Touchscreen Voting Increases Annual Election Costs by 40%

[JohnGideon]

In February of 2005, Dr. Rosemarie Myerson completed a study (http://www.votersunite.org/info/costcomparison.asp) of annual expenditures of the election departments of two Florida counties. The data showed the cost of using touch screen voting machines in Sarasota county was higher than the county’s previous expenditures when using punch cards and higher than the cost of using optical scanners in a neighboring county. This enlightening study revealed that not only are touch screens more expensive to acquire, they are also more expensive to operate year after year.

Dr. Myerson and her husband have now completed a study of all 68 Florida counties, and they found that the data supports Dr. Myerson’s initial findings. In the conclusion, they state, " indicates a 40.4% higher increase in expenses for touchscreen counties than for optical scanner counties."

They say, “One factor that may explain why having touchscreens cost so much more than optical scanners is because the county has to own and maintain so many more machines. ... hile one optical scanner adequately serves a precinct, the precinct needs approximately ten times as many touchscreens in order not to have huge lines of voters waiting to vote."

Read the full report and view the supporting data at http://www.votersunite.org/info/costcomparisonextended.asp.

[ixion]

1. which begs the (obvious) question:

why use it? :crazy: :freak:

[OneBlueSky]

2. the only reason to use touchscreen voting . . .

is to give those who control the process the opportunity to control the outcome . . .

[Wilms]

3. kick n/t

[Land Shark]

4. kicked and nominated

[Melissa G]

5. K and N#5!!! thanks! n/t

[tinrobot]

6. Tell you what...

If Florida agrees to vote on paper, I'll hold a fundraiser and pay for all the paper and pens they need.

I'm sure the people at DU could help come up with the cash to do this.

[eridani]

7. Kickety kick

:kick:

[Kurovski]

8. So, we're paying a premium to get screwed over?

Oh, I am so very much in favor of long stretches of jail time for the folks who have run this country into the sewer. And the death penalty for those who have earned it as well. Treason is one such crime, is it not?

I'm ever so pissed.

[UrbScotty]

10. Making us pay a premium to get screwed over is a Bush&Co. tradition. (nt)

[jarnocan]

9. HI- Petition

Hey I met you at the http://vvlobbydays.blogspot.com (can reach a couple petitions here) or directly to related petition http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=VTUSA&hotissue=1 and Nov. 2nd is coming- Please don't just do your usual thing. also don't forget to check on the left side of the page of the article to go to the ACTION Center! http://www.votersunite.org/takeaction.asp

[Peace Patriot]

11. And all that money--that 40% increase in costs--is going to Bush's buds

mostly at Diebold and ES&S, who contribute millions to Bushite campaigns. Our taxpayer dollars at work, selecting and re-selecting those who are robbing us blind, slaughtering and torturing innocent people, getting U.S. soldiers killed, destroying our intelligence agencies, committing treason, destroying the U.S. military, destroying international law, spitting on the Constitution, kicking the poor and the black when they're down, and bankrupting the country.

A tidy loop of massive corruption: from us to Diebold and ES&S to Bush, to the super-rich and global corporate predators who can't get enough of robbing us and devise new ways to do it every day, from the Katrina loot to the bankruptcy bill.

Wake up, people! Throw Diebold and ES&S election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor' NOW! (--or a Louisiana levee might do!)

[ClintonTyree]

12. Bingo........

it's a great system for the Repiglicans. They get to manipulate the vote and their cronies get to fleece the voters in the process. It's a gift that keeps on giving for them.
If anyone needs any MORE reasons why touch-screen machines should be outlawed I don't know what that could be. They're always breaking down, not recording people's votes properly, can be hacked to make the security of our election process a farce and they cost too damn much money. Any questions?
Paper votes, NOW!

[Ellipsis]

15. Is Triad vested in touch screens?

We always mention Diebold and ES&S...

Are they diversified in database solutions or data collection if not now ... at one point?

[mwooldri]

18. Why not use that 40% instead...

... to pay people to actually count the votes...
like erm, use paper ballots?

Or do electronic voting Indian style?

[corkhead]

13. the cost in 2000 and 2004 was immeasurable

how can they put a "value" on our democracy?

[Joanne98]

14. This is a good question to ask election officials...

If it costs more and makes more mistakes, why do you INSIST on putting it in?

[onehandle]

16. Also increases GOP wins by 40%. nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. kick - this should be in everyone's talking points. We are paying a

bunch of Bush cronies a premium for destroying the American democracy.

[Vox_Reason]

19. I posted about this after voting today

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=170&topic_id=5794&mesg_id=5794

I'm going to call the Board of Elections tomorrow to thank them for continuing to use optical scan machines, and tell them that I hope they use them for many years to come.

If we don't have confidence that our elections are free and fair, democracy is lost. It's that simple.

[onthebench]

20. County could be smart and not outsource

Some of the waste comes from ESS and Diebold and others to require so much in the way of parts and "certified" accessories. If I certify that only Sony brand CDs are to be used, then that is what they use. If Sony CDs are 2 times more expensive they do not blink. Diebold was charging $250 for a power cord that could be purchased at any electronics store for $2. This was in a small county in California two years ago. Someone spilled the beans and made Diebold pay $125,000 back for overcharging the power cords.

I hate to say that precinct based scanners have a few flaws in verification and do nothing to help in error correction. I voted on a precinct based system when in Maryland years ago and the privacy was awful. Someone at the machine could read everyones vote as they put the card in the machine. They also did not help with the line as people had to line up to have their cards eating by the machine.

[Ellipsis]

21. Welcome to DU onthebench

...likes the sound of that there name.

Good points and you know on that 1.95 power cord They still make an 80% margin.

:hi:

[onthebench]

22. Thanks for the welcome but...

I was here in my past life in the voting machine industry. My name was jimmynochad and my password was tied to my old work email so I could not get back on. My brother in law was down at the DC protest and I came back to DU to see what was going on since my self imposed "benching" from elections.

Thanks