PA County's e-voting machines may not be ready in time for general election

[Lobster Martini]

(LM: More problems with electronic voting machines. A few days ago, a state court judge in New Jersey ruled that the state’s electronic voting machines did not meet statutory or constitutional requirements that protect the right to vote and gave the state one week to come up with a remedy. According to the judge, elections in New Jersey are in “a state of crisis.”

In Pennsylvania, it appears that Lackawanna County’s AVS WINvote touch-screen voting machines will not be ready in time for the general election. Wayne and Northampton counties use the same machines.

Lackawanna County is considering leasing an optical scanning system, despite a recent study by Florida State University that found that optical scan systems can be hacked.

At this time, Pennsylvania does not require a voter verified paper record or audits.)

State might yank plug on e-voting

It appears increasingly likely Lackawanna County's electronic voting machines are out for the general election.

State election officials this week reiterated their position that the county is barred by law from using the Advanced Voting Solutions machines until software upgrades are approved by federal overseers, which appears to be an impossibility before November, Director of Voter Education Cathy Hardaway said Friday.

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The Pennsylvania Department of State on Aug. 22 suspended the use of the AVS WINvote touch-screen machines for the November election because software updates are still being tested for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Wayne and Northampton counties also use the machines.

A state consultant put the software through its paces this week in Harrisburg, and it appeared to work perfectly, said Mrs. Hardaway, who attended the exercise with Director of Elections Marion Medalis.

However, under state law, the software much be approved at both the federal and state levels before it can be used in a Pennsylvania election. Mrs. Hardaway said Howard Van Pelt, AVS chief executive officer, told her Thursday the federal testing will not be done by November.

<snip>

(Link: http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18797098&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6)

[Mnemosyne]

1. PA - always on the ball.

Not.

:kick: