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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
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