New voting machines
NY won't get them unless Senate acts

Opinion   Newsday   January 28, 2005

Our state legislators have in their midst a daily reminder that New York's election system is shaky: The 35th Senate District in Westchester remains in court and unrepresented nearly three months after the Nov. 2 election. So it's good news that the Assembly this week passed a package of bills to fix the electoral process and comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002. But that passage was just the first step. The Senate must quickly pass its own version, so the two houses can iron out their differences and get New York ready for 2006.

Last year, the process broke down and dribbled out a feeble bill that left too much undone. That stopgap legislation expires soon. Albany must move crisply to take advantage of the funds that the federal act makes available for new voting machines.

One major element of the new Assembly package is a requirement for statewide use of a single type of electronic voting machine, accessible to all, with a voter-verifiable paper record. The paper trail is an absolute must.

In this tough process, the new elections committee chair, Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), will play a major role, and we wish him luck. By 2006, a major statewide election year, New York has to have a modern system. Flanagan and other lawmakers must work hard to provide it.