Dear Friends and Neighbors,
There is nothing more important than making sure that voting in Westchester is safe, effective, efficient, and accurate, especially this fall when voter turnout is sure to be record-breaking.
Although the Board of Legislators (BOL) has no authority over how the Board of Elections (BOE) conducts elections, we have been examining ways to make voting better – including convening a Task Force to examine voter experiences, hearing committee testimony from voting rights advocates, and bringing our Election Commissioners before us. Our Task Force will issue a report with recommendations next week. In addition, the County Executive has offered a four-point plan for helping the BOE this fall.
VOTER ACCESS
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges, including limiting the number of polling places, and imposing social distancing requirements within polling places. We might not know the number of polling places, or election inspectors ready to be deployed, until very close to Election Day itself. We need to have the right combination of voting machines to maximize voter ease, convenience and efficiency in all plausible scenarios.
In the last few elections, our polling places have begun to use electronic pollbooks to replace the old paper books. These pollbooks are needed to ensure that the BOE does not count more than one ballot per voter; and they are more efficient than the big paper books, especially in a scenario with consolidated polling places. There are numerous security redundancies to bar against tampering, including the fact that the pollbooks are not hooked up to actual voting rolls; and that the actual paper registrations are still on file at the BOE.
We have also begun using new voting machines. The BOE sent the BOL a request to purchase updated voting machines and electronic pollbooks.
Fewer polling sites means more election districts will be consolidated at various polling places. So, voting machines must be able to scan different ballots efficiently. There may be people voting in different New York State Senate, New York State Assembly, congressional and judicial races at the same polling place, and machines at those sites need to be able to handle the different ballots.
In addition, people with disabilities will be voting and will need access to voting machines at the same time at the same polling sites.
Furthermore, machines used for early voting must be able to read every ballot face from every one of the County's 942 Election Districts, so that Westchester voters can go into any polling site to vote, during the early voting period only. The machines used for early voting cannot be used on Election Day.
Our current voting machines are 10 to 12 years old. New parts are often no longer available to keep them running. Their ability to handle multiple ballots is limited and bootup and loading times can be very long when using them with multiple ballot faces. Newer machines can much more easily and quickly handle multiple ballot faces.
This technology gap is a problem for all of us when it comes to our shared goal of safe, efficient, effective and accurate elections.
EQUIPMENT FINANCING
The Board of Legislators has no control over which machines are purchased or used.
The New York State Board of Elections tests and certifies the machines, and State law gives County Election Commissioners the sole discretion to choose which of the State-certified machines to buy and use.
The County Legislature’s discretion over the funding of these purchases is limited.
Although we have the sole authority to issue bonds to finance those purchases, if we don’t issue those bonds, the County Board of Elections can go to the New York State Board of Elections for the money to buy the machines, and stick the County’s taxpayers with the bill.
That could mean a multimillion dollar hit to the County's operating budget at a time when we literally can least afford it, compared to bonding for the purchases.
We know we need to upgrade our election technology, and to do so before early voting begins in October, to give us the best chance to reduce problems despite pandemic conditions and make sure voting is accessible to all, regardless of any disability.
These are the reasons why the Board of Legislators is considering authorizing bonds to pay for the BOE purchase of new equipment.
SECURITY CONCERNS
There have been understandable concerns about election security relating to the machines the Board of Elections is planning to buy – the Dominion ImageCast Evolution.
Last year, we raised our security concerns with the New York State Board of Elections. In response, the State BOE reviewed the machines and re-iterated its certification of them.
One concern relates to the susceptibility of the machine to electronic tampering. It is important to note that the voting machines used to run County elections are never network connected, so they cannot be hacked remotely. To alter a machine, would require physical access to it. Legislators spent hours with Board of Elections technicians examining the physical, electronic and procedural failsafes that protect against anyone gaining access to the machines to alter them. Thirteen legislators toured the warehouse where the machines are stored, asked questions and received demonstrations by BOE technical staff.
Another concern relates to the ability of the machine to mark a ballot, a feature for voters with disabilities. That process involves a blank ballot being inserted into the machine and the voter using a handheld or voice-controlled device to use the machine to mark the ballot. The process has unique procedures, screen prompts and sounds that indicate marks have been made.
The integrity of our elections is of paramount importance to everyone in Westchester County government. So is voter access. Technology is always changing and future decisions will have to be made about different systems and methods as new technologies emerge and as we adapt to social changes. In the face of changing technology and cybersecurity threats, the BOE will continue to review the best options for the conduct of elections within the parameters created by the State Board of Elections. While the BOL has no control over how the BOE conducts elections, we need to make sure that voters aren’t hampered in their ability to vote by outdated technology and that taxpayers aren’t left with a bill we didn’t try to control.
Please forward this e-news to family and friends who may be interested in this information.
Sincerely,
