Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Proposed Initiative 36 Don't miss this video about Proposed Initiative 36 from clmcdermid's sockpuppet over at SquareState. She's also posted it at The Uptake. It's really well done so click through. Category: Denver November 2008 Election 9:44:25 PM

Coffman decides to 'decertify' Sequoia voting machines Secretary of State Mike Coffman has refused to certify several manufacturers of voting machines for this year's elections including those owned by the City and County of Denver, according to The Denver Post. From the article: Colorado's looming primary and presidential elections were thrown into turmoil Monday when many of the state's electronic voting machines were deemed unreliable and unsecure by Secretary of State Mike Coffman. It's not yet clear if the move means counties will need to purchase new equipment or if they can work with machine-makers and the secretary of state to reassure voters and the state that the equipment works. It is clear that Coffman's decision to "decertify" machines made by three of four manufacturers -- Sequoia Voting System, Hart InterCivic and Election Systems and Software, or ES&S -- will have far-reaching impact, Coffman and others said. The decision affects voting systems in 53 counties across the state, including four of the largest: Denver, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Boulder. Exactly how counties will respond remains to be determined. Denver's options include holding an almost entirely paper-ballot election, using about 900 Advantage machines that have "grandfathered" certification, or using its nearly 1,200 Sequoia machines pending some sort of rule change or successful appeal, said Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley... Denver election director Michael Scarpello said it will take awhile for officials to pore through the 179 pages outlining problems with the Sequoia machines used in Denver. On first reading, he said, "it would appear" that Denver's 1,184 electronic-voting machines have been decertified. Denver purchased 240 Sequoia Edge II voting machines in 2006 for $1.3 million, and uses 944 Sequoia Advantage machines bought in 1997 for more than $5 million, Scarpello said. "Decertification, what does that mean? Can they be recertified? Was the reason because of a major defect, or a minor defect that's correctable? I can't answer that question yet," he said. O'Malley, Denver's clerk and recorder, said she still was digesting the findings, but she stressed that her staff already had spent four months investigating potential voting systems. A committee in October recommended that Denver opt for all-paper ballots except in cases such as a voter disability, requiring electronic machines. O'Malley said they hoped to make a decision later this month or in early January. Category: Denver November 2008 Election 7:12:04 AM

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