Voting

NPR

Federal Agencies Warn States Online Voting Is ‘High Risk’ : NPR

The federal government is letting states know it considers online voting to be a "high-risk" way of running elections even if all recommended security protocols are followed.

It's the latest development in the debate over Internet voting as a few states have announced they plan to offer it to voters with disabilities this year, while security experts have voiced grave warnings against doing so. States Expand Internet Voting Experiments Amid Pandemic, Raising Security Fears The Coronavirus Crisis States Expand Internet Voting Experiments Amid Pandemic, Raising Security Fears

An eight-page report distributed to states last week recommends mail-in ballots as a more secure method of voting. It was co-authored by four federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

"We recommend paper ballot return as electronic ballot return technologies are high-risk even with controls in place," says the document, according to a copy obtained by The Wall Street Journal. A source with knowledge of the document confirmed its authenticity to NPR.

I think the only way you could possibly have electronic voting is if you eliminated the secret ballot. But I don't think most people want that to go away - it opens itself up to vote buying and influence peddling by employers - although one could argue that already elected officials have open voting records.

NPR

Federal Trial Set To Begin Over Florida Felon Voting Rights Law : NPR

A contentious federal civil rights trial is slated to begin Monday that will determine whether hundreds of thousands of people with felony convictions will be able to vote this fall in the swing state of Florida.

On one side of the case is Florida, along with a slew of other states supporting it from the sidelines.

On the other, hundreds of thousands of people who have completed their sentences but currently can't vote because of one thing they lack: money.

Will Cuomo order vote-by-mail for June primary election? – syracuse.com

Coronavirus in NY: Will Cuomo order vote-by-mail for June primary election? – syracuse.com

A switch to a mail-only election would require counties to print and mail millions of ballots to voters, with only two months remaining before Election Day, said Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, one of the groups pushing back against the idea.

“Jumping to an entire vote-by-mail system in New York state is setting up our elections for failure,” Lerner said.

“We’re hopeful that in a few years we’ll be able to transition to a vote-by-mail model, but right now in the middle of a pandemic New Yorkers do not need to be experimenting with a complete overhaul of our elections against the advice of all experts,” Lerner said.

Common Cause, a disabled rights group and a Chinese-American group in New York said a 100% vote-by-mail system would take away accessible options for people with disabilities, including those who require ballots in large print or braille, or voters who need language assistance.

I like the idea of a vote by mail option but I think polling places should remain an option too fir voters.