Appeals court hears Texas electronic voting case

AAS July 9, 2008
Appeals court hears Texas electronic voting case

NEW ORLEANS — Thousands of Texas voters could be disenfranchised unless the state orders changes to a widely used electronic voting system, a lawyer for the Texas Democratic Party told a federal appeals court Wednesday.

The party is asking the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to revive its lawsuit against the Secretary of State's office over the use of eSlate voting machines in roughly 100 counties in Texas. A federal judge in Austin threw out the lawsuit last year.

Party lawyer Chad Dunn claims the machines are prone to undercounting votes in general elections, when a voter tries to cast a "straight-party" ballot for either a Democratic or Republican slate of candidates.

"The only opportunity to get the problem resolved is this lawsuit," Dunn told a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit in New Orleans. "The state seems to have blinders with regard to the system."

"There might be something wrong with the voters if they're not reading and following directions," she said.