EAC - Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Name : | Deborah Markowitz
Organization : | State of Vermont - Sec. of State
Post Date : | 9/30/2005
General Comments
Comment : | I want to thank you for this opportunity to offer written comments on the proposed Voluntary Voting System Guidelines. As you are aware, I serve on the Executive Board of the US Election Assistance Commission Standards Board. Because the comments below have specific relevance to states that use paper based voting systems I chose to submit separate comments rather than asking that these be included in the Standards Board resolutions of August 25th. In Vermont, every voter marks a paper ballot in order to vote. In most of our precincts these votes are counted by hand. In order to comply with the disability access requirements of the Help America Vote Act Vermont will be making available in every polling place the IVS Vote by Phone System. This system is a paper ballot marking device. It is important to Vermont, and to other areas of the country that will be using this and other types of ballot marking devices for paper ballots that the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines do not inappropriately apply technical requirements that do not make sense for these systems.