Call it a case of bad initial judgment. John O. Jacoby Jr. on Monday was awarded the victory in a close election for a Lewiston Town Board seat, and the reason has everything to do with the letter between “John” and “Jacoby.” State Supreme Court Justice Frank A. Sedita III ordered the counting of ballots from 43 Lewiston voters who filled in the “O” in Jacoby’s name, instead of the oval for voting on their paper ballots. The computerized scanner that counts Niagara County votes missed those 43 votes because they are programmed to register marks in the oval. The scanner did count 21 ballots for Jacoby on which the voter filled in both the oval and the O. Acting Republican Election Commissioner Michael P. Carney sought to disallow those 21 votes because of the double marking, but Sedita refused.
New York: Watchdog Groups Criticize ‘Cyber Voting’ Plan | Christian Wade/Post Journal
A New York proposal to allow some voters to return ballots over the Internet has been criticized by government watchdogs, who say it would jeopardize cybersecurity and erode confidence in the state’s election system. The proposal, filed by a group of Democratic lawmakers, would allow New Yorkers who are members of the military serving overseas and people with disabilities to submit ballots for federal, state and local elections using “electronic absentee ballots” submitted by email. However, government watchdog groups say there is “broad consensus” that electronic ballot return presents “severe security risks” to the integrity of elections. They point to a recent review by several federal agencies, including the FBI, which found the risk is too high even with security safeguards and other precautions for electronic ballot returning systems. The agencies warn that electronic ballot return “faces significant security risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of voted ballots,” ultimately affecting the tabulation and results of elections. Read Article