December 7, 2004

The American Council of the Blind of Maryland (ACBM), a chapter of the nation’s leading advocacy organization for the blind and partially-sighted, formally endorsed the adoption of an accessible voter verified paper audit trail (AVVPAT) at its annual convention in Baltimore on November 7. The resolution comes in the wake of the 2004 election, during which TrueVoteMD pollwatchers statewide documented hundreds of electronic voting irregularities that, in the worst instances, partially or totally disenfranchised Maryland voters

The ACBM’s action is significant because several prominent disability advocacy groups have opposed the requirement of a paper audit trail in conjunction with computerized voting. They charge that the use of a paper record discriminates against blind or partially-sighted voters who cannot read the printout, and that retrofitting touch-screen machines with printers would delay implementation of a system that, for the first time, allows blind and partially-sighted voters to cast their ballots independently and in private.

But fear of delay in Maryland is moot now that the state has switched to touch-screen voting in all precincts outside the City of Baltimore, which still uses lever machines. As for the discrimination argument, TrueVoteMD has long maintained that there is no need to trade credibility for accessibility because technologies already exist—such as audio-reading software—that would enable blind and partially-sighted voters to check the accuracy of their ballots. In fact, Diebold, a major manufacturer of touch-screen voting systems and the maker of Maryland’s machines, is already under contract with California to provide “accessible voter verified paper audit trail writers” on all the machines it sells to that state.

“Voters who are blind or partially-sighted deserve the same right as sighted voters to verify that the permanent record of their ballots correctly reflects their intent and that it will be preserved for future audit and recount purposes,” said Shelley Fudge, TrueVoteMD Co-Director and Disability Coordinator

More and more disability advocacy groups are starting to agree. Lighthouse International wrote in The New York Times on June 11, 2004 that it sees “no contradiction between accessible voting and verifiable voting” and “supports both concepts in the interest of fair elections.”

Maryland Area Guide Dog Users, Inc. (MAGDUI) also supports the paper audit trail as long as it is made accessible to blind and partially-sighted voters. MAGDUI President and CEO, Gary Norman has expressed concern about the National Federation of the Blind’s rejection of AVVPAT while accepting a financial gift from Diebold, stating that it tarnishes the good faith efforts undertaken by blind advocacy groups to ensure equal voting rights access.

As for the ACBM, the organization “supports improvements to the election process that promote voter confidence in the integrity of the system,” according to Robert Kerr, President of the local chapter in Southern Maryland. “As a voter verifiable paper audit trail would increase voter confidence, the American Council of the Blind of Maryland supports its adoption provided it is made accessible to voters who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise disabled," he said.

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TrueVoteMD is a non-partisan election integrity organization made up of candidates, elected officials, election judges, pollwatchers, and voters from all walks of life who support a voter-verified paper audit trail to ensure the accuracy, transparency and security of elections.

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