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Time for a New Voting System |
From the Washington Post
Thursday, February 23, 2006; Page A18
Defending the Diebold Accuvote-TS paperless voting machines, Linda H.
Lamone, the Maryland elections administrator, said, "We've spent a lot of money
on the system, and we're literally going to be throwing it all away" [Metro,
Feb. 17]. That's like having a car that breaks down every time it goes on the
road and saying, "We bought a lemon, but there's nothing we can do about
it."
Four years ago, ignoring nearly unanimous advice to the contrary by a
committee of experts she had convened, Ms. Lamone persuaded her board to buy the
Diebold Election Systems equipment. The company since has been accused in
various locations of violating state and federal laws. A recent test in Florida
showed that the machines are open to undetectable manipulation.
Maryland's governor and legislators have expressed doubts about the
reliability and trustworthiness of Diebold, yet as other states abandon
paperless voting systems, Ms. Lamone clings to her bad choice.
As a first step toward getting rid of this untrustworthy, paperless voting
system, Maryland should lease optical-scan paper ballot systems for this year's
primary and general elections. After that, Maryland should move to a permanent
solution that provides voters with the security and transparency they seek and
deserve.
MICHAEL BERLA
Columbia |
