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ATLANTA – Georgia's obsolete electoral system has sparked criticism from cybersecurity experts and supporters of the integrity of the vote, and a commission in charge of examining potential replacements is preparing to make recommendations to legislators.
The paperless system was the subject of close scrutiny during the governorship race that took place last year between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp, Secretary of State and Election Officer in Georgia. Abrams and his allies accused Kemp of repressing minority votes and mismanagement of the elections, including neglecting the electoral infrastructure. Kemp, now governor-elect, categorically refuted these allegations.
Cybersecurity experts warned that the touch screen voting machines used by Georgia since 2002 were unreliable and likely to be hacked, and did not allow any audit or confirmation that the votes were recorded correctly because there are no written records.
The state electoral system was the subject of legal action, including a complaint filed after the November elections by Fair Fight Action, a non-profit organization supported by Abrams. In addition to the obsolete machines, critics also raised concerns after security issues revealed personal information about voters in Georgia.
US. District Judge Amy Totenberg wrote in September that election officials in Georgia remained stuck in the face of "a growing wave of evidence of inadequacy and risks to security" of the electoral system of Georgia. l & # 39; State. She refused to order the state to use paper ballots in the midterm elections, saying that there was not enough time left before the start of the vote . But she warned that "these same arguments would have much less weight in the future".
Kemp emphasized that the current system was secure and reliable. But after legislative efforts to replace him failed earlier this year, in April he created the Secure, Accessible and Equitable Elections Commission, or SAFE, to explore alternatives.
Composed of legislators, representatives of political parties, electors and election officials, the commission is expected to make recommendations before the start of the legislative session on January 14. A demonstration of election technologies by a vendor is scheduled for Thursday.
Ryan Germany, the General Counsel of the Office of the Secretary of State, told the commission at a meeting held last month
"The 2020 election cycle is a goal ambitious, but I think that's the right goal, "he said, adding that the state would certainly be subject to further litigation if a new system was not put in place.
Commissioners seemed to agree that the Georgian system should produce a paper recording and that election officials should conduct post-election audits.
Some committee members said they support ballots marked by voters. hand, filling the bubbles with a pen or pencil. But others prefer touchscreen ballot marking machines that print a paper document.
Republican state representative Barry Fleming, co-chair of the commission, said the costs vary widely. Initial expenditures would amount to about $ 50 million for a hand-marked paper ballot system and about $ 150 million for a ballot marking system, he said at from last month's meeting.
Wenke Lee, professor of computer science at the Georgia Tech expert commission, told his fellow commissioners that the technology was evolving rapidly and that investing in a costly, technology-heavy system could again leave Georgia with an obsolete system in just a few years. He recommended paper ballots read by hand and read by an optical scanner.
"From the point of view of cybersecurity, it is the best solution available," he said at the meeting. "Now, if you say we do not want it, you have to justify why."
Proponents of ballot marking machines claim that they reduce voters' mistakes and offer better access to voters with disabilities. They say touchscreen machines are similar to those used today, so voters already know how to use them.
Critics say that such machines are not safer than the current system and do not allow voters to check their votes. 19659007] Machines print barcodes corresponding to elector selections, as well as a separate list readable by a voter. But the votes are counted by machines that scan the barcodes. It is therefore impossible for voters to know if what is being scanned really reflects their votes, said Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, who sued the state against the current system.
In addition, voters might not notice if a race is missing or not remember how they voted, for example, "Statewide Referendum B".
Wenke said voters may not be worried about reviewing a printed document. If the registered machine is incorrect and the voter does not detect it, the verification capability does not make sense, he said.
Darin McCoy, Member of the Commission, the probation judge and Superintendent of Elections in Evans County dismissed this concern. [19659007] "If we provide the elector with a ballot on what he did and he does not take the time to look at it and check, we can not do anything," he said. "It is the responsibility of the elector."
After the commission has formulated its recommendations, legislators should pass a law to amend the state's election laws. Funding should be obtained and the system purchased in time to raise awareness among election officials and voters.
Whatever their decision, the schedule is tight. The members of the commission seemed to agree that they would like to have a try in the November 2019 municipal elections and put in place a new state-wide system for the 2020 election cycle. 19659029]
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