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SB 500 - Reddy Urges Senate To Go Much Further To Secure Voting Rights
Mar. 7, 2006 -
Atlanta - Responding to the Georgia Senate’s vote to approve a pilot program to test paper receipts for electronic voting, Shyam Reddy, leading candidate for Secretary of State, urged lawmakers to impose stronger measures to secure the voting rights of citizens.
The legislation currently under consideration would allow voters to verify their electronic vote by comparing it to a printed paper receipt in three pilot precincts in Bibb, Camden and Cobb counties this November. Unfortunately, Reddy believes the Senate plan has several major flaws:
• Paper receipts would only be used in the event of a challenge or a recount, after the election had taken place;
• The proposal requires the state to use controversial Diebold equipment instead of providing an opportunity to test equipment from other manufacturers;
• The proposal jeopardizes the confidentiality of the voting process by failing to mandate individual receipts for each voter; instead allowing for a continuous spool of paper that could be used in a manner that could determine the votes of electors.
“This is another example of mediocre, inadequate and incomplete legislation that fails to address the real concerns of Georgians,” said Reddy. “We must go further and do better to protect voting rights in this state and restore public confidence in our system, which is why I’m proposing a comprehensive plan to improve the system and preserve our voting rights.”
In contrast to the Senate’s measures, Reddy’s voting rights plan calls for a state-wide paper trail coupled with a pre-certification audit process—a tougher security mechanism for the elections process. Reddy’s voting rights plan will go further by:
• Ensuring voter verifiable paper receipts
• Mandating that a sampling of the paper receipts in each precinct be taken to make sure it matches the electronic results prior to certification
• Requiring manual recounts for any precincts in which a discrepancy exists between the paper and electronic results prior to certification
“It’s vital that any paper trail legislation do two things; enhance voter confidence and ensure the accuracy of Georgia’s election results on election day,” said Reddy. “My proposal does both. Unfortunately, the proposal passed by the Georgia Senate does neither.” |
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