Soccer Dad

In absentia

I got the phone call last night from Governor Ehrlich. Ehrlich is sending out pre-recorded phone calls recommending that supporters vote by absentee ballot to ensure that their votes are tabulated accurately. It is a clear vote of no-confidence in the new voting machines.

Perhaps the Governor's been reading Instapundit

On the hardware front, I think that it's important that the hardware not only be secure, but also that it be secure in an understandable way. A system using biometrics and fancy encryption -- even it it's truly secure -- is a "black box" to most voters. They can't understand its workings, and must thus take the word of, well, somebody. That's not trust-inspiring, meaning that even if the underlying system actually is trustworthy, it won't be trusted as it should.

It's for this reason that I've previously recommended paper ballots -- they're pretty secure, especially compared to electronic voting machines, and their workings are easily understandable. Paper ballots aren't the only way to achieve this end, but they're certainly a good one, and any alternative method needs to share these characteristics.

Governor Ehrlich's call for the liberal use of absentee ballots has struck some as hypocritical, after all he vetoed a bill calling for the extension of absentee voting last year. (Of course those calling him a hypocrite overrode the veto and are now telling us to rely on the electronic voting machines. Hypocrisy can cut both ways.)

Faced with intense opposition to his proposal to switch from electronic voting machines to paper ballots, Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) yesterday urged voters to stay away from polling places during the November general election and instead cast paper absentee ballots.

Ehrlich's suggestions -- which he made through a senior administration official -- came after last week's primary, when voters experienced widespread problems at the polls.

"It's the most rational solution to the primary election dysfunction," said Joseph M. Getty, Ehrlich's policy director.

The plan was denounced by some Democrats who said it was another attempt by the governor, who is up for reelection, to boost his candidacy by suppressing voter turnout and sowing doubts about the state's electronic voting system.

And they said it was highly hypocritical, given that Ehrlich vetoed a bill last year that would allow voters to cast absentee ballots without giving a reason for doing so, saying it was "an invitation for greater voter fraud in the state."

But if you read the text of the Governor's veto message you can see

While I believe that “no-excuse” absentee voting may be an appropriate election technique in Maryland, it should only be implemented after a thorough study and with full support of Maryland's election leaders. Please be assured that the Administration is committed to instilling public confidence in elections and ensuring that all Marylanders have the opportunity to cast a ballot and have their ballot counted. To this end, I will appoint a commission to examine and evaluate the election law bills passed this session and make recommendations concerning our State's election process. I am confident such a commission will develop policies and procedures assuring that fair and accurate elections take place within the State.

Ehrlich isn't unconditionally opposed to expanding the use of absentee ballots, he just felt that the General Assembly's plan didn't have enough safeguards built in to be implemented properly. His advocacy of more liberal usage of absentee voting speaks to his lack of confidence in the electronic machines. Clearly in this case he views it as the lesser of two evils.

And while there's been a lot blame going around, Blair Lee cuts through the muck and tells us what was responsible for the election snafus in Maryland two weeks ago.

Smooth elections depend on experienced help using familiar technology and familiar procedures. That didn’t happen on Sept. 12. Instead, the people who planned the event, the feds and the state, kept changing their minds, kept missing deadlines and kept springing surprises on the locals.

For instance, the new federal Help America Vote Act required states to have statewide voter registration lists and uniform voting machines in place by 2006. So Maryland elected (no pun intended) to go with hi-tech Diebold AccuVote — TS touch screen machines previously used at some polling places in 2004.

But the statewide voter registration technology was brand new in 2006, untested anywhere in the nation. These electronic e-poll books list every registered voter and keep a real time record of who’s voted. They replaced those boxes of paper registration cards used to check-in voters in the past. But the e-poll books require special assemblage (wires must be connected in specific order, etc.) and special training, which never happened. In many counties, the e-poll books weren’t delivered until five days before Election Day. In other cases, training was haphazard or beyond older workers’ comprehension.

So Governor Ehrlich thinks it best to resort to the one voting system that's tried and true: absentee ballots.

Technorati tags: Bob Ehrlich, 2006 Election, Maryland Politics, Absentee Ballots.