SFist: Welcome to the Machines

JD

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:35:15 -0800

Actually, Derek, the touch screen model being purchased (called the AVC Edge II Plus) does not assist the disabled by marking a paper ballot. The machines primarily store the votes electronically. There is a paper audit trail (VVPAT) that the voter is supposed to check in a plastic window. But few voters do this or even know about it. Also, I'm not sure if the paper trail will be used during the audit. This is different from the current ES&S AutoMARK machines for the disabled which do mark a paper ballot. We bought the AutoMARKs only about a year ago, and already they are being replaced? Makes no sense...

Jeffrey W. Baker

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 20:00:03 -0800

I don't get it, Derek. Why are we buying the machines in the first place? It seems like the existing scanners work fine.

Derek

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:53:38 -0800

A few of corrections, about the post: The "paper trail" is not a point of disagreement with Sequoia, and there are no plans to buy any paperless machines. The touch-screen machines are only for assistance with marking paper ballots, which are then counted (and are re-countable) like any other paper ballot. If the deal with Sequoia does not go forward, no new machines will be purchased--the City would simply continue to use the machines that they already have. and the story: The Sequoia contract would not be more economical than using existing machines Disclosing their source could would not compromise the security of the machines, here or anywhere else--it would enhance it. A better article from The Chronicle is available here: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/22/BAGFMO8UDR1.DTL For more information, see the Open Voting Consortium: http://openvoting.org/