voting rights advocates challenging Florida’s requirement that the driver’s license or Social Security number on a registration form be verified before a voter can be registered to vote.
Washington Association of Churches v. Reed
The Brennan Center has resolved the first lawsuit in the country concerning a new procedure to “match” voter information from one source to another.
Another Voice for Voter Registration Modernization: the D.C. Board of Elections
From the new D.C. Board of Elections report: “The current paper-based, voter-initiated voter registration system in the District and elsewhere in the nation is cumbersome, inefficient and rife with opportunities for error. It is estimated that as many as 10 percent of voter registration records throughout the nation contain an erroneous name, address or birth date.” We respond to their plan….
Can We Register Voters Better? Yes.
Low voter turnout isn’t a result of apathy, but of poor voter registration systems. With a few simple changes—automatic registration, permanent registration through electronic updates, and an Election Day list correction procedure—50 to 65 million eligible voters would be added to the registration rolls. Congress must make this a priority.
Yesterday, Ohio Sec. of State Jennifer Brunner released to Gov. Ted Strickland and the Ohio General Assembly a “blueprint for enhancing Ohio’s elections”....
Illustrations by Risko
New York State Board of Elections Violates Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
New York’s new electronic voting machines have the same problem that caused overvoting problems in Florida’s 2008 election, and, if not corrected, could disenfranchise 40,000 to 50,000 New York voters.
Brennan Center Applauds Ohio’s Bipartisan Election Reform WorkGroup
New York - Earlier this week, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner issued a final report to the House of Representatives regarding HB 260, introduced in August by Representatives Dan Stewart and Tracy Maxwell Heard.
Notice of Unprecleared Voting Change in New York City
The New York State Board of Elections has implemented procedures that deviate from New York law and previous practice in two ways: A: the notification that voters receive when a voter casts an invalid, overvoted ballot; and B: the manner in which the voting system handles that ballot. This letter outlines the details of these procedures and how they diverge from NY law.
Testimony Before the New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations
Testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Governmental Operations regarding Board of Elections oversight, specifically concerning New York’s new voting machines and Board voter registration and list maintenance practices.
Letter to New York State Board of Elections Regarding Overvotes on Optical Scanners
Letter to the New York State Board of Elections from a coalition of civil rights and voting rights groups regarding the high incidence of overvotes seen in voting systems recently adopted in New York.
New Yorkers Call on City and State Boards of Elections to Prevent Disenfranchisement
Here's what public officials, civic groups, computer scientists, and others have to say about the need to change New York's procedure for handling overvoted ballots.
Voter Suppression Incidents 2008
A list of voter suppression incidents from the 2008 election.
State Making Progress on Voting Systems
Editorial points out that the many counties have made great strides in switching over to voter-verified voting machines.