A Georgia County has opted to Ditch the State’s New Voting Machines and Switch to Hand-Marked Paper Ballots during Early Voting for the March Presidential Primary, despite a Warning from the County’s Attorney that the Decision could Result in Litigation.
The Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections Voted 3-2 to mothball the New Machines after less than Two days of using them in Early Voting ahead of Georgia’s Presidential Primaries. The Board Ordered Poll Workers to Switch to Paper Ballots Marked by Hand.
Board Chairman Jesse Evans said concerns that Bystanders at the Polls could see the Choices Voters made on the New System’s Touchscreens rendered it impossible to Guarantee Ballot Secrecy.
The March 24th Presidential Primaries mark the First Statewide Test for Georgia's New $103 Million Voting system, which combines Electronic Touchscreens with Printed Ballots to provide a Paper Record of the Vote. Some Election Integrity Advocates have argued the Bright Touchscreens with their Large Fonts make it easy to see how other People are Voting. The other Problem with the System is there is a Bar-Code on the Paper Ballot and that is what is used to Count the Votes. There is No way for the Voter to Know if the Bar-Code represents their Vote.
Georgia Law requires all of the State's 159 Counties to use the New Voting System except when County Election Officials determine that using Electronic Machines becomes “impossible or impracticable.”
Judd Drake, the Attorney for Athens-Clarke County, cautioned Board Members Tuesday that it would be Difficult to Meet that Standard in Court after the County's own Election Supervisor insisted the Machines could be Arranged in a way that Protects Voters' Privacy. “It could present a challenge later on to the board’s decision if the board decides to use the paper ballots," Drake said on an Audio Recording of the Tuesday Meeting available on the Board's Website. He added the Decision would likely Face a Lawsuit by Voters or State Election Officials.
Georgia's New System replaces the Outdated Paperless Touchscreen Machines the State had been using since 2002.
Drake noted that a Judge in another Georgia County had already Rejected an Advocacy Group's Emergency Request to Force a Switch to Hand-Marked Paper Ballots. Superior Court Judge Rucker Smith ruled Monday that the Coalition for Good Governance Failed to Prove it will be “impossible or impracticable” for Sumter County Election Officials to arrange Voting Machines “in a manner that protects the secrecy of the ballot while allowing sufficient monitoring.”
Officials with the Secretary of State's Office have Acknowledged there are Legitimate Privacy Concerns with the New Machines. The Agency recently sent Precinct Layout Diagrams to County Election Officials to help with those Concerns. In a Message to County Election Officials, Chris Harvey, the Director of the Agency's Elections Division, said the Diagrams “illustrate potential problems and solutions to securing voter privacy.”
But Poll Workers still Complained the Touchscreen was still Visible to Poll Workers as they walked around the Site.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
