NJ Voting Accessibility, Auditability and Accuracy
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Author:
n/a -
Send To:
New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Elections
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Sponsored By:
the NJ Task Force on Voting Rights -
More Info at:
This petition asks the New Jersey Attorney General to advocate for the right to vote for all citizens by certifying only those voting machines that meet the highest national standards of accuracy and handicap accessibility. Further, the signatories ask the Attorney General to certify only those voting systems that provide certainty as to the accuracy and security of the vote by immediately meeting the state requirement for a voter verified auditable paper record, and by demanding independent audit capability.
BACKGROUND
New Jersey is replacing voting machines in conjunction with the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
HAVA requires that private, independent voting be accessible to all, regardless of physical disability or language limitation. Today's voting machines must meet new standards of accessibility, with audio devices and adjustable displays for the visually impaired, as well as height requirements for wheelchair-bound voters. They also must meet the latest error rate standards.
In addition to HAVA features, NJ law requires that all machines be outfitted with a voter-verified auditable paper record by 2008. While the machines purchased need not provide a paper record today, it will be required soon. This retrofit should be readily available as soon as possible and at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
As stewards of the election process and of taxpayer dollars, the Attorney General's office must ensure that all voters are able to use a federally certified voting system that meets all the Americans with Disabilities Association compliance criteria, as well as the highest standards of federal certification available. To do otherwise disenfranchises groups of voters and risk the possibility of costly, disruptive, and easily avoided lawsuits. It is irresponsible to spend taxpayer dollars on antiquated equipment that will be unduly expensive to bring up to date by 2008, if such upgrade is even possible.
Many counties have not replaced voting machines for 30 years. It could be 30 more before we again have the chance to remedy the problems of todays voting machines. The time to ensure full voter access and complete voter confidence is now.
OUR DEMANDS
New Jersey citizens demand a voting system that:
1. employs modern voting technology, not antiquated processors that can't be upgraded;
2. is certified to all of the highest possible federal standards;
3. employs all possible accessibility features to ensure privacy and ease of use by the disabled;
4. can easily and inexpensively be updated (or already possess the capacity) to provide a voter verified auditable paper record, as required by NJ law;
5. is manufactured by a company with an unblemished record of integrity; and
6. produces results that can be independently verified through the use of random, mandatory audits.
BACKGROUND
New Jersey is replacing voting machines in conjunction with the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
HAVA requires that private, independent voting be accessible to all, regardless of physical disability or language limitation. Today's voting machines must meet new standards of accessibility, with audio devices and adjustable displays for the visually impaired, as well as height requirements for wheelchair-bound voters. They also must meet the latest error rate standards.
In addition to HAVA features, NJ law requires that all machines be outfitted with a voter-verified auditable paper record by 2008. While the machines purchased need not provide a paper record today, it will be required soon. This retrofit should be readily available as soon as possible and at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
As stewards of the election process and of taxpayer dollars, the Attorney General's office must ensure that all voters are able to use a federally certified voting system that meets all the Americans with Disabilities Association compliance criteria, as well as the highest standards of federal certification available. To do otherwise disenfranchises groups of voters and risk the possibility of costly, disruptive, and easily avoided lawsuits. It is irresponsible to spend taxpayer dollars on antiquated equipment that will be unduly expensive to bring up to date by 2008, if such upgrade is even possible.
Many counties have not replaced voting machines for 30 years. It could be 30 more before we again have the chance to remedy the problems of todays voting machines. The time to ensure full voter access and complete voter confidence is now.
OUR DEMANDS
New Jersey citizens demand a voting system that:
1. employs modern voting technology, not antiquated processors that can't be upgraded;
2. is certified to all of the highest possible federal standards;
3. employs all possible accessibility features to ensure privacy and ease of use by the disabled;
4. can easily and inexpensively be updated (or already possess the capacity) to provide a voter verified auditable paper record, as required by NJ law;
5. is manufactured by a company with an unblemished record of integrity; and
6. produces results that can be independently verified through the use of random, mandatory audits.
141 Signatures
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Rosalie Efthim
- Town, County
- Flemington (Hunterdon)
- Comments
- This is common sense.
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Katherine Joyce
- Town, County
- Montclair, NJ
- Comments
- New Jersey should show leadership, now
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Mark Fresolone
- Town, County
- Clinton Township, Hunterdon
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Jay Kappraff
- Town, County
- South Orange, NJ
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Patricia C. Kenschaft
- Town, County
- Montclair, Essex
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Lois Rosenkrantz
- Town, County
- Bloomfield, Essex County
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Bernard Rosenkrantz
- Town, County
- Bloomfield, Essex County
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Bob Flisser
- Town, County
- Branchburg, NJ
- Comments
- Accurate and honest elections are at the core of democracy.
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Sara Lazarus
- Town, County
- Millburn, Essex
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Timothy Koechlin
- Town, County
- Montclair, Essex County
- Comments
- The integrity of the vote is the foundation of our democracy. I hope that New Jersey will take the lead in ensuring that we can be sure of an accurate, verifiable vote.
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Estefania Calis
- Town, County
- Livingston, Essex County
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Jeff Gardner
- Town, County
- Hawthorne, Passaic
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Benjamin Feldman
- Town, County
- Montclair, Essex
- Comments
- В
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Karen R. Searle
- Town, County
- Berkeley Heights (Union County)
- Comments
- "Freedom and Democracy" start at the ballot box, in THIS country, in THIS state, and in THIS county, FIRST!
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steve pomerantz
- Town, County
- princeton, mercer
- Comments
- В
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Rich Janow
- Town, County
- Essex County
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Barry Kolb
- Town, County
- Jackson, Ocean
- Comments
- В
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Jason Genser
- Town, County
- Perth Amboy, Middlesex
- Comments
- We've Made Progress; We Need to Keep Things Moving. Check out this Press Release: http://www.nj.gov/cgi-bin/governor/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=2622
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Bill Bisset
- Town, County
- Dover, Morris County
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Werner Freundlich
- Town, County
- Montclair
- Comments
- The law should also be amended to extend the current January 1, 2006 deadline to allow time for newer versions of DRE's, having current state-of-the-arts software and printers, to be certified. The printers should be designed to separate the ballot from the tape so it can drop into a safe ballot box.
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Jacaalyn Engler
- Town, County
- Westfield, NJ
- Comments
- I support Rep. Russ Holt's HR 550 http://vvlobbydays.blogspot.com
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Karina Wilkinson
- Town, County
- Highland Park, Middlesex
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Brian D. Moore
- Town, County
- Bridgeton, Cumberland
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Jared A. Cook
- Town, County
- East Orange, Essex
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Alan Goldsmith
- Town, County
- Kingston, Middlesex
- Comments
- If ATM machines can provide a paper trail, why cant machines that record our most precious democratic right do the same? I hope its not because the only thing that our government officials respect anymore is the dollar.
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Suzanne Janow
- Town, County
- South Orange, Essex
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Nancy Chiller Janow
- Town, County
- South Orange, Essex
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Daniel C. Janow
- Town, County
- South Orange, Essex
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Eugene I. Gordon
- Town, County
- Mountainside, Union
- Comments
- A democracy without clearly honest voting is no democracy. What you are endorsing is not clearly honest so you are voting against democracy. Handwritten ballots would be better than what you are imposing on us.
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Carolyn Lack
- Town, County
- Montclair, Essex
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Alexander A. Carde
- Town, County
- Bloomfield
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Ian Valentine
- Town, County
- Jackson, Ocean
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Andrew U. Meyer
- Town, County
- Millburn, Essex
- Comments
- В
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Walter J. O'Brien
- Town, County
- Union Township, Hunterdon County
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Carol Mann
- Town, County
- South Orange
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Barry Sussman
- Town, County
- West Orange, Essex
- Comments
- An open source code for voting tabulators is necessary for verifiable results. When the code that counts the vote is in private hands the election is taken away from the public sector and moved to the private. Privatized elections are counter to the democratic process. Without public oversight, the election results will always be in question, therefore weakening the concept of a government of, by and for the people.
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Daniel Z. Levin
- Town, County
- Teaneck, Bergen
- Comments
- Printed receipts for voters; Paper-based audit trail for recounts
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Robert Braun
- Town, County
- Rockaway, Morris
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Howard A. Bousel
- Town, County
- Montclair, Essex County
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Erik B.Anderson
- Town, County
- Independence, Warren
- Comments
- В
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Bobbie Nagel
- Town, County
- Millburn Essex
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Laura S. Cayford
- Town, County
- Asbury Park, Monmouth
- Comments
- We are depending upon you for honest leadership.
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Boris B. Kofman
- Town, County
- Red Bank, Monmouth
- Comments
- В
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eric blackstead
- Town, County
- essex fells, essex county
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Rosary Lescohier
- Town, County
- Morristown
- Comments
- Protect our democratic way of life!
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Tom Morris
- Town, County
- South Orange
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Kathleen Johnson
- Town, County
- Delaware Hunterdon
- Comments
- At the heart of our democracy is the people's trust in their electoral system, whcih has been deeply eroded in the last two elections. As we saw in New Orleans, "civilization" breaks down rapidly when people loose confidence in their governemt.
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Kathleen Johnson
- Town, County
- Delaware Hunterdon
- Comments
- At the heart of our democracy is the people's trust in their electoral system, whcih has been deeply eroded in the last two elections. As we saw in New Orleans, "civilization" breaks down rapidly when people loose confidence in their governemt.
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Chuck Slotkin
- Town, County
- Chatham
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Elizabeth Levy
- Town, County
- Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County
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141
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