A California Secretary of State investigation into electronic voting machines has uncovered a software problem much bigger than first thought. The e-voting systems used in California have the potential to drop votes without leaving an audit trail, the investigation found. At a recent hearing, an executive for Premier Election Systems, formerly known as Diebold, admitted the problem exists with every version of its tabulation software.

Mitch Trachtenberg is an elections auditor with the Humboldt County Election Transparency Project, the group which initiated the investigation after nearly 200 votes from last November’s election vanished. He says they were surprised to learn the extent of the problem.

"The vendors have been saying that their systems have fail-safes, and at least in the case of Diebold GEMS, that fail-safe is now looking pretty sad."

What’s most disturbing, adds Trachtenberg, is that Premier Election Systems has been aware of the problem for years.

"They certified that these systems pass whatever test they’re imposing on them and here’s a system that’s been passing those tests for years and years and years and its audit log doesn’t record when decks of ballots are deleted."

Justin Bales, Premier's western United States general manager, testified at the hearing that the company supports the state's proposal to withdraw approval of the system in question, that the unearthed problems trouble the company greatly and that an accurate vote count is Premier's mission. The company adds, deletions would be accounted for in ballot canvasses and will be reflected in technology updates.

More info at www.electiondefensealliance.org.




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This November, Oregon could join a growing number of states switching to ranked-choice voting for federal and state elections.

Measure 117 would allow Oregonians to rank candidates by preference rather than choosing just one and ensure the winner gets more than 50% of the vote.

Blair Bobier, co-founder of the group Oregon Ranked Choice Voting, said it would make each ballot more powerful and campaigns more inclusive.

"I support it because it gives people more voice and more choices," Bobier stated. "Candidates have to campaign to a broader section of the community, rather than just focus on a very narrow band of ardent supporters."

Critics of ranked-choice voting have argued it is expensive and complex ballots could lead to errors. In Oregon, the city of Corvallis, as well as Benton County, have been using ranked-choice voting for a few years and Bobier pointed out that voters like it better and find it easy to use.

Melanie Billings-Yun, a member of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, said the system is trustworthy, based on three studies the organization has done on election reforms.

"Ranked-choice voting has been tested throughout all the nation, and has been shown to be just as accurate as any form of voting," Billings-Yun explained.

Bobier added ranked-choice voting leads to more diversity among elected officials. He noted when San Francisco started using a ranked-choice system in 2004, voters elected the most diverse board of supervisors in the city's history.

"We definitely see in places that use ranked-choice voting that more women and more people of color are elected, compared to the traditional 'pick one' elections," Bobier emphasized.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.

As early voting begins today, AARP Connecticut is educating voters about this year's election.

This is the first election the state has had early in-person voting, after passing a constitutional amendment allowing it last year.

The group has a voter education webpage providing all the necessary information about how, where, and when to vote.

Nora Duncan, state director for AARP Connecticut, said it's helpful since more people are voting now than during the primary elections.

"There are a few days when they're open even more hours," said Duncan. "It's just a matter of figuring out in your town, where that polling place is. So, this is new for everyone. We hope people really think about do I need to vote early, do I want to vote early."

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive since many people weren't aware the state had early in-person voting.

She added that people were equally surprised about the ballot initiative to enact no-excuse absentee balloting. For all this information and more visit aarp.org/ct and look for the Voter Education Guide.

Although this is the first general election with early voting, it made a debut during the primaries.

While many elected officials are glad it's around, some are concerned there need to be reforms to justify the costs. Duncan said there are challenges to ensure people understand early voting.

"Early voting runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3," said Duncan. "You can't early vote on the Monday before Election Day. You need to be prepared that if you're not going to be around, and you don't apply for an absentee ballot, which we do have some reasons why you can apply for an absentee ballot, just know the dates, the times and the location."

She noted that the webpage is just the facts about voting in Connecticut, and not filled with partisan rhetoric.

More than 3.6 million Minnesotans are registered to vote this fall. But if you're worried that something will get you turned away at the polls, officials say bringing a personal bill might save the day.

Minnesotans can check their voter registration online to avoid any potential setbacks before voting early in-person, or on Election Day.

But Olmsted County Elections Manager Luke Turner said, if you recently moved and your ID hasn't been updated with the new address, you'll likely have to update your registration on the spot.

Part of that process includes providing a current billing statement with your new address on it.

"That could be phone, solid waste, sewer, electric, gas or water, banking or credit, rent or mortgage," said Turner.

Start-of-service documents also are welcome - as are current student fee statements for college-age voters. But whatever you provide has to be dated within 30 days of the November 5 election.

Turner said while trying to resolve this issue might seem intimidating, election staffers are trained to make sure solutions come together. He adds that being prepared with documents makes it even easier.

"The risk that a voter will have if they're not prepared is the risk of being turned away," said Turner. "Now, that's not for the full day - the election judges will still allow you to vote - but you do risk the chance of having to go back home and obtain those documents."

And you might not even have to run home for them, because it doesn't just have to be a paper statement in these situations.

If you're able to pull up a document on your smartphone, Turner said those digital versions are accepted, too.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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