On Monday Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman (Republican) decertified 3 of the 4 electronic voting machine manufacturers
In his announcement Monday, Coffman said Colorado's actions would have national repercussions. "What we have found is that the federal certification process is inadequate," he said.
The decertification decision, which cited problems with accuracy and security, affects electronic voting machines in Denver and five other counties. A number of electronic scanners used to count ballots were also decertified.
Coffman would not comment Monday on what his findings mean for past elections, despite his conclusion that some equipment had accuracy issues. Several systems have been used since at least the 2004 elections.
"I can only report," he said. "The voters in those respective counties are going to have to interpret" the results.
The systems are manufactured by Premier Election Solutions, formerly known as Diebold Election Systems; Hart InterCivic; Sequoia Voting Systems; and Election Systems and Software.- AP
I think a couple diaries have touched on this story but I think it deserves it's own headline.
You may ask why the previous Secretary of State didn't make similar findings before the 2006 election. Her name is Gigi Dennis and she made Katherine Harris and Michelle Bachmann look tame in their love for Bush.
Dennis knew about the lack of security and integrity in the electronic voting machines. She even allowed uncertified machines to be used in the election.
I can't deny that this is great news for Colorado and will probably send shockwaves throughout the country. I'm no fan of Coffman who is running to fill Tom Tancredo's seat in CO-06 but this is a positive step for voters.
Another note about Coffman. If he wins Tancredo's seat (in my very red district) Democratic Governor Bill Ritter will be able to appoint a SoS of his choosing.
UPDATE:
Although this news is better than just letting the machines continue to be used without any scrutiny, Coffman is trying to loosen the regulations which could possibly allow these machines to be recertified with only small changes
"What he's proposing to do is to put duct tape on the Titanic," said Paul Hultin, lead lawyer in a lawsuit that forced an overhaul of the state's voting-machine certification process.
State Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, a Denver Democrat, said he might prefer a new system that would emphasize paper balloting over electronic voting.
"The bell has been rung on electronic voting machines," Gordon said. "The legislature may consider possible solutions that don't use electronic voting machines or minimize their use." - Denver Post