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<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>All, forgive the length of this message, but I thought
this was easier than an attachment. The below is the text of Aimee Allaud’s
(LWVNYS Elections Specialist) presentation at the New York State Association of
Counties conference last week. She was on a panel that included representatives
from the NYS Board of Elections (Bob Brehm, Public Information office and Paul
Collins, Counsel) and a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">county</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">BoE</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> Dem commissioner. It’s
a great reminder of the goals of HAVA and a good summary of the need and
requirement to replace the lever machines.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Maggie Moehringer, LWVNYS VP for Voter Service<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>NYSAC HAVA Panel – September 17, 2009<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Aimee Allaud, Elections Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>NYS League of Women Voters<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Thank you
for the invitation and opportunity to discuss the implications for <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State> counties of
implementing the Help America Vote Act. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Introduction
– NYVV and LWVNYS<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
League of Women Voters of New York State is a nonpartisan political
organization which encourages informed and active participation in government
and works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences
public policy through education and advocacy. Voting is fundamental to being
a citizen and the League has worked on the issues surrounding exercise of the
franchise since women became enfranchised in 1920. We work in coalition with
many other like-minded organizations to educate voters and to advocate for laws
which will secure the integrity of the vote while expanding opportunities for
using it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>One of
our partners in the process to implement the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) has
been New Yorkers for Verified Voting (NYVV). NYVV, like the League, is a
nonpartisan, not for profit organization whose mission is to ensure that all
eligible citizens can vote, and that their votes will be accurately counted.
Both NYVV and the League endorsed a voting system based on voter-marked paper
ballots. This goal was achieved when the paper ballot-scanner voting system was
chosen by <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State>
counties in 2008. We advocated for the paper ballot-ballot marker-scanner
system because with rigorous procedures and citizen oversight it is effective
in ensuring both access and accuracy. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Lever
retention vs HAVA <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Our
organizations fully support the changeover from lever voting machines to the
voter marked paper ballot system. While there continues to be disagreement whether
HAVA requires replacement of lever machines, NYVV, LWVNYS, and many other
organizations representing many constituencies, believe that newer technology
can provide better verifiability and a voter verifiable paper record that is
the official record of the voter’s intent. Copies of the joint
NYVV/LWVNYS statement, “Do Lever Machines Provide a Better Voting System
for Democracy?” by Wanda Warren Berry and Aimee Allaud, February, 2009
have been provided to the Association and attendees at the panel today. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>An
additional resource is the NYVV paper entitled, “Lever Machines and the
Help American Vote Act,” February 12, 2009, available on the NYVV
website, www.nyvv.org which cites the sections of HAVA that are clear and
unambiguous about the requirement to replace mechanical lever machines. The
primary reference is Title III, Section 301, which requires that the voting
system shall produce a permanent paper record with a manual audit capacity and
that the voting system shall provide the voter with an opportunity to change
the ballot or correct any error before the permanent paper record is produced.
The secondary citation (HAVA Title 1, section 102) requires that states which
take Federal funding to replace lever machines must use the funds to replace those
machines. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">New York</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> has accepted and
used these funds. HAVA clearly states that in this case lever machines must be
replaced. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>New York</span></font></st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Responsibilities</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> under
HAVA<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
familiar lever voting machine, though it has performed fairly well for over 100
years, does not meet current standards for voting systems. The League and
other election integrity organizations recognized that our efforts should be
directed toward selecting a voting system based on voter marked paper ballots and
establishing through legislation the highest standards for certification of the
new voting equipment. The Election Reform and Modernization Act of 2005
implements the Federal law and, indeed, goes beyond that law, to set higher
standards for accessibility, certification of voting equipment, and
post-election auditing by local boards of elections. The lever machines cannot
meet these standards. They cannot truly be audited since they provide no
record of individual votes. To provide accessibility, counties have to deploy
another machine with completely different technology. A local elections
commissioner commented, “with the optical scanner system, we now have
two records to compare to verify the vote: a machine count and the paper
ballots. With the levers we have had no backup to recount the vote; all we
can do is rechecking the numbers on the machine to make sure the inspectors
recorded them correctly.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>HAVA
provides a “carrot” in the amount of approximately $220 M. dollars
to New York State to purchase new voting equipment, upgrade the state’s
voter registration system, improve accessibility of poll sites, and improve
education and training of election officials and voters. <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State> and the counties must also provide
5% funding matches for certain requirements imposed by HAVA.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Under the
Constitution, the states bear special responsibilities to protect the right to
vote and the integrity of our elections. In <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State>, the State Board of Elections is
vested with the responsibility for administration and enforcement of laws
relating to elections. County boards of election have the primary
responsibility for registration and election operations. (1)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Examples
of the many functions which county boards of election perform can be found on
the Albany County BOE website, at www.albanycounty.com., however, this
description does not include the expanded functions and duties which county
boards of elections will be obligated to perform because of HAVA and ERMA
mandates.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Implied
under the Help America Vote Act is joint responsibility between the State and
the counties for administering the mandates to be implemented. Historically,
the operations of county boards of elections have been funded solely by county
legislatures through the budget processes. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>(1)
“Voting Matters in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State>:
Participation, Choice, Action, Integrity,” Office of Attorney General
Eliot Spitzer, February 12, 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Now, the
federal and state governments need to find ways to assist counties with the
unexpected costs involved in the transition to the new voting system in order
to achieve the goals of HAVA.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>ERMA gave
the counties the power to choose the new equipment, but it also placed
increased responsibility for supporting a highly technical operation on the
local boards of elections. The additional mandates placed on county boards of
elections resulting from both HAVA and ERMA will increase the need for:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>1. skilled
personnel in-house to perform technical operations functions and provide
additional training for poll workers <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>2. adequate
environmentally controlled and physically secure storage for electronic voting
machines, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>3. intensive
recruitment to increase the pool of election inspectors and provide sufficient
training on new voting machines and election procedures,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>4. additional
personnel to perform the mandatory 3% manual audit. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Additional
state funding directly to the counties for purchasing equipment such as digital
printers to print ballots in-house could address the major on-going cost (paper
ballots) and give counties independence from reliance on vendors. New York
State Board of Elections officials have said that HAVA funds may be used to
purchase these printers if they meet <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">New
York</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
requirements. Large counties may need to purchase their own printer but
smaller adjacent counties could combine funds to purchase a
“regional” printer. A resource for information on ballot printing
costs is “Facts About Ballot Printing Costs,” by Marge Acosta,
NYVV, July, 2007, available at nyvv.org. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Collaborative
arrangements among adjacent counties for purchasing equipment and services,
such as privacy booths, accessories, training costs, <st1:place w:st="on">EMS</st1:place>
ballot programming, consultants’ services, could be incentivized by state
assistance. The NYSBOE should investigate authorizing the use of HAVA money
for Election Management Systems (EMS) purchase, as well as other systems
support funds.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>New York</span></font></st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> counties have
recognized in theory that regional collaborations of government could produce
economies and efficiencies of scale. County boards of elections functions in
implementing HAVA and ERMA could be the opportunities needed to jump start the
exploration of such efforts. The Lundine Commission on Local Government
Efficiency and Competitiveness (April 2008) also “encourages regional
solutions, cooperative services and consolidation” where possible as one
of its recommendations for the delivery of local government services. The New
York State Association of Counties could be the facilitator between the
counties to explore ways of meeting HAVA and ERMA mandates efficiently and
cost-effectively. The Association could also advocate with the Legislature to
recognize that voter education is also the key to successful elections,
especially when introducing a new system. As we transition to the new voting
technology, additional funds are needed to prepare the electorate and to train
election personnel. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The
mandated changes to <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:State>’s
election system have the ability to improve the administration of elections and
the experience of voting for all voters. Anecdotal evidence from around the
state suggests some unevenness in the seriousness with which election officials
are taking HAVA’s challenge to improve the accessibility and
verifiability of our elections. We hope NYSAC will encourage realization of
the importance of these goals. We also hope that we can find ways to work
together to obtain federal and state financial help for the counties. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Thank
You.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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