Voters Sue To Block Diebold Touch Screens
SAN FRANCISCO--A group of 25 California voters, some with disabilities, sued state and county election officials Tuesday to stop them from using electronic voting machines manufactured by Diebold Election Systems in this year's general election.
Voter Action, the advocacy group that filed the suit, reportedly claimed that Diebold's new AccuVote TSx, which was certified by Secretary of State Bruce McPherson last month, is unreliable, untrustworthy, inaccessible to voters with disabilities, and does not provide a verifiable paper record.
The action could affect as many as 18 counties that had planned to use the touch-screen system. San Diego County alone has ordered more than 10,000 units.
While the Diebold electronic voting system does allow voters who are blind or cannot read to vote privately without assistance, it does not support sip-and-puff technology for voters with physical disabilities, nor does it present visual and audio messages at the same time.
All polling places across the country are required to have at least one voting system that is accessible to voters with disabilities under the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002.
A Diebold spokesperson told the Associated Press that more than 50,000 units of the AccuVote TSx have been used in several states, and that the system has been thoroughly tested.
Related:
"Voters try to block e-voting units" (The Daily Review)
"Group says county system is flawed" (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Subscribe to Inclusion Daily for many more news stories daily!