NY: What is the point in having paper ballots when we are unable to look at the results?

[Wilms]

Was New York Ready for Paper Ballots?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

by John Travis

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As Celeste Katz at Daily News points out, there are no mandatory recount laws under New York State Election Law. The problems of the vagueness of this law were highlighted last week. Trailing by 15 votes, Frank Skartados conceded the 100 Assembly District race to Tom Kirwan. As the article points out, a hand recount of the ballots will likely reveal numerous discrepancies of how the optical scanners recorded voters’ choices on the paper ballots -- certainly more than 15. Unfortunately, we will never know.

The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of this race could have only been cleared up by examining the ballots themselves. What is the point in having paper ballots when we are unable to look at the results? Without rules for mandatory recounts, in this respect New York Election Law still remains in the dark ages of the lever machines. Legislators in Albany must make the necessary changes in Election Law that will create rules for mandatory recounts.

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http://reformny.blogspot.com/2011/02/was-new-york-ready-for-paper-ballots.html

[Wilms]

1. Interesting comment about NYS election law was added to this story...

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While this language may be unenforceable since there is almost always a discrepancy "between the number of voters who cast a vote in an election district and the number of votes recorded on the tabulated results tape..." due to: Undervotes, Overvotes, offices to which more than one person is to be elected, etc., the law does seem to require a thorough examination of ballots that would otherwise be counted only by computers (ballot scanners).

Since such an examination is likely to occur in EVERY election district in the state if this law is actually enforced, it's a back-door way of requiring 100% hand counts. (As if THAT'S going to happen!)

So do we have election lawyers who don't read election laws? Or is this particular law so badly written as to be interpreted as gibberish by the courts and the rest of us? Readers can decide for themselves.

In any case, I don't see anyone else bringing this up, so it must be an embarrassment for SOMEONE.

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If we can't get this right, we should go back to lever machines, rather than continuing to engage in this charade.

http://reformny.blogspot.com/2011/02/was-new-york-ready-for-paper-ballots.html?showComment=1299779140568#c1053229134892839638

[Bill Bored]

2. It's a madhouse!

http://www.hark.com/clips/qzndjvcpnr-its-a-madhouse-a-madhouse