Last week, the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) voted to certify the ExpressVote XL, a touch screen voting machine that would allow voters to mark their ballot electronically on a touch screen instead of on traditional paper ballots. So far, Boards of Election Commissioners in New York City, Ulster, Onondaga and Chautauqua counties have said they have no plans to buy the machines.

“Common Cause/NY applauds New York City, Ulster, Onondaga and Chautauqua counties for prioritizing tax dollars and election security over below standard, expensive machines. We encourage all counties to follow their excellent example by not purchasing the ExpressVote XL. Paper ballots marked by the voter, which New York currently uses, are the election security gold standard, and it’s entirely unnecessary to fix a problem that doesn’t exist especially ahead of the 2024 presidential election year when election security remains a fraught topic. Lawmakers must pass legislation that bans hybrid machines like the ExpressVote XL going forward,” sabi ni Susan Lerner, Executive Director ng Common Cause/NY.

Earlier this month, the Let NY Vote coalition and national groups wrote two letters to the NYSBOE demanding they reject the certification of the express vote XL. Read the letters here. The Daily News and the Albany Times Union have editorialized against certification as well.

Cyber security election experts almost universally pan the touch screen technology, so much so that most states have switched back to voter-marked paper ballots. The ExpressVote XL, which uses Windows 10, is also about to become even less secure as Microsoft will end software updates in two years.

Senator Cleare and Assembly Member Cunningham both sponsor a bill – the Voting Integrity and Voter Verification (VIVA) – in their respective houses that would guarantee the use of voter verifiable paper ballots in elections. VIVA passed in the Senate with bipartisan support, but not the Assembly this last term. VIVA would have prevented New York from certifying machines like the ExpressVote XL.

Ang Common Cause/NY ay naglabas ng ulat noong 2020 na tinatawag na “Ang ExpressVote XL: Masama para sa mga Halalan sa New York.” Sinasabi ng Common Cause na hindi dapat bilhin ng New York ang ExpressVote XL dahil ito ay:

• Mahina sa mga pag-atake sa cyber at mga malfunction ng hardware
  • Ang mga ExpressVote XL machine ay hindi gumagamit ng secure na papel na trail, na ginagawang mas madaling i-hack ang mga resulta. Ayon sa isang kamakailang pag-aaral, 40% lamang ng mga botante ang nagrepaso sa kanilang balota para sa katumpakan pagkatapos ng pagsusumite at halos 7% lamang ang nagpaalam sa isang poll worker kung may mali. Ang pag-aaral ay nagtapos na ang isang hacker ay madaling baguhin ang mga resulta ng 1% o 2% ng mga boto nang walang nakakapansin.
  • Ang 14 na estado na gumagamit ng mga aparato sa pagmamarka ng balota ay nagsimulang i-phase out ang mga ito.
  • Hindi gumagana ang mga touchscreen at maaaring magdulot ng mahabang linya para sa mga botante. Halimbawa, sa Pennsylvania, humigit-kumulang 30% ng mga makina ang nagpapahintulot sa mga botante na pumili lamang ng ilang pangalan ng kandidato, at hindi ang iba.
• Prone to undercounting votes
  • Sa isang karera sa Pennsylvania, ang isang kandidato ay naitala na mayroong 164 na boto sa gabi ng halalan, ngunit pagkatapos ng manu-manong muling pagbilang ang parehong kandidato ay nagkaroon ng higit sa 26,000 boto, na nanalo sa karera.
• Mahal
  • Ang ExpressVote XL ay nagkakahalaga ng humigit-kumulang $10,000 bawat yunit. Ito ay malayong mas mahal kaysa sa ibang mga makina ng pagboto. Bukod pa rito, aabutin ng mas maraming pera ang pag-imbak at pagdadala ng mga makina.