Letter opposes any effort by the State Board of Elections to permit the authorization or purchase of full-face DREs as ballot marking devices. Scientific studies show that full-face DREs produce more residual votes than other voting systems compliant with teh Help America Vote Act (“HAVA”) and that the lost votes disproportionately affect low-income voters and voters of color. The Brennan Center filed suit against the New York City Board of Elections because of discriminatory residual votes in 2000 and secured modifications to the City’s lever machines.
Letter is signed by:
Lawrence D. Norden
Counsel, Democracy Program
Aimee Allaud
Elections Specialist, League of Woman Voters of New York State
Susan Lerner
Executive Director, Common Cause New York
Bo Lipari
Executive Director, New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Neal Rosenstein
Government Reform Coordinator, New York Public Interest Research Group