NH Editorial about renewed call for parallel hand counts and a recount

Testing electronic voting systems is worth a shot

Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 12:15 pm | Updated: 11:52 am, Wed Jul 18, 2012.

snip

In 2010, residents of several New Hampshire communities — including Jaffrey, Peterborough, Rindge and Swanzey — asked their town moderators to call for parallel hand counts of ballots so they could be compared to the electronic results.

In some communities where hand-counts were requested moderators chose not to hold them after a memo from Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan recommended that town officials proceed with caution on the matter. Scanlan wrote that, while the law allows moderators to use hand-counts to verify electronic results, pressure from special interest groups to get moderators to run elections in a certain way is “inappropriate.”

Now some of the residents who asked for the parallel counts want the 2010 ballots to be made available so they can retroactively check the electronic results. Some are also planning to request a hand count be performed during the upcoming 2012 elections.

We think it is reasonable for some communities to perform hand counts to check the accuracy of the electronic system, provided the process is not unnecessarily burdensome. It is allowed by New Hampshire law, and if the results show that the electronic count is accurate it may help quell the concerns of those who claim the electronic system is inaccurate. If, however, the count shows a discrepancy in the results it would shine a light on a problem that officials can address appropriately. Regardless of the outcome, it can’t hurt to run a test and make sure the system many communities rely on during elections is working as intended.

snip

http://www.sentinelsource.com/opinion/editorial/testing-electronic-voting-systems-is-worth-a-shot/article_bbcc9f8a-b145-524f-9758-53fa121dc153.html