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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=777131215-09032009>Alyssa Fieo is an
attorney with the Maryland Disability Law Center who tracks a lot of the voting
issues in this state for them. This is the email she sent to
several disability related organizations regarding possible voting
legislation. It is an opinion from the Baltimore Sun editorial
page and one I hope the state legislature follows. </SPAN></DIV><BR>
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<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> Alyssa Fieo [mailto:alyssaf@mdlclaw.org]
<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, March 09, 2009 9:25 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Jamey George;
Jamey George; McCarthy, Jim; Michael Benelli<BR><B>Subject:</B> Emailing: Paper
ballot cuts -- baltimoresun.com<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=160392313-09032009>Below is an op ed piece from the
Baltimore Sun that suppots our position regarding the voting system.
</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=160392313-09032009></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=160392313-09032009>Alyssa </SPAN></DIV>
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<P class=date>March 9, 2009</P>
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<H1><A
href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-ed.voting09mar09,0,833960.story"
target="">Paper ballot cuts</A></H1>
<H2>Our view: Caution is in order after Maryland's quest for a voting machine
that is reliable, secure and accessible to the disabled runs into a reality
check</H2>
<DL class=byline><SPAN class=story-byline></SPAN><SPAN
class=story-titleline></SPAN><SPAN class=story-dateline>
<DD>March 9, 2009</SPAN> </DD></DL>
<DIV id=story-body-parent>
<P id=story-body style="CLEAR: left"><SPAN class=dropcap_large>I</SPAN>s it
really possible that a nation that can land a man on the moon and map the human
genome can't produce a voting machine that is reliable, secure and fully
accessible to the disabled? If such a device exists, it couldn't be found in
Maryland last week.<BR><BR>And since last Thursday was the official close of
bidding for the state's next generation of voting machines (this time with an
adequate paper trail), that's troubling news.<BR><BR>The problem may come down
to bad timing. Just as Maryland may have invested in touch-screen machines too
soon after the 2000 election debacle (and before all the bugs were worked out
and potential shortcomings acknowledged), it appears optical-scan machines
aren't necessarily ready for prime time, either - at least not if the physically
disabled are to use them.<BR><BR>As anyone who has voted by optical scan can
attest - and they've been used extensively in Maryland in the past - there is a
two-step process: filling out a ballot and feeding it into a scanner. Because of
this, a person who lacks manual skills can't vote as independently and privately
as state and federal law requires.<BR><BR></P></DIV>
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<DIV id=story-body-parent2>
<P id=story-body2>One compromise would be to invest in optical scan but also
offer touch-screen machines in every polling place and let voters choose to cast
ballots by either device. But during a recession when budgets are tight, who
could justify spending millions of dollars on what would be at best a
transitional hybrid?<BR><BR>At stake is $39 million, no small chunk of change.
And that's not only an expense for the state, it's a burden on local governments
that are scheduled to kick in a first partial payment of $2.5 million this
year.<BR><BR>Certainly, there are serious concerns about the security of the
touch-screen machines. That's why the legislature unanimously approved the move
to a paper ballot two years ago. But if the industry hasn't yet produced an
adequate voting machine replacement - and the federal government hasn't
certified it - the state ought not rush in and throw money at the first
available alternative.<BR><BR>Let's remember: Last year's election was
remarkably trouble-free. Given that experience, the General Assembly's best
choice is to allow the State Board of Elections to stand pat and wait for voting
machine manufacturers to devise a better alternative and for federal authorities
to test and certify it. To do otherwise would be to flagrantly waste taxpayer
dollars at a time when they are more precious than ever.<BR><BR><BR><BR></P>
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