New York election officials have certified controversial touchscreen voting machines for use in federal, state and local elections, despite warnings from good government groups that the devices are costly and flawed.
On Wednesday, the New York State Board of Elections voted to certify the new voting machine, ExpressVote XL, following a lengthy debate by the four-member panel. The move doesn’t mandate the use of the machines statewide, but certifies their use by county election officials if they decide to use them for future elections.
The approval comes despite concerns by Common Cause New York and other good government groups that the machines are “bad for the voters” because they don’t leave a verified paper trail and are potentially vulnerable to cyber hacking.