For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Coalition Urges FL Sec. of State to Count Every Vote on Nov. 2 Voices Concerns Over Touch-screen Voting Systems
Tallahassee, FL —Millions of Florida voters using touch-screen voting machines are in danger of not having their voices heard on Election Day. A coalition of unions and civil rights groups are now demanding an emergency ruling from the Secretary of State to protect the fundamental voting right of every Floridian.
Florida law requires manual recounts in close elections. Fifteen Florida counties, or 51 percent of the population, will be using touch-screen voting machines, a paperless electronic voting process, in the upcoming elections. A Florida Administrative Law judge recently struck down an Administrative Rule issued by Secretary of State Glenda Hood prohibiting County Supervisors of elections, in the 15 counties, from performing manual recounts if necessary. Voting rights organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF), supported by AFSCME Council 79, had challenged Secretary Hood's Administrative Rule prohibiting the manual recounts.
"Every American citizen has the fundamental right to vote, have their votes counted, and counted accurately. This is the law of the land and Florida is not exempt from rules that govern the rest of the country," Alma Gonzalez, Special Counsel to American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Florida Council 79. "Secretary Hood should not adopt any new Emergency Rule that will prevent election officials from their legal duty to conduct a manual recount, if needed. That would only serve to decrease voter confidence in the upcoming election."
Earlier this year the Secretary of State solicited comments from manufacturers, election supervisors and interested parties about the manner in which manual recounts could be conducted on touch-screen machines. Every manufacturer responding, including Sequoia Voting Systems, Hart InterCivic, Election Systems & Software and Diebold Election Systems, stated that manual recounts are possible on the equipment currently certified in Florida and recommended several ways to achieve this. Hart InterCivic also included a document published in 2001, before the State bought its election equipment, outlining recount procedures.
"The technology exists to outfit all of our voting equipment with a paper record, so that every vote is counted on Election Day," said Howard Simon, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.
"Nevada has the same equipment we do and officials there have attached printers to their machines to ensure a paper trail that would allow for a true manual recount of the votes cast in a close or disputed election. Florida has thousands more election officers than Nevada so we should have the staff and expertise to handle this."
Simon added, "But, even if printers are not installed in time to permit a true manual recount, if needed, and to provide voters with added confidence that their vote will be accurately recorded, we already provided the Secretary of State with suggestions as to how a recount can be conducted on touch-screen voting machines."
"The outcome of the 2004 elections should be in the hands of voters, not the U.S. Supreme Court," said PFAWF President Ralph G. Neas. "Unfortunately, it may be déjà vu all over again unless Jeb Bush and Glenda Hood will commit to the principle that all votes should be counted equally in Florida."
"We are weeks away from one of the most important elections of our lifetime and every voter who exercise their right to vote should have their vote counted, counted accurately and, if necessary, have it recounted," AFSCME's Gonzalez said.
# # #
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, is the nation's fastest growing public service employees union with 1.4 million members. AFSCME organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace and through political action and legislative advocacy. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care workers, custodians and librarians.
People for the American Way Foundation has worked for civil rights and civic participation for more than 20 years. PFAWF is a founding member of the nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition, dedicated to protecting voter rights and providing voter assistance and advocacy.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is non-profit, non-partisan civil rights organization working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The organization is committed to the ensuring that all citizens are able to cast their votes and have them accurately counted by addressing pressing election irregularities in order to prevent widespread disfranchisement.
