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May 09, 2008 Providing legal resources and election news to California election officials and the attorneys who represent them. |
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« April 2007 | Main | June 2007 » May 10, 2007 "State's electronic voting machines face mass review ""California Secretary of State Debra Bowen Wednesday laid out details of the "top to bottom review" she plans for the state's often criticized electronic voting systems, a review that would include expert "penetration teams" who would try to hack into and sabotage machines. Bowen said in a teleconference Wednesday that her office would contract with the University of California to conduct the $1.8 million review -- to assure voters their elections systems were "secure, accurate and reliable" -- and that she hoped it would be completed by late July. That time frame could give heartburn to county election officials around the state. By law, Bowen has to tell counties if she intends to decertify a ballot system at least six months before an election. California, meanwhile, just moved its presidential primary election up from June 2008 to February 2008. If the review of electronic systems is not finished until late July, counties could have little time to switch to paper or other ballot systems if necessary. Bowen said the review could render three potential results: finding that the various electronic voting machines have no problems, that they do have problems that could be fixed if actions were taken, or that they can't be fixed and should be decertified. "This (timing) is a major concern for San Diego as well as elections officials statewide," San Diego County interim Registrar of Voters Mischelle Townsend said Wednesday. "We have to recruit and train nearly 7,000 volunteer poll workers, and there are a multitude of tasks that must be started six to seven months ahead of the elections." Townsend said elections officials two biggest nightmares were "uncertainty and ambiguity." However, groups that have criticized San Diego County elections officials and the county's Diebold "touch-screen" electronic voting machines said they were pleased that Bowen had acted." The story is here. Posted by Randy Riddle at 07:11 AM | Permalink. . . |
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© 2008 Randy Riddle |
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