2008 Woodie Awards
Ohio requires counties to provide paper ballots
Rebecca Kelley
Issue date: 1/15/08 Section: Front Page
Voters in Butler County will have one more decision to make at the upcoming March 4 primary-to use paper or electronic machines when voting.
According to Jeff Ortega, assistant director of communications with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office, Ohio election officials have issued a directive instructing 57 counties, including Butler, to offer paper ballots as an alternative to touch screen voting, the mechanism used over the last several years. To use this alternative, voters will have to request a paper ballot when entering the polls.
Ortega said the alternative voting method was announced after Brunner commissioned a review in fall 2007 of the touch screen voting systems. He said the review was based upon researcher evidence that there was vulnerability in the Ohio voting system.
"(The paper ballots) are an option for voters who have doubts about the security of the voting machines," Ortega said.
He emphasized that in addition to the issued review, voters may question the security of the touch screen machines based on news reports and other reports of security trouble from various states.
"For those voters who have any concerns, this affords them another option," Ortega said.
Ryan Barilleaux, chair of Miami University's department of political science, said the results from the touch screen voting machines could be controversial compared to paper ballots.
"One problem with the new touch screen machines is (that there is) no paper trail in case of questions about the results or problems with the machines," Barilleaux said. "This leads to a lack of confidence in the results."
According to Miami assistant political science professor Chris Kelley, past elections such as the 2004 presidential election have shown that the touch screen voting can have many problems, such as "manipulation of the vote."
"Until we can be sure that these systems are free from error, intentional or not, we need to continue to offer voters a choice," Kelley said.
According to Jeff Ortega, assistant director of communications with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office, Ohio election officials have issued a directive instructing 57 counties, including Butler, to offer paper ballots as an alternative to touch screen voting, the mechanism used over the last several years. To use this alternative, voters will have to request a paper ballot when entering the polls.
Ortega said the alternative voting method was announced after Brunner commissioned a review in fall 2007 of the touch screen voting systems. He said the review was based upon researcher evidence that there was vulnerability in the Ohio voting system.
"(The paper ballots) are an option for voters who have doubts about the security of the voting machines," Ortega said.
He emphasized that in addition to the issued review, voters may question the security of the touch screen machines based on news reports and other reports of security trouble from various states.
"For those voters who have any concerns, this affords them another option," Ortega said.
Ryan Barilleaux, chair of Miami University's department of political science, said the results from the touch screen voting machines could be controversial compared to paper ballots.
"One problem with the new touch screen machines is (that there is) no paper trail in case of questions about the results or problems with the machines," Barilleaux said. "This leads to a lack of confidence in the results."
According to Miami assistant political science professor Chris Kelley, past elections such as the 2004 presidential election have shown that the touch screen voting can have many problems, such as "manipulation of the vote."
"Until we can be sure that these systems are free from error, intentional or not, we need to continue to offer voters a choice," Kelley said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Jim Hockaday
posted 1/15/08 @ 2:45 PM EST
I found this article to contain several factual errors. The balloting machines used in Butler County do, in fact, produce a paper trail. If the author of this piece had voted in Butler County since 2004 they would have known that a paper readout is produced. (Continued…)
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