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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 21, 2016 12:19 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Rob Teplitz |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Legislation – Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail |
| In the near future, I plan on introducing legislation that will require electronic voting machines in Pennsylvania to have a Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), which will allow voters to verify that their vote was cast correctly, to detect possible election fraud or malfunction, and to provide a means to audit the stored electronic results. Across the country, voters are concerned about whether their votes are properly recorded and counted. To address this growing concern, my legislation will require that every electronic voting machine provide a VVPAT beginning next year, and that each county board of election shall preserve them for at least 4 months. A VVPAT would require the attachment of a printer to direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines. Before a voter finishes the voting process, the voting machine would present a paper record behind a transparent surface for the voter to confirm that the printed record matches their electronic ballot. Once the voter confirms that the printed paper does match the electronic ballot, the paper record would automatically be stored within the machine where it would be available for auditing or recount. The integrity of our voting system is a nonpartisan issue and the very bedrock of our democracy. A Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail will restore voter confidence in the accuracy and security of our election system. Please join me in safeguarding elections in this digital age by cosponsoring this legislation to require voting machines in Pennsylvania to produce a Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail. |
Introduced as SB1193