September 28, 2017

Last week, Virginia decertified all of their touchscreen voting machines. Now we're seeing problems with Wisconsin vote totals. You'd almost think we can't trust our election results, right? (Hillary Clinton lost Wisconsin by 22,000 votes. Think there's a connection?) Via the Journal Times:

MADISON — The voting machines used by Racine County were ruled decertified by the Wisconsin Election Commission on Tuesday, with the order taking effect in November 2018.

The Optech Eagle voting machines are more than two decades old and have a significant flaw in regard to absentee voting that has caused concern in recent elections. The machines can only read carbon-based marks on a ballot, meaning absentee voters must use pencil or a special type of pen. The machines are used throughout the county.

Tuesday’s decision likely won’t affect voting in the City of Racine much. Assistant City Clerk Tara McMenamin said training on new voting machines will begin in late November in anticipation of the February 2017 municipal and school-board primary elections. However, all state elections from this week forward that use the Optech Eagles will require poll workers to remake all absentee ballots and conduct all recounts by hand.

[...] Elections Commission Commissioner Mark Thomsen argued for the new absentee ballot and recount rules, citing a fear that not all of the absentee ballots in the November 2016 general election were tabulated accurately by Optech Eagle machines.

“If someone asks for a recount, this organization is saying do it by hand because that’s the best way to accurately make sure every vote counts,” Thomsen said. “We know that the machine might not give us the right answer.”

The machines were used by 57 municipalities.

Wisconsin Election Integrity is happy with the decision.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon