Friday, July 14, 2006

Governor Richardson, the BC, and Voting System Security in New York


This week, the National Association of Secretaries of States and the Election Assistance Commission met in Sante Fe, New Mexico. The Brennan Center was in attendance. While we were there, Governor Bill Richardson joined us and Common Cause in calling for better security of voting systems. Here's a picture of the event (that's Larry Norden of the Brennan Center on the left, Barbara Burt of Common Cause on the right, and the Governor in the center).

Where does New York stand in relation to the Brennan Center's recent report on voting system security? We do pretty well, actually. New York has mandated an audit of the voter verified paper records after every election, and banned wireless components on all machines (one of only two states to do so). There is room for improvement to be sure, and the Brennan Center will soon be releasing reports on the usability, accessibility and cost of systems (all areas where New York does not fare so well) -- still, on this score, New York seems ahead of the curve.

Categories: General, Voting

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