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STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

• New electronic voting machines use secret software, are inadequately tested and certified, and don't produce a voter-verified permanent record (VVPR)
• Widespread problems with election results prove certification and testing processes are inadequate
• Without a VVPR, there is no way to verify accuracy of machine tallies or to perform recounts

EXAMPLES OF KINDS OF ELECTION IRREGULARITIES

• Many instances where number of votes recorded by machines is greater than number of individuals who voted or number in precinct
• Large precincts where no votes recorded in contentious races (Florida Governor 2000, and others)
• Touchscreen misalignments caused straight ticket votes to register for wrong party (TX and others)
• Strange Results - Republican Senate, House, and Judgeship races all won with 18,181 votes (TX 2000)
• 2000 national elections are only known instance where all close races went to party trailing in the most respected polls taken just before election.

STATUS IN UNITED STATES

• Many states have canceled or postponed new e-vote machine purchases because of serious problems
• Several states have undertaken costly replacement or retrofits of recently purchased machines in order to produce Voter-Verified Physical Ballots or make other needed improvements
• California recently reversed its earlier position and now requires that all machines will produce a Voter Verified Permanent Record by 2006 Elections
• HR 2239 introduced to address these issues, now has almost 100 bipartisan cosponsors; companion legislation recently introduced in Senate (S 1980)

STATUS IN NEW MEXICO

The burden of proof needs to be on the Secretary of State (SOS) to prove that our elections are working correctly!

• There is no pressing need for these machines now; risks and costs far outweigh benefits
• In spite of evidence of problems, our SOS is actively purchasing touchscreen machines with no VVPR; almost 400 new machines purchased or planned for Bernalillo, Dona Ana, and LA Counties, even though LA County Council unanimously rejected purchase
• Pitfalls of NM Approach - Machines have no capacity to produce meaningful, voter-verified record, are inadequately tested and certified, and will likely require costly replacement soon.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

• CONTACT GOVERNOR, SECRETARY OF STATE, STATE LEGISLATORS. Insist on moratorium in purchase of new machines!
• CONTACT FEDERAL LEGISLATORS to support HR 2239 and S 1980 (contact information at verifiedvoting.org)

Office of the Governor, State Capitol, Room 400, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Office of NM Secretary of State, State Capitol North Annex, Suite 300, Santa Fe, NM 87503
(Your Legislators), State Capitol, Attn: Mail Room Dept, Santa Fe, NM 87503

More Information: VerifiedVotingNM - Dave Kraig 455-2844 or Bob Stearns 988-3718

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