FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2004
Ralph Nader Calls For
Paper Audit Trail For Elections
(a statement by Ralph Nader on Super Tuesday)
A bedrock of democracy is making sure that every vote counts. The counting of votes needs to be transparent so people
can trust that their vote is counted as they cast it. Paperless electronic voting on touch screen machines does not
provide confidence to ensure votes are counted the way voters intend. The software on which votes are counted is
protected as a corporate trade secret and the software is so complex that if malicious code was embedded no analysis
could discover it. Further, because there is no voter verified paper record, it is not possible to audit the electronic
vote for accuracy, nor is it possible to conduct an independent recount. This Primary Day six million voters will be
voting on paperless electronic voting machines. This is a grotesquely designed, over-complicated expensive system
fraught with the potential for mistakes and undetected fraud.
On July 23, 2003 the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute reviewed the electronic voting system in Maryland and
found that it had security "far below even the most minimal security standards...." Johns Hopkins computer security
experts concluded: "If we do not change the process of designing our voting systems, we will have no confidence that our
election results will reflect the will of the electorate."
Computers are inherently subject to programming error, equipment malfunction, and malicious tampering. If we are to
ensure fair and honest elections, and retain voter confidence in our democratic process, we need to ensure that there
are no such questions. Therefore, it is crucial that any computerized voting system provide a voter-verifiable paper
audit trail and that random audits of electronic votes be conducted on Election Day. Paperless electronic voting
machines make it impossible to safeguard the integrity of our vote thereby threatening the very foundation of our
democracy.
The seller of the machines, the Diebold Corporation, is a supplier of money to one of the major party candidates, George
W. Bush. The CEO and top officers of Diebold are major contributors to the Bush campaign. This does not pass the smell
test. Voters should report immediately any suspected malfunctions and deficiencies at voting precincts around the
country to their Board of Elections. And voters should urge their legislators to require a voter verified paper ballot
trail for random audits and independent recounts.
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For background and further information, please link to:
Nader for President 2004 Campaign http://www.votenader.org
The Voter Choice Coalition http://www.voterchoice.org/auditableballots.php