In support of House Bill 196
An Act to Ensure Secure Voting Equipment

Testimony submitted to the Joint Committee Election Laws

By Linda Freedman, LWVMA Election Process and Voting Rights Specialist

 August 15, 2011

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) supports House Bill 196 because it ensures that only paper ballots and only voting systems that use paper ballots will continue to be used in Massachusetts.

While we currently vote on paper ballots, there is no existing statute to guarantee this practice will continue. Without a law to that effect, we risk the possibility that this could change. This nearly happened when Massachusetts was ordered to provide special voting equipment for the disabled, including paperless electronic machines for the blind. Our Secretary of State opted to rent (not purchase) different kinds of voting equipment for the disabled. These were used and tested in a statewide election. All but one of them, a ballot marking device, were found to be inadequate in serving the needs of disabled voters.

Paper ballots are recountable and can be audited.   Current paperless voting systems are not recountable. In an actual recount, only paper ballots can be accurately tallied, where paperless equipment can only provide the same numbers. In addition, paper ballots provide greater secrecy and the ability to verify the voter's intent.

Paper ballots save time and money, as many voters can fill out paper ballots at the same time. It takes only a few seconds to cast each ballot in an optical scanner. Touch screen machine are more expensive and require more machines, since the take longer for each vote. Polling places that employ the touch screen machines are more likely to have long lines of voters, discouraging untold numbers of potential voters from participating. Security needs for paperless voting equipment are also more costly.

The League of Women Voters has a long history of protecting voting rights, dating to its origin. In 2004, the League determined that "in order to ensure integrity and voter confidence in elections..." systems and procedures should be "secure, accurate, recountable and accessible." In 2006, the League further clarified their position with a resolution stating, "Voting systems should be easy to use, administer and understand...." In addition, it states, "The position on the Citizens' Right to Vote can be interpreted to affirm that LWVUS supports only voting systems that are designed so that:

1. they employ a voter-verifiable paper ballot or other paper record, said paper being the official record of the voter's intent; and
2. the voter can verify, either by eye or with the aid of suitable devices for those who have impaired vision, that the paper ballot/record accurately reflects his or her intent; and 
3. such verification takes place while the voter is still in the process of voting; and
4. the paper ballot/record is used for audits and recounts; and
5. the vote totals can be verified by an independent hand count of the paper ballot/record; and
6. routine audits of the paper ballot/record in randomly selected precincts can be conducted in every election, and the results published by the jurisdiction." www.lwvma.org/voting.shtml

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts strongly urges the Joint Committee on Election Laws to pass House Bill 196 out of Committee with a positive vote and do everything you can to make it the law in Massachusetts.