To: Billy Way, Jr., SC State Election Commission Chair, Mark A. Benson, Marilyn Bowers, E. Allen Dawson, and Nicole Spain White
SC - Discontinue Use of Unreliable Voting Machines
We request the South Carolina Board of Elections mandate state-wide the immediate installment of voting machines that provide confirmation screens and paper receipts and immediate discontinued used of voting machines that do not provide these safe guards.
Why is this important?
Voting machines have been proved over and over again to be anything but perfect. Votes can be recorded incorrectly or not all by malfunctioning machines. Confirmation screens and paper receipts let voters know that their votes are being counted and correctly. Confirmation screens and paper receipts can also help catch malfunctioning machines so they can be taken offline before even more votes are incorrectly recorded.
At my polling place in Pickens County on February 27th, 2016, there was no accountability from the machines used for the primary election. Through contact with the local election board it was revealed that such machines are being used across the state of SC. Voters deserve to know their vote was cast correctly and should be provided with machines that provide confirmation screens and receipts.
In SC, an Independent running presidential candidate must gather 10,000 signatures to be added to the state ballot. We hope to reach at least that many signatures of SC residents to present this petition to the election board.