Dan Rather Show on Touchscreens, and a Response

You can now find the full documentary here. And Dick Smolka sends along a statement from Sharon L. Harrington, Supervisor of Elections, Lee County Florida:

I have very serious concerns about the way in which issues and facts related to the running of elections in Lee County, FL are distorted and misrepresented in the HDNet "Dan Rather Reports" piece that will begin to air this afternoon. Over a period of several months, Lee County personnel cooperated with HDNet to answer questions and -- in a factually accurate way --explain our experience with the iVotronic Touch Screen Voting System. From promotional spots I have seen, I can say with certainty that our position is not accurately conveyed in the story. I am deeply disheartened and dismayed about what I see as a direct attempt through this piece to undermine the democratic process in Lee County, the state of Florida, and the rest of the country.

As we explained to HDNet, in 2003, Lee County did experience issues related to the sensitivity of the touch screens on our iVotronic units. However, that issue was rectified fully and immediately when ES&S, without question or pause, replaced all of the screens at no cost to Lee County. Since that time, we have not experienced similar issues. Further, through our continuous testing and maintenance of our voting equipment, we regularly confirm that the system is functioning well. In fact, prior to each and every election Lee County publicly tests every single iVotronic voting unit to demonstrate to our voters the accuracy and reliability of the system and that they can and should have confidence that every vote cast will be counted.

I flat-out reject any suggestion that our touch screen system is not reliable.

Incredibly, in an effort to visually depict the issues we experienced in 2003, HDNet staff requested that our personnel deliberately uncalibrate a touch screen voting unit, completely altering the way in which it would function in a real-world scenario. Again, in the promotional spots I have seen, it leaves the suggestion that these issues are still relevant, today. This is not only a gross manipulation of the facts, but a manipulation of my staff, as well.

Lee County has been and continues to be in full support of our electronic voting system and our vendor. This position was relayed extensively to HDNet throughout the entire interview process.

Sharon L. Harrington
Lee County
Supervisor of Elections

Posted by Rick Hasen at August 16, 2007 08:49 AM