Verified Voting Blog: Disappointing Reversal on Transparency and Security for Washington Elections

A bill aimed at reducing restriction to voting for military and other overseas voters passed the Washington State Senate by a 47-1 vote on Friday.  Senate Bill 5171 contains many provisions that will certainly make voting easier for Washington citizens living overseas including moving the primary election date two weeks earlier and meeting requirements of the Federal MOVE Act for mailing of absentee ballots 45 days prior to the election. We strongly support those provisions.

However, the bill also will allow for the acceptance of absentee ballots returned by email and fax. In addition to requiring, by affidavit, that voters returning their ballots electronically forego the secrecy of their ballot, it also makes the state’s elections vulnerable to tampering and error.

It is deeply disappointing that Secretary of State Sam Reed has actively supported this legislation. No one experienced the 2004 Gregoire/Rossi gubernatorial recount process more directly than Secretary Reed. That race, ultimately decided by 133 votes, stretched the issue of voter confidence to its absolute limits, and Secretary Reed, to his credit, did what he could to be available through and transparent about every step of the recount process. But the involved parties could not review voters’ intent for over 113,000 ballots, because at that time, Washington State used paperless electronic voting machines in two of the larger counties. The only votes that could be truly recounted were the paper ballots.

The Voting News Daily: EAC to investigate ES&S Unity System, Another Delay in TN?, GA court upholds voter ID law

Disappointing Reversal on Transparency and Security for Washington Elections | Verified Voting Blog

A bill aimed at reducing restriction to voting for military and other overseas voters passed the Washington State Senate by a 47-1 vote on Friday. Senate Bill 5171 contains many provisions that will certainly make voting easier for Washington citizens living overseas including moving the primary election date two weeks earlier and meeting requirements of the Federal MOVE Act for mailing of absentee ballots 45 days prior to the election. We strongly support those provisions. However, the bill also will allow for the acceptance of absentee ballots returned by email and fax. In addition to requiring, by affidavit, that voters returning their ballots electronically forego the secrecy of their ballot, it also makes the state’s elections vulnerable to tampering and error.

It is deeply disappointing that Secretary of State Sam Reed has actively supported this legislation. No one experienced the 2004 Gregoire/Rossi gubernatorial recount process more directly than Secretary Reed. That race, ultimately decided by 133 votes, stretched the issue of voter confidence to its absolute limits, and Secretary Reed, to his credit, did what he could to be available through and transparent about every step of the recount process. But the involved parties could not review voters’ intent for over 113,000 ballots, because at that time, Washington State used paperless electronic voting machines in two of the larger counties. The only votes that could be truly recounted were the paper ballots.

With the experience of the 2004 recount under its belt, supported by Secretary Reed, Washington has moved consistently towards a more recountable voting system statewide. In 2004, Mr. Reed called for voter-verified paper records for every vote cast, so that “voters who cast ballots electronically can verify that their selections have been recorded properly using a paper audit trail” saying that the new policy was all about “ensuring voter trust.” Yet SB 5171 will overturn that policy for military and overseas voters. Read More

AL: Man honored for defense of black voting rights – WSFA 12 News

Inspirational songs followed stories and memories you’d only find in history books as civil rights era icons were honored at the National Voting Rights Museum as part of the second day of the annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee. One man–John Doar–a white attorney who worked for the U.S. Department of Justice came to Selma in the 1960s to represent African Americans who were denied the right to vote. “We did it without fear or favor. We went right down the line as law enforcement officers,” says Doar. He says whites were allowed to vote simply because they were white. But, even the most educated black person couldn’t register–which was against the law. “Since they were always on the right side because they were discriminated…it always seemed like we were helping them,” adds Doar. Read More

GA: Top Georgia court upholds state’s voter ID law – Washington Post

Georgia’s top court has upheld a state law that requires voters to show photo identification before they cast ballots.