May 16, 2006

EFF Reports: Court Slows Lawsuit to Address Ohio Voting Malfunctions

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which joined the federal lawsuit brought the League of Women Voters to bring about reforms to prevent a replay of 2004 in Ohio, has issued this report:

May 12, 2006
Court Slows EFF Efforts to Address Ohio E-voting Malfunctions

Decision Delays Inquiry Into State's History of Voting Machine Problems

San Francisco - The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that a critical lawsuit aimed at improving the security and integrity of Ohio's voting technology will be put on hold indefinitely. The ruling halts case proceedings until the appeal of the government's motion to dismiss is decided and seriously jeopardizes the chances that critical procedural improvements will be in place by the time voters enter polling places in November.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) had intervened in this lawsuit, originally brought by the League of Women Voters of Ohio, in the fall of 2005 on behalf of voter Jeanne White. White's case focuses on the issues surrounding electronic voting and seeks to increase the security and accuracy of Ohio's e-voting technology, as well as to dramatically improve state and local procedures that leave the integrity of the state's e-voting equipment in doubt.

Ohio's closely watched and widely criticized election of 2004 exposed a wide range of problems, complaints, and irregularities in its voting technologies. Among other things, voters reported unacceptably long lines, inadequately trained pollworkers, and voting machines that failed to record their votes correctly. Similar problems were reported in the 2005 elections and in the May 2, 2006, primary, including a chaotic election in Cuyahoga County where election officials have launched a formal investigation. Ohio, however, has no requirements that counties keep formal track of such problems, much less report them to state officials or to the public.

Complete article

For an excellent collection of materials on the Ohio lawsuit:

http://www.eff.org/Activism/E-voting/ohio/

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