Michelle
09-27-2006, 05:47 PM
Queens Gazette (http://www.qgazette.com/news/2006/0927/features/017.html)
Features September 27, 2006
BY JOHN TOSCANO
Electronic voting machines came much closer to regular use in elections during the recent primary balloting as machines designed for the disabled proved to be very easy to use.
However, a City Council committee found that the only problem associated with clearing the way for disabled persons to vote on the new machines was that there were no special facilities provided to get disabled persons to the polls and too few designated polling places for them.
Meanwhile, the disabled community in Queens got a close look at one of the new products being offered for their use when Sequoia Voting Systems staged a demonstration of its machine last Wednesday at Queens Independent Living Center (QILC) offices at 23-35 Broadway, Astoria.
According to QILC Director Daniel Aliberti, about 60 handicapped persons attended the Sequoia demonstration and many tried voting on the machines.
"It will take a bit of practice to use them properly," he said. "You can't just walk in and use it right away."
For instance, Aliberti said, "A person in a wheelchair needs time to adjust his chair to the proper height, or a deaf or hearing impaired person needs time to set the volume properly on a hearing device."
Aliberti said QILC plans to have disabled persons practice on a machine before any election so they'll be fully acquainted and able to use it without error so as not to delay the voting.
The call for expanded outreach and more transportation services for disabled voters came from Councilmember Eric Gioia (D-Long Island City), as he issued a report on the Board of Elections' handling of disabled voters' experiences with the electronic voting machines in the September 12 primary.
Gioia, chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee, said they found the machines overwhelmingly easy to use. The Board of Elections had placed 22 electronic voting machines in each of the five boroughs and publicized their availability.
But despite outreach efforts by the Board of Elections, very few disabled voters utilized the voting machines. In fact, only 580 voters, 154 of them in Queens, used the special ballot marking devices to vote in the primaries.
Gioia, whose committee's staffers monitored the use of the new machines, said the Board of Elections was to be commended for choosing an accessible voting system that scored such high marks from voters.
"But", he added, "we must make sure all New Yorkers, especially those with disabilities, have the opportunity to vote using these new machines."
He called on the MTA to help conduct outreach to disabled voters and ensure that Access-A-Ride service is fully available to disabled voters on Election Day, November 7.
The demonstration at QILC of Sequoia's new Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting system showed how many voters with accessibility challenges would be able to cast their ballots privately and independently by using the Advantage Plus Touch Screen.
A company spokesman explained that
v i s u a l l y i m p a i r e d blind and literacy challenged voters use the touch screens and system by means of an audio voting handset that assists the voter through the voting process in their chosen language, given the choices that are offered in particular situation. The voter listens to spoken directions and then marks the ballot by pressing the appropriate key on a tethered handset.
Despite all the special features for the disabled, the machines can be used by everyone.
The electronic voting machines also mirror the long-used lever machines because voters simply push a button alongside the name of the candidate they choose instead of pulling down a lever.
In keeping with New York state law, all of the candidates on the ballot are listed on one screen. Another good feature is that the voting is recorded electronically and stored in the machine. A printout of the voting activity provides a paper trail, which is required in case of accidental errors with the machine. All of these features enable election officials to get a quick reading of the vote totals.
The machines cost $8,900 each and about 20,000 of them would cover the whole state, the Sequoia spokesman said.
Sequoia is headquartered in Oakland, California but has manufacturing plants in Hauppauge, Long Island and upstate New York. The company has an application on file with the state Board of Elections to provide as many voting machines as necessary.
Features September 27, 2006
BY JOHN TOSCANO
Electronic voting machines came much closer to regular use in elections during the recent primary balloting as machines designed for the disabled proved to be very easy to use.
However, a City Council committee found that the only problem associated with clearing the way for disabled persons to vote on the new machines was that there were no special facilities provided to get disabled persons to the polls and too few designated polling places for them.
Meanwhile, the disabled community in Queens got a close look at one of the new products being offered for their use when Sequoia Voting Systems staged a demonstration of its machine last Wednesday at Queens Independent Living Center (QILC) offices at 23-35 Broadway, Astoria.
According to QILC Director Daniel Aliberti, about 60 handicapped persons attended the Sequoia demonstration and many tried voting on the machines.
"It will take a bit of practice to use them properly," he said. "You can't just walk in and use it right away."
For instance, Aliberti said, "A person in a wheelchair needs time to adjust his chair to the proper height, or a deaf or hearing impaired person needs time to set the volume properly on a hearing device."
Aliberti said QILC plans to have disabled persons practice on a machine before any election so they'll be fully acquainted and able to use it without error so as not to delay the voting.
The call for expanded outreach and more transportation services for disabled voters came from Councilmember Eric Gioia (D-Long Island City), as he issued a report on the Board of Elections' handling of disabled voters' experiences with the electronic voting machines in the September 12 primary.
Gioia, chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Committee, said they found the machines overwhelmingly easy to use. The Board of Elections had placed 22 electronic voting machines in each of the five boroughs and publicized their availability.
But despite outreach efforts by the Board of Elections, very few disabled voters utilized the voting machines. In fact, only 580 voters, 154 of them in Queens, used the special ballot marking devices to vote in the primaries.
Gioia, whose committee's staffers monitored the use of the new machines, said the Board of Elections was to be commended for choosing an accessible voting system that scored such high marks from voters.
"But", he added, "we must make sure all New Yorkers, especially those with disabilities, have the opportunity to vote using these new machines."
He called on the MTA to help conduct outreach to disabled voters and ensure that Access-A-Ride service is fully available to disabled voters on Election Day, November 7.
The demonstration at QILC of Sequoia's new Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting system showed how many voters with accessibility challenges would be able to cast their ballots privately and independently by using the Advantage Plus Touch Screen.
A company spokesman explained that
v i s u a l l y i m p a i r e d blind and literacy challenged voters use the touch screens and system by means of an audio voting handset that assists the voter through the voting process in their chosen language, given the choices that are offered in particular situation. The voter listens to spoken directions and then marks the ballot by pressing the appropriate key on a tethered handset.
Despite all the special features for the disabled, the machines can be used by everyone.
The electronic voting machines also mirror the long-used lever machines because voters simply push a button alongside the name of the candidate they choose instead of pulling down a lever.
In keeping with New York state law, all of the candidates on the ballot are listed on one screen. Another good feature is that the voting is recorded electronically and stored in the machine. A printout of the voting activity provides a paper trail, which is required in case of accidental errors with the machine. All of these features enable election officials to get a quick reading of the vote totals.
The machines cost $8,900 each and about 20,000 of them would cover the whole state, the Sequoia spokesman said.
Sequoia is headquartered in Oakland, California but has manufacturing plants in Hauppauge, Long Island and upstate New York. The company has an application on file with the state Board of Elections to provide as many voting machines as necessary.