January 24, 2006

"Yolo rejects electronic voting machines"

"Yolo County has chosen to reject electronic voting machines in favor of a "zero-tech" ballot upgrade for the 2006 elections.

Local officials said concerns about security and verifiability of votes are what led to the decision to pursue the new voting system, which involves paper ballots.

Yolo County Clerk Recorder Freddie Oakley said an investigation of electronic machines for the ballot upgrade revealed its shortcomings.

"It is a huge nightmare," Oakley said. "I was in negotiations for about a year before I said 'I'm done.'"

Oakley said problems arose when Elections Systems and Software, the only manufacturer certified to sell electronic voting systems in California, would not allow the county to monitor or investigate its maintenance technicians.

Oakley also noted that the technology was generally too susceptible to tampering and hacking, and therefore was not ideal for use in the county.

"This is an industry where there have been convictions for bribery," Oakley said. "This is also an industry where one line of code can change outcomes."

Oakley said she knew early on that California's move toward electronic voting systems would not sit well with some voters, but she would never have predicted so much opposition."

You can read the story here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at January 24, 2006 08:25 AM