Dear Tom,
The next general election is August 2016 and at that time
the Barrow plan would be in full effect.
The plan requires that two paper voting receipts be printed at every voting
location when the polls close after 8pm.
One with a signature that is taped on the wall at the voting location.
The other receipt is sent with the votes to the Elections Bureau for total vote
counting. Both receipts require a
signature on them. If there is a close
election then a recount would be required by law otherwise the votes are
certified by the clerk.
The question is, how hard is it for a printer to print two
sheets of paper?
This concept is very workable before the 2016 August Primary
Election. The next question is WHY you want to print the paper in the first
place. What is wrong with a voting scoreboard with real time results that you
can access on your phone, tablet, laptop, google glass, wristwatch, etc? How
about voting online one day? If you must print two tally sheets at the end of the night, then do what you have to do.
It is the position of Councilmember Cushingberry to review
this legislation with the Elections Commission and, personnel versed in Information Technology skills like
network management, data security, and system design. Tom Barrow’s work will not be in vain and the
initiative to have fair and accurate accounting of votes will be implemented by
the next general election.
The real fix is to the bug in the charter that is forcing
Councilmember Janee Ayers to run for office in 2016 and 2017 because of the
departure of Saunteel Jenkins. The wording in the charter says that a vacancy
has to be filled by voting in the next general election.
It should read that a vacancy has to be filled when the vacant position is up for election at the end of it's 4 year term.
Fact: Candidate Jenkins was elected for a 4 year job. She left early for a new job so Janee Ayers was appointed to fill out the remaining time.
Fixing this bug in the charter would save a lot of time
and money in the elections bureau and, address both issues at the same time. If Mr. Barrow is interested in taking on this task please
set up a meeting, call, or do what you do to get something started.
Thank you for your service to our community Tom.
Sincerely,
Richard Clement - Legislative Aide to Councilmember Pro Tem Cushingberry
