April 10th 2008,
Hello Everyone,
I am writing to announce my new role and
to ask for your participation. I left NYSILC this past February 2008 to
become an Independent Consultant. I have been recently retained by
Sequoia and Dominion Voting Systems to facilitate a process to ensure that the
Sequoia Image Cast is accessible to as many individuals with disabilities as
possible. As many of you are aware, the Sequoia Image Cast is a ballot-marking
device, which has never been used in the United
States but was designed specifically for New
York State.
It was approved in January by the NYSBOE as one of the machines, which could be
purchased for use as an accessible voting system. As a result 53
counties have purchased the Sequoia Image Cast.
Sequoia and Dominion have made a
commitment to making changes to the machine so that it best serves those
individuals it was intended to - individuals with disabilities. They have
demonstrated this commitment by having their first focus group on Feb. 14th
and 15th in Albany
and making concrete changes to the machine as a result of the feedback they
received. I will be detailing proposed changes and actual changes
in future communications. They have also demonstrated their
commitment by retaining me - a disability advocate who is committed to making
elections accessible to individuals with disabilities.
In my new role, I will be conducting
focus groups around the state specifically in those counties, which have
purchased these machines. My goal is to get feedback from individuals
with various disabilities regarding modifications, which are critical to their
ability to vote privately and independently. I will then work directly with the
engineers of Dominion Voting Systems in Toronto
to make these changes feasible. In order for this process to be
successful, all of you play an important role. I will be asking many of
your organizations to hold a focus group consisting of a cross section of
various disabilities starting in late May. I may also be available if you
have an event where testing is possible. I will be traveling with an
engineer from Dominion and a NY representative from Sequoia. This
should not be confused with the voter-outreach and training the county BOE will
be doing. In addition I will be communicating the progress we are making in a
newsletter. I welcome your comments and ideas.
It is important to be clear that the
change process of this voting system will take a minimum of a year and is
limited by time-lines and legal requirements of New York State Board of
Elections, the federal judge and New
York state law. Every change has to go through a
certification process and acceptance testing. For the September 2008
election, only the changes that will not delay certification will be submitted
for approval. It is our intention that for elections going forward
however, the Sequoia Image Cast will be one of the most accessible systems in
the country. The other thing to keep in mind is the changes made have to
be carefully considered. As part of my role, I will be analyzing all the
feedback received and trying to determine which modifications are most
significant to the greatest number of voters with disabilities. Remember
that this ballot marking device should be primarily used for voters who cannot
use a paper ballot. This will involve difficult choices and I will be
calling on many of you for your expertise. Through working together, I am very
optimistic that voters who use the Sequoia Image Cast will have a good voting
experience. It is also my hope that at the end of this process the disability
community will embrace the machine and see it as a tool of democracy.
I look forward to working with all of you
on this important process. I can be reached at sdaretodream@aol.com and at 518-235-9779.
Susan Cohen
Access Specialist