Campaign for Accountability [This page as PDF ~44kb]

County Election commissioners in New York State have been given the sole authority to select new voting systems. The choice they make will affect the way we vote for years to come, and must not be made lightly. New Yorkers for Verified Voting and the New York State League of Women Voters are conducting a campaign calling for election commissioners to provide a detailed accounting of their reasons for choosing a voting system to the citizens of the county prior to acquisition of the system.

Persons who are "accountable" are required to furnish a justifying analysis or explanation for their actions. In a democracy, some degree of accountability on the part of officials usually is guaranteed by the fact that they must stand for re-election. But county election commissioners are appointed officials whom the public has no direct way to hold accountable for the choices they make. The accountability campaign calls for a full explanation and accounting for the voting system choice to the public.

FOUR STEPS FOR YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY CAMPAIGN:

1. Circulate and gather signatures to the Petition for Accountability
    
2. Distribute Accountability Questionnaires to county officials
    
3. Write letters to county legislators, election commissioners, and local newspapers addressing the issues and calling for accountability
    
4. Pass Resolutions calling for the most reliable modern voting system
    

Recommended Action:

• In each county, a coordinator should see that the petition is taken to all possible venues and/or carried door-to-door.
   
• The coordinator should deliver completed petitions to the County Board of Elections at least once a month, keeping a copy and sending one to New Yorkers for Verified Voting, P.O. Box 163, Mecklenburg, NY 14863-0163.
   
• Very important! - Deliver copies of the signed petitions to the appropriate county legislature committee.
   
• Let the media know about the numbers of signatures you’ve gathered.
   
• Get each person on your lists to fill at least one page of signatures. Then get them out to any public meetings called by the Boards of Elections.
   

Printable petitions can be downloaded here [~8kb PDF]

A printable flier or sign that may help with the petition drive [~13kb PDF]

Below is the petition text:

A Petition to the County Boards of Elections for Accountability

We, the undersigned, hereby petition the County Board of Elections to make public its decision and the reasoning for its decision about a new voting system before the equipment is chosen. This report should be made at an advertised open meeting, where members of the public may respond. A two-week period for public comment should follow. Comments received from the public must then be published with response from the Board of Elections before finalizing the choice of equipment.

Election Commissioners as well as county legislators should receive questionnaires about cost and security issues that should be answered in order to reach a responsible decision about new voting systems.

Recommended Action:

• Every election commissioner should receive a copy of the questionnaire and be asked to submit their answers to the public through county newspapers or at the open meeting called for in the petition.
   
• Every county legislator should receive a copy of the questionnaire and report their answers to the questions to their constituents. This can be done in person or in combination with letters requesting accountability (see Item 3).
   
• In particular, citizens should pursue answers to the questionnaires from members of the legislative committee that oversees the Board of Elections as well as of committees overseeing financial matters. The county Committees on buildings and grounds may also be important, since they will make recommendations about storage space for the new machines.
   
• Also important is to make the local press aware of citizen calls for accountability, and to get the media calling for full answers in public to these questions as well.
   

Questionnaires can be downloaded here

County legislators and election commissioners should be asked in writing by as many citizens as possible to give a full accounting to the public prior to the decision about a new voting system.

Recommended Action:

• Send letters to your county legislators, election officials, and local newspapers in each county. These letters should ask for a full accounting of voting system choices and complete answers to the questionnaires distributed above.
   
• Get as many letters sent as possible, especially to your legislators who will be sensitive to issues they know are important to voters.
   

Sample Letters, compatible with any text processor, can be downloaded here: Accountability [~7kb RTF], Security [~6kb RTF], Storage [~10kb RTF]

Some town and county legislatures in New York State have passed resolutions favoring voting systems which use paper ballots, optical ballot scanners, and ballot markers for accessibility. Copies of resolutions which have been adopted are available at http://www.nyvv.org/resolutions.shtml.

Recommended Action:

• Make sure you know how resolutions are brought to the legislature.
   
• Usually, resolutions must be presented by a particular official (member of Town Board or County Legislature) and/or through a committee.
   
  Approach a sympathetic legislator or ask to be on the agenda of the particular committee of the legislature charged with oversight of the Board of Elections.
   
• Discover which committee sets the agenda for your meetings of the legislature. Take this into account at every step.
   
  Many county legislatures do most of their work in committees. Sometimes they call meetings of the "Committee of the Whole" where legislators not on the particular committee are invited to participate in the consideration of legislation, so that it has been aired more widely before coming up for a formal vote. These are important opportunities. Make sure you have observers at crucial committee meetings, even when you are not on the agenda.
   
• Build support from additional legislators by having their constituents talk with them.
   
• Take an effective presentation about PBOS to the relevant committee/s with a proposal for a resolution. Or get particular legislators to bring the resolution.
   
• Make sure the press knows what you are doing.
   
• Find out the arrangements for public comment in your towns and counties. Utilize those opportunities to call for a proposal and/or support.
   

Accountability resolutions can be downloaded here

Resolutions which have been adopted in several counties can be downloaded here