TO: CVF-NEWS FROM: Kim Alexander, CVF President DATE: October 6, 2000 RE: CVF-NEWS Round up
Hi Folks,
In this issue of CVF-NEWS:
* Voter Registration Deadline is Tuesday, October 10
* Commonwealth Club Address - Tuesday, October 10
* Governor Says No to Electronic Filing Software & Internet Voting bills
* Internet voting experiments slated for four California counties
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* Voter Registration Deadline is Tuesday, October 10
October 10 is the last day to register to vote for the November 7 election. Voter registration cards are available at most libraries and post offices. You can also download a card at http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_k.htm. Find more answers to common questions about voting in California at CVF's new and improved "Questions and Answers about Voting" page at http://www.calvoter.org/questions.html.
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* Commonwealth Club Address - Tuesday, October 10
Next Tuesday I'll be speaking at a Commonwealth Club panel to be held at the Berkeley City Club in Berkeley, CA. The panel is the second of three in a series on Cyberpolitics 2000, and the subject is "The Internet and American Democracy". Other panelists include Wes Boyd, Founder of MoveOn.org and Paul Grabowicz, Adjunct Professor and Director, New Media Program, UC Berkeley School of Journalism. Our panel will be moderated by Cory Johnson, Editor-at-Large of the Industry Standard, which is a co-sponsor of the event. Tickets are $12 for club members and $16 for nonmembers. To find out more or to make a reservation, visit http://www.commonwealthclub.org. or call 800/847-7730.
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* Governor Says No to Electronic Filing Software & Internet Voting bills
Governor Gray Davis vetoed SB 1874, a bill that would have required the Secretary of State to develop free electronic filing software for candidates and lobbyists. In his letter to lawmakers, the Governor said he agreed with the Secretary of State that "this bill is unworkable as drafted. The operational deadlines are inappropriate for the amount of technical work required to develop and test these systems. Furthermore, under existing law the Secretary of State is required to establish online and electronic filing processes for use by individuals and entities required to file campaign reports. This system became operational in January of this year and a report to the Legislature on its implementation is due by June 1, 2001. The requirements under this bill appear to overlap with and duplicate these current efforts. Finally, the cost of developing this system is estimated to be approximately $1.5 million with ongoing costs in excess of $300,000 annually. The bill contained no appropriation for this purpose and funds were not included the 2000 Budget Act. For all of these reasons I cannot support this measure."
Davis also did not sign AB 2519, a bill that would have established Internet voting pilot programs in California. In his letter to lawmakers, the Governor said, "While I am a strong supporter of increasing both the number of registered voters and voter participation in the state's elections, this bill is premature for several reasons. Before Internet voting can be successfully implemented, security measures to protect against fraud and abuse must be more fully developed. Other states are experimenting with online voting with varying degrees of success. I am not convinced the necessary safeguards are in place to begin this experiment in California. Accordingly, I am returning AB 2519 without my signature."
You can find most of the Governor's veto messages by searching his online news releases at http://www.governor.ca.gov/briefing/pressreleases/oct00/oct00.shtm
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* Polling place Internet voting experiments slated for four California counties
Sacramento, San Diego, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties will conduct an experiment of polling place Internet voting this Fall. This is a mock election designed to test the viability of Internet voting, the results of which are non-binding. As CVF-NEWS subscribers may recall, the California Internet Voting Task Force made an important disinction between polling place Internet voting and remote Internet voting.
Polling place Internet voting, which will be tested this Fall, involves voters casting ballots on machines owned and controlled by the election agency that are set up to permit votes to be cast in secret. Remote Internet voting, on the other hand, involves people voting on their own machines or those of their employers from home or work. Remote Internet voting opens up a much greater possibility for fraud, erosion of the secret ballot and coercion in the workplace, and at this point it is unknown whether remote Internet voting will ever be a viable option. Polling place Internet voting, on the other hand, holds much promise to expand the number of places where voters can cast ballots on Election Day without compromising the integrity or secrecy of the voting process.
For more details on California's plans, take a look at this Oct. 3 story from the San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/local/docs/onlinevo03up.htm
The October Issue of Governing Magazine also features an excellent overview on the status of Internet voting efforts, available online at: http://www.governing.com/10vote.htm
That's all folks!
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This page was first published on October 6, 2000 | Last updated on October 6, 2000
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