Chatham County Voting Coalition Citizens of Chatham County have opposed the purchase of DRE/touchscreen voting systems due to widespread reports of the machines' unreliability. They present their concerns below.   THE CASE FOR OPPOSING THE DRE (Direct Record Voting Machine) The DRE is the touch-screen voting device, chosen by the Chatham County Board of Elections, to be used at the Early Voting sites.  It is also the handicapped voting device used in the precincts on Election Day. The voters of Chatham County overwhelmingly want only optical scanners, paired with Automarks for handicapped voters. By having both a DRE voting system (for handicapped) and an Optical Scanner in the precincts, you have two separate voting systems whose results must be merged.  This adds another level at which errors can be made. Advocacy groups for the handicapped support the use of the Automark in conjunction with the optical scanner.  The Automark is a ballot marker.  The handicapped can use the same ballot as other voters and run it through the same optical scanner, which allows them the same voting system as other voters.  The DRE sets up a separate voting system just for the handicapped. Voters who strongly object to DRE’s no longer have the option of early voting, since that is the only option available at early voting sites. Unreliability, Inaccuracy and Potential for Fraud The Federal General Accounting Office released their report on Elections and Electronic Voting Devices on September 21, 2005.  According to the report, the DRE has not been “developed, acquired, tested, operated or managed in accordance with rigorous security and reliability standards—potentially affecting the reliability of future elections and voter confidence in the accuracy of the vote count.”  The report cites many examples of lack of security, misallocation of votes, loss of votes and other problems attributed to DRE’s.  The conclusion is that DRE’s are not a suitable voting device.  Voting experts cite this report as evidence that when new voting standards are in place, the current generation of DRE’s will be obsolete. Costs Every professional cost analysis shows that not only the initial costs of DRE’s are much higher than the costs for Optical Scanners, but that the costs of actual elections are at least 1 ½ times higher for DRE’s.  In addition, experience in other states, show that DRE’s wear out in less than 10 years.  Optical scanners have lasted up to 40 years.  One DRE is recommended for every 200 voters.  One optical scanner can serve up to several thousand voters. Advantages of the Paper Ballot If a DRE breaks down, the voting process stops, because only the DRE can mark your “ballot”. If an optical scanner breaks down, the voting process continues.  Voters can continue to mark the paper ballot and put them in the secure bin, to be run through another machine later. The roll of paper used by the DRE is flimsy.  Recounts, using a continuous roll of paper, will be awkward.  There are still no guidelines as to the process for a hand/eye recount.