Colorado's Secretary of State, Mike Coffman, announced yesterday that most of the voting machines used in the state have been decertified. In a highly anticipated decision, the Secretary said that the machines are unreliable and unsecure and therefore cannot be used for the 2008 elections.
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.
At Common Cause, we fight to ensure that our votes are counted accurately and with integrity. If that means decertifying our electronic voting machines because they are unreliable, then the decision was a necessary one. However, we also believe that we cannot take away options for voters. Encouraging participation in our elections should be a top priority for our election administrators.
"About 55 percent of the voters, the majority of Colorado, vote at polling places," said Jenny Flanagan, executive director of Colorado Common Cause. "If we eliminate that option, we run the risk of leaving voters out." Flanagan said the situation is "challenging" and that all sides need to put their "heads together to come up with a solution."
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