Support Post-Election Audits for Iowa this November
By Sean Flaherty, IVI
Dear Friends,
We are close to victory in the fight for paper ballot systems in Iowa, but we need your help on an equally important component of secure elections: random hand audits. Time is short, but there is still active discussion of audits this year.
Please contact Secretary of State Michael Mauro at 515-281-5204 and urge him to support legislation to require hand-count audits of the 2008 election.
Background
Voter-marked paper ballots are the foundation of a reliable voting system. But paper ballots offer security only if we use them to check the software that reads the ballots and tallies our votes. And the computer voting systems we use in elections have grave vulnerabilities. Don't take our word for it, though. Here is a sample of what software experts say about security and the need for audits:
University of Iowa professor Douglas Jones, one of the world's experts on voting technology, stated in an affidavit in Pennsylvania court this year that hand counted audits are the only defense against weaknessess found by recent security reviews: "..the only effective defenses against the weaknesses discovered by the California TTBR [top-to-bottom review] and the Ohio EVEREST studies is the defense mandated by Pennsylvania law 25 P.S. 3013.7, a recount of a random sample of the ballots cast in an election."* The Ohio and California reviews included all of the voting systems used in Iowa, including paper ballot/optical scan systems.
The Brennan Center's Task Force on Voting System Security wrote in 2006: "The value of paper ballots without the Automatic Routine Audits is highly questionable, " (p. 83). The Task Force included Professor Jones, Ron Rivest, professor of computer science of MIT and one of the founders of the field of computer security, and Howard Schmidt, former chief security officer of the Microsoft Corporation. When a team that includes Microsoft's security officer says we need hand audits to secure our elections, we should listen.
Secretary Mauro supports post-election audits; it's a matter of getting it done this year. Please be sure to thank him for his support of paper ballot systems, but let him know that an election with no check on the software counting our votes is not an option in 2008.
Thank you for all you do.
Best regards,
Sean Flaherty
Co-Chair, Iowans for Voting Integrity
* Certification of Douglas W. Jones, Ph.D. Submitted to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, January 23, 2008.
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Thursday, February 28
Support Post-Election Audits for Iowa this November
by
Sam Garchik
on Thu 28 Feb 2008 01:17 PM CST
Wednesday, February 6
Holy Primaries, Batman, It's still close! (And More from IVI)
by
Sam Garchik
on Wed 06 Feb 2008 11:14 AM CST
Holy Primaries, Batman, It's still close! (And More from IVI)
By IVI Cnn has Clinton at 783, and Obama at 709. Last night, some pundit said that a Clinton lead of 100 would be bad for Obama. It might, in fact, be even closer than you think! Well, he's got it down to 74. The Verified Voting struggle continues. This time, it's a letter from IVI to the gov.. February 5, 2008 The Honorable Chet Culver Governor of the State of Iowa State Capitol Des Moines, IA 50319 Dear Governor Culver, We write this morning to extend great thanks for your statements regarding optical scan voting systems on yesterday's Iowa Public Radio program “The Exchange.” Asked about the current discussion over new voting equipment for Iowa's counties, you observed that precinct-based optical scan systems are clearly the best form of voter-verifiable paper trail, and you expressed hope that counties move toward such a system by this November. Thank you for moving the discussion forward. We would respectfully urge you to agree to full state funding for the purchase of precinct-based optical scan technology. When you advised Iowa's counties in 2005 to use their federal HAVA dollars to purchase systems with a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT), it was thought by most stakeholders that the VVPAT printers would be adequate to address the need for verifiable, recountable elections. We have since learned that this is not the case. Even had all of Iowa's counties followed your good advice, we would still find ourselves in the same position we find ourselves today: looking for funds to establish a statewide system of precinct-based optical scan. Other states that had the foresight to enact laws requiring voter-verifiable paper trails are moving in the direction of establishing universal optical scan systems, and with good reason. The paper trail printers do not provide adequate protection to the voters' ballots. The paper-trail printers have mechanical problems, and have lost votes in a number of recent elections. Most recently, in the November 2007 elections on Cleveland, Ohio's Cuyahoga County, 20 per cent of VVPAT printouts were unreadable. The risk of such a problem in an Iowa election is not acceptable. In addition to mechanical problems, the printers are subject to manipulation. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen commissioned a top-to-bottom review of voting systems in 2007, and the findings by computer scientists who carried out the review show that the paper trail is not secure.. The VVPAT printers for the Premier touch screens, which are used in 71 counties, can be compromised with ease in less than a minute, and the ballots printed on them destroyed. Computer scientists commissioned by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner found that printer jams can be created simply by pressing against the transparent casing of the printer, causing all records printed afterward to be unreadable. For these reasons, states that already have paper trails are in the process of changing to precinct-based optical scan. California's Secretary of State Bowen has severely restricted the use of touch screens in today's primary, and has expressed a strong preference for optical scan. In January, Colorado's Governor Ritter and a bipartisan team of lawmakers announced a plan to advance legislation requiring precinct-based optical scan in the state this November. And following the printer problems last November, Ohio Secretary of State Brunner ordered Cuyahoga County to scrap its touch screens and adopt optical scan. Federal legislation also provides incentive not to spend state funds on printers. Legislation now moving forward in Congress would offer reimbursement for the purchase of new optical scan equipment, but not for new VVPAT printers. If the state spends money on VVPAT, it will likely not see the money again. Incentives aside, there is also a strong possibility that Congress will ban the printers in the next several years. In closing, we recognize that Iowa counties have historically been financially responsible for the conduct of elections. But we find ourselves with an extraordinary situation, in which a hastily created federal mandate has created with voting equipment that is simply not acceptable. The state could provide full funding for the purchase of optical scan systems, while making clear that this funding is a recognition of the unique present circumstances, rather than a relieving of long-standing county responsibilities. Your view that precinct-based optical scan is the best voting system for Iowa is shared by the Secretary of State, and by leading lawmakers in both major parties. Full state funding is feasible, if the cost is borne over the next three years. This moment of consensus offers Iowa a historic opportunity to create a uniform, first-rate voting system. It would be a tragedy for Iowa's voters if this opportunity slips away. We ask for you to make a magnanimous exception to historical precedent, and approve funding for a voting system we all believe would best serve the voters of Iowa. Sincerely, Sean Flaherty Carole Simmons Co-Chairs, Iowans for Voting Integrity www.IowansForVotingIntegrity.org cc Jamie Cashman, James Larew Monday, February 4
Tell Governor Culver: Iowans Deserve Paper Ballots Statewide
by
Sam Garchik
on Mon 04 Feb 2008 08:40 AM CST
Tell Governor Culver: Iowans Deserve Paper Ballots Statewide
By Sean Flaherty, IVI Great story in the Sunday Register, quoting frequent contribs Flaherty and Depew. Guys, keep up the good work. The rest of us? urge the gov to follow Mauro's lead. Dear Friends, Iowa is very close to adopting a statewide paper ballot system in time for the 2008 elections. We need your help to make sure this happens. Click here to sign Verified Voting's alert urging Governor Culver and legislators to fund paper ballot voting systems, with optical scanners and ballot-marking devices for voters with disabilities. Then please forward this on. Voter-marked paper ballots provide the most reliable record of the voter's intent. An article in yesterday's Des Moines Register shows how close we are to this badly needed reform. See here for a summary of reasons that paper ballots are superior to a "paper trail." Timing is crucial, and we need you to send a message today. Take one minute to send a message to the Governor and the legislature. Click here to fill out the form, and your message will be sent automatically. Thank you for all you do! Best regards, Sean Flaherty |
Iowa Sites Child & Family Policy Center - Iowa Genetic Engineering Action Network Iowa Citizen Action Network - ICAN Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO Iowa Physicians for Social Responsibility Iowa Public Interest Research Group Midwest Environmental Justice Advocates Progressive Action for the Common Good Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa QCAD (Quad-Citians Affirming Diversity - GLBT) Iowa Blogs The Deprogrammer (Quad Cities) Iowa True Blue (Gordon Fischer's Blog) Iowa Voters for Open and Transparent Elections Political FalloutFight Iowa Rapid Response Network - Iowa
Iowans for Better Local TV
Air America
The Counterpoint
National FAIR: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media Matters for America
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