Chatham County touch-screen voting
Many Chatham County voters are deeply concerned about the reliability of the new touch-screen computer voting machines that are to be used in the upcoming election in Chatham County. Ensuring accurate voting is a non-partisan issue.
At the most recent meeting of the Chatham County Board of Elections, a meeting required by law to inspect and approve the performance of voting machines, the optical scanners took ten minutes to inspect and pass the test, while it took several hours to inspect the touch-screen machines, one of which never operated correctly and will need repair before it can be used.
These results confirmed what voters present at the meeting had suspected: that Chatham County’s new touch-screen voting machines are so unreliable that voters should request the paper ballots used in optical scanners to ensure that their vote is cast, recorded and counted accurately. Paper ballots/optical scanners will be available at all precincts and voters are urged to use them. Touch-screen machines will also be present but we urge that they not be used.
This is a non-partisan issue. Each vote in this election is important to the future of Chatham County and the results should not be tainted by a possibly faulty election process. To keep their votes safe, Chatham County citizens are urged to use the paper ballot and optical scanning recording devices in the up-coming election.
Remember:
1. The electronic voting machines are known to be prone to breakdown.
2. Electronic voting is vulnerable to hackers.
3. The cash register-type tape produced by the electronic voting machines are difficult to understand and are impossible for the voter to review.
4. There is no way to know how the machine records and counts your vote because the software is secret. Thus, recounts are difficult.
Diane Vannais
Pittsboro; Chair, Voter Access Committee, Chatham Co. Democratic Committee
Streater, Strom and Coleman
Voters in southern Orange County have great choices in all three local races this fall. For the school board, Annetta Streater has done an outstanding job working for the achievement of all students since she was appointed last year. She deserves a full term. In Carrboro, Dan Coleman has shown that after 20 years as an effective progressive activist in our community, he is just as effective a progressive elected official. We need to keep him on the Board of Aldermen. In Chapel Hill, Bill Strom has provided strong leadership on all the major issues during his eight years on the Town Council, even when the going was tough. We need him to keep fighting for what is right. Please support Annetta Streater, Dan Coleman and Bill Strom this fall.
Fred Battle
Chapel Hill