PRESS RELEASE
January 25, 2008

Public Presentation on New Voting Machines Set for Feb. 6

The commissioners of the Rensselaer County Board of Elections have been invited to give a presentation on the new voting machines counties are being required to install in 2008 at the February 6 open forum of the County Legislature.

Just this week, the New York State Board of Elections and state lawmakers and officials reached an agreement on a timetable for installation of the new voting machines, in response to an order by a federal judge. Counties have two weeks to decide which machines will be utilized for the elections this fall.

State officials are giving counties a choice of three machines to choose from to comply with the federal and state directive. All three machines, by manufacturers Sequoia and ES&S, are optical scans, and it is expected there is little difference between the three versions. The state is requiring counties to make a selection on a voting machine by February 8.

Majority legislators have already voiced their concern regarding the timetable and cost for the machines. However, counties could face legal issues from the federal and state governments if they do not adhere to the directive, along with the possibility that the state will decide which machines

“We are not happy the state and federal government have given counties a difficult timetable and very limited choices with regard to selecting these machines. However, we do want to give the public and local officials the opportunity to get together to review and discuss this issue,” said Chairman of the Legislature Neil J. Kelleher.

Republican Election Commissioner Larry Bugbee and Democratic Election Commissioner Edward McDonough have been asked to be available for the Legislature’s open forum on Wednesday, February 6. The forum begins at 6 p.m.

“The presentation on the machines will be useful for the public and for local elected officials across the county. We urge anyone interested in this issue to attend the forum on February 6,” said Legislator Martin Reid, chairman of the Legislature’s Local Government Committee.

“This process has been a disappointment. Counties are again being asked to bear the brunt for inaction on the state level. This is just another state and federal mandate being forced on us, which is unfair,” added Reid.

Kelleher has also asked the election commissioners to meet with the manufacturers and representatives of the three machines counties have been assigned to choose from. Meetings with manufacturers are expected to take place next week.

Legislators have been concerned because the amount of money received by the county under the Help American Vote Act will probably fall significantly short of the actual expenses of purchasing, programming and storing the new voting machines. Many counties have already begun to add new staff to meet the requirements of HAVA. The county has received $1.8 million in HAVA funding, and legislators say more is needed to meet the mandate.

“We want to gather as much information as we can with regard to the limited choices the state is giving us. Hopefully, we can limit some of the confusion and cost to the county,” said Kelleher.

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