New York's preliminary election plan criticized (HAVA)

ALBANY — New York is under a federal deadline to write a plan for how its residents will vote for years to come — what machines will be used, what types of ID will be necessary, what kind of training poll workers will receive.

Yet a newly issued preliminary plan is scant on details. Critics say the Pataki administration is trying to avoid spelling out what it wants to do, letting the issue remain below the public's radar. Further, they claim, the lack of detail could result in different interpretations of voting guidelines in different counties — similar to problems in Florida in the 2000 election.

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But some say the lack of details limits the public's chance to participate and increases the discretion of the Board of Elections.

"This is troubling both because it violates the spirit of HAVA, and because it creates the likelihood that HAVA will be implemented through a series of backroom political deals rather than through meaningful public deliberation," state Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan, said in a statement, referring to how the plan affects the Help America Vote Act.

http://www.nynews.com/newsroom/071403/a0114nyballot.html

Pataki's "task force" has 14 Repubs, 3 Dems(??) and 2 nonpartisans...

Public comment for HAVA ends July 23

State of New York STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS
40 STEUBEN STREET ALBANY, N.Y. 12207-2108
Phone: 518/474-1953
Fax: 518/473-8315
URL: http://www.elections.state.ny.us

There is a HAVA meeting being held in Buffalo this week - check the Activism Forum for more info. or call/e-mail NY State Board of Elections to see what you need to do in order to have your views heard.