[NFBMT] ExpressVote: My Public Comment

Thu Aug 29 21:47:17 UTC 2019

We are trying to get an ExpressVote machine to be brought to convention.
That may or may not be possible depending on if there is an election coming
up.

It is my understanding that each polling place will have one machine to start
with.  They are using grant money to purchase them.  So far, not every county
has requested their part of the grant money which would ensure they get a
machine and a tabulator, but most have.

I don't know whether anyone with a disability was consulted for these
machines, but I do know they tried to make sure they are ADA compliant.
Apparently there was some testing done in Missoula in 2017 or 2018, but I
don't know much about that.  Maybe Jim Marks would know, or Travis Hoffman.
I think that is his name, anyway.

They are supposed to by law direct every voter to the ExpressVote machine.
We'll see how that works.

If you have any questions or comments, you can contact Stuart Fuller,
Elections and Voter Services Manager, Secretary of State's Office, by
email at Stuart.Fuller at mt.gov <mailto:Stuart.Fuller at mt.gov> , or by
phone at 406-444-4282, or by sending an email with comments until 5:00 P.M.
on Monday, Labor Day, September 2, to soselections at mt.gov.

----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT <nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Denise via NFBMT
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 11:19 AM
To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List' <nfbmt at nfbnet.org>
Cc: denisejmoses at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [NFBMT] ExpressVote: My Public Comment

Joy,

Does the Express Vote machine look different than a regular voting machine
for the public besides the tactile keypad & audio output?  Why can't they
design an accessible machine that has the same size ballots as everyone else?
In Corvallis the machine is away from the other machines.  Is every machine
in the room going to be the Express vote machine?  If not then people will
know it is for people with disabilities.  I don't know how many machines are
at each polling place.  Every time we have gone to vote it is very busy.
Whoever makes these machines do they consult anyone with a disability or do
they just make sure it is ADA compliant?  I'm sorry for so many questions but
this is what I thought about after hearing your experience testing the
machine in Helena.

We should probably talk about this at state convention & see who we need to
contact with our feedback & questions.

Denise

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMT <nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER via
NFBMT
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2019 10:02 PM
To: soselections at mt.gov
Cc: BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER <breslauerj at gmail.com>
Subject: [NFBMT] ExpressVote: My Public Comment

I was at the ExpressVote demonstration in Helena on Monday, August 26, 2019,
where I was introduced to the ExpressVote by ES&S, which will replace the
AutoMARK for voters with disabilities.

I was impressed with the machine.  As a voter with a disability, my concerns
stem from the fact that I want my voting rights to privacy, secrecy, and
security protected, just like any other citizen does.  The ballots used for
the ExpressVote are not the same size as standard ballots, which means to me
that those ballots can potentially be identified as having been cast by a
person with a disability.  That is why I think it is imperative that the
officials at the polling places incentivize the use of the ExpressVote
machines by every voter, not just those with disabilities.  Don't stick them
off in a corner somewhere where nobody can see them or know where they are.
Provide a privacy screen for the voter.  Make sure the election officials
know how to use the machines, and know how to instruct any voter how to use
them.  My vote should pass secretly from my hand to the privacy envelope to
the ballot box, with no other hands or eyes or minds interfering.  This is
the right of every voter, including me, a right that most people take for
granted and which I have had to fight for and have only enjoyed for the past
eight or ten years.  I have not missed an election for anything since I was
old enough to vote, and I cherish that right and privilege.

 I also would respectfully suggest that if any decisions concerning people
with disabilities are made without consulting us about what we need or want,
that is disrespectful and harmful.  I know these machines were put through an
ADA certification process, but I as an American citizen was not consulted.
Someone without a disability should never make assumptions about what someone
with a disability may need or want or prefer without asking us first.  It is
unconscionable that we were left out of the process.  Please keep that in
mind when making any future decisions concerning American citizens with
disabilities.  We will not stand for being treated like second class
citizens.  Nothing about us without us.

Joy Breslauer, First Vice President, and Advocacy and Public Policy Committee
chair

National Federation of the Blind of Montana

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://www.nfbofmt.org/>

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