
How Political Lobbyists are Rocking the Vote in New York City
Errol Louis
Thursday, December 31st 2009
Ten political insiders you've never heard of are about to cast a historic vote replacing New York City's lever-driven walk-in voting booths with modern scanners that many say are unreliable.
There's been precious little news coverage of the runup to a Board of Elections vote scheduled for Tuesday, when the 10 commissioners will select between two competing corporations vying for an estimated $38 million contract - that's certain to grow over time - to supply and service the new machines and train people in their use.
But this is no ordinary government contract decision. At stake is nothing less than the future of democracy, and whether New York City voters will have their ballots properly and accurately counted.
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New York is on the verge of turning our future voting process over to an unelected clique of people pursuing profits and power. That's no way to run a democracy.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/12/31/2009-12-31_how_lobbyists_are_rocking_the_vote_in_ny.html