I was in the audience at the AAUW meeting Tuesday night in Bradenton and I enjoyed your presentation.  However, I thought you were too dismissive of my question about the possibility of voter fraud using the electronic machines. There is overwhelming evidence that it not only is possible, but has probably already taken place.  You said that I was entitled to my opinion.  We are all entitled to our opinions, but we are not entitled to have them be right.  I believe my opinion is based on ample evidence, and I hope you will take the time to watch this presentation on PBS.

Myra Jones
Bradenton, Florida

On Friday, October 20, 2006, the PBS weekly newsmagazine NOW
will present a special hour-long episode into the fight to keep
American elections free and fair across the country. Called
“Votes for Sale?”, the show will spotlight the Clean Elections
movement that has taken hold in Maine and Arizona as well as
talk about campaigns to win Clean Elections across the country.

“Votes for Sale?” will air Friday, October 20 on PBS stations
nationwide. Check local listings

Dear Myra:

Vote fraud is a serious concern of citizens and election officials alike.  The integrity of our election system must be protected. It is vitally important that all dimensions of our election system be vigilantly monitored by citizens like you to ensure the integrity of our democratic system.  I commend you for your interest in the issue. As was discussed at the forum, election fraud can surface at virtually every stage of the electoral process—from registration to actual balloting—and can involve both machines and people.

In Florida, absentee ballot fraud has long been a serious problem. A mayoral race in Miami was overturned by the courts due to rampant registration of ineligible (including deceased) persons. Incidents of misuse and abuse of the absentee balloting process among the elderly and the mentally disabled have been documented as well. 
Electronic voting machines, like all forms of voting equipment, can malfunction or be subject to tampering. You are quite correct that there is considerable concern about their reliability. However, to date, there has been no consensus as to electronic voting machine flaws. 

One of the best studies comparing the strengths and weaknesses of all types of election voting equipment has just been completed by the Brennan Center For Justice.  The report is titled The Machinery of Democracy: Voting System Security, Accessibility, Usability, and Cost. The report concludes:

The Brennan Center analysis finds that there is not yet any perfect voting system or set of procedures. One system might be more affordable, but less accessible to members of the disabled community; certain election procedures might make the systems easier to use, but they compromise security. Election officials and community members should be aware of the trade-offs when choosing one voting system or set of procedures over another, and they should know how to improve the system they choose.

The Brennan Center report can be accessed at:
http://www.brennancenter.org/programs/dem_vr_hava_machineryofdemocracy.html

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