For Immediate Release Contact: Sandy Galef (914) 450-4086
January 5th, 2021 Amy Paulin (914) 723-1115
Assemblywomen Galef and Paulin Request Postponement of Certification for New Voting Machines
Their Letter Sent to the NYS Board of Elections Signed by Eleven Additional Assemblymembers
(January 5th, 2021)— Assemblywomen Sandy Galef and Amy Paulin sent a letter to the New York State Board of Elections requesting that the certification of any new voting machines be postponed and not authorized at their January 9th commissioners meeting. The letter expresses that public confidence in elections has been questioned in the aftermath of the recent general election and every aspect of the voting system is now under scrutiny. Galef and Paulin call on the Board of Elections to retain public trust through an open review of the available options of voting machines with input from stakeholders. Given COVID-19 it is not possible at this time to allow actual demonstrations of the machine by the public.
Assemblywoman Galef said: “In the past when the state Board of Elections has looked at different voting machines there was always an opportunity for the public to try them out and give their input. Public confidence in voting ma- chines is crucial for the legitimacy of an election. Now is not the time to rush forward with certifying new voting machines, with the rhetoric surrounding the recent general election being so divisive. We should also examine which voting machines have proven to work well in other states in the recent election.”
Assemblywoman Paulin said: “It’s of utmost importance to safeguard the integrity of our elections. We all need to feel confident that our votes are accurately counted and are secure. The time we take upfront to make sure that our new voting machines fulfill these requirements is time well spent. We must get this right on the first shot. Our free- dom truly depends on preserving a secure, fair, and safe election process.”
Allegra Dengler, board member of Citizens for Voting Integrity New York, weighed in: “When New York was forced to give up its lever machine under HAVA, the state wisely chose paper ballots over touchscreens. Since then touchscreens (“DRE”) have been unreliable and vulnerable to vote miscounts in other states that bought them, contributing to the loss of voter confidence in our elections. Now is not the time to allow DREs like the ES&S Ex- pressvote XL in New York.”
The letter was signed by Thomas Abinanti, 92 AD, David Buchwald, former 93 AD, Jeffrey Dinowitz, 81 AD, Christopher Friend, 124 AD, Judy Griffin, 21 AD, Ellen Jaffee, former 97 AD, David McDonough, 14 AD, Michael Montesano, 15 AD, Linda Rosenthal, 67 AD, Rebecca Seawright, 76 AD, and Fred Thiele, 1 AD.
Attachment: Assembly Letter to NYS BOE