State curtails e-voting - L.A. system decertified; restrictions on two others

By Kevin Yamamura - Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau - Saturday, August 4, 2007

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, bowing to fears of computer fraud, Friday decertified Los Angeles County’s electronic voting system and sharply curtailed the use of two other machines that California counties had hoped to use to conduct the February 2008 presidential primary.

She said she would allow unlimited use of one system, Hart InterCivic, as long as security and auditing safeguards are implemented.

But in the case of two major companies — Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting Systems — Bowen said she would allow just one machine per polling place, apparently to provide an accessible option for disabled voters.

Electronic voting critics had unsuccessfully lobbied Bowen’s predecessor to stop the machines’ use in California. More than three dozen California counties have invested millions of dollars in the technology and some will be forced to replace many machines by February under Bowen’s order.

“I reject the notion that I should not require changes in security simply because counties already own (the machines),” Bowen said.

The tested systems are used by 43 of California’s 58 counties and by 9 million out of 15.7 million registered voters, according to UC Berkeley.

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