NC State Board of Elections Betrays Voters

Last Friday, in a stunning betrayal of public trust, the Democratic Chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Damon Circosta, appointed by Governor Roy Copper, joined two Republicans to vote down two motions that would have given all NC voters the ability to use hand-marked paper ballots. The first motion would have made hand-marked paper ballots mandatory statewide. The second motion (a perfectly reasonable compromise) would have made them optional.

Instead, in several 3 - 2 votes, Circosta helped knock down both motions and allowed the certification of an ES&S computer-marked barcode voting system that will cost millions for any county implementing it and will prevent citizens who are forced to use the system from verifying their vote. Any county can switch to this system now, so every North Carolinian should be concerned.

What are Hand-Marked Paper Ballot Systems?

This is a paper ballot that lists your candidate options for each office with an empty oval or box next to it. You mark in the oval or box with a writing utensil, by hand, to indicate your selections. The hand-marked paper ballot is read into an optical scanner to count the vote. The original hand-marked paper ballot is saved and used for audits and recounts.

What are Computer-Marked Barcode Ballot Systems?

Voters select candidates on touch screens, then the computer or voting machine (ballot-marking device) prints a paper summary ballot. The summary ballot looks like a poor-quality receipt, listing candidate names with barcodes. The barcodes are read by another machine to count the vote. The summary ballot is saved for audits and recounts.

The problems with Computer-Marked Barcode Ballot Systems:

• Touch screens may flip the vote. This could be due to malfeasance or human error.
•  Voters must verify the candidate on the summary ballot, but many forget or don't even realize they are supposed to validate the summary. If they don't check, they can't catch errors.
• Summary ballots may omit party affiliation, so voters may miss if candidate selections flip, unless they have memorized each candidate name.
• Barcodes may not match the candidate's name & voters won't know because humans can't read barcodes. For example, the barcode could be for Warren, but the printed name could be for Trump. The barcode could be for Trump, but the printed name could be for Warren. 
• Because voters can't verify the barcode, these systems are ripe for hacking. We can't catch the errors. 
• There is a 3% error rate when the barcode ballots are read and counted because of the poor quality and nature of barcodes.
• There's no true record of the voter's intentions for audit and recount. The summary ballot may be incorrect.

The Benefits of Hand-Marked Paper Ballot Systems:

None of the above-mentioned problems exist. We know exactly who the voter intended to vote for and their original hand-marked record is available for audit and recounts. Additionally, these systems cost half the price.

During the board meeting two dozen individual citizens, independent experts, community professional programmers, and citizen advocacy groups spoke out against the computer-marked barcode ballot systems. In fact, the only speaker supporting the system was the representative of the system itself. The bi-partisan Will of the People was overwhelmingly for using hand-marked paper ballots and The People's concerns were completely ignored.

The vendor, in speaking for his system, had the utter audacity to compare the use of barcode voting systems with making a purchase at the grocery store. He seemed to believe North Carolinians don't understand the great responsibility of casting their vote.

We, The People, understand that choosing a politician who serves as our Voice on matters as profound as immigrant detention, healthcare, and war, is a solemn duty, not to be trivialized by equating it with accidentally being overcharged an extra 20 cents for a bottle of shampoo.

I ponder why a system that citizens overwhelmingly distrust and that costs twice as much as the system that citizens want, would be certified. Given the $92,000 ES&S has donated to both parties in North Carolina, my suspicions are dark indeed.

What Does This Mean for NC Voters?

Now that this unsafe system has been certified, any county can implement it. If your county implements it, you will have no option to use the hand-marked paper ballots that over 70% of North Carolinians currently use, trust, and love. Further, you would likely be stuck with this unsafe, unverifiable system for 15 - 20 years. And it would cost twice the money, which you pay out of your taxes. Counties that don't currently use hand-marked paper ballots, and who must replace their outdated systems, will likely be purchasing these unsafe systems right away for use in 2020. Since their vote counts as part of state and federal elections, their unsafe votes may impact the election outcomes.

Elected officials have no more sacred of a duty than listening to the Voice of The People who elected them, and to protect our vote. On Friday, the collective voice of The People was ignored. If Governor Roy Cooper refuses to hear the sound of my voice, then perhaps the sound of wallets snapping shut across the state will garner his attention. This life-long Democrat is canceling her donations to Cooper's re-election campaign and welcomes a Democratic Primary challenger until Cooper gets his priorities and board straightened out.