The people of New York State have the right:

• To have their votes counted accurately

• To fully accessible voting

• To have confidence in their election process

Those rights face immediate and present danger.

ES&S, the largest vendor of voting systems in the U.S., is requesting New York State certification for a touchscreen voting machine that counts votes with barcodes.

The voting machine is called the ExpressVote XL.

The ExpressVote XL is strongly opposed by many election experts, good government groups, disability advocates, and voters. They report that the ExpressVote XL has poor security due to a flawed design, is uncomfortable for many voters with disabilities, has failed spectacularly in the field, and that ballot-marking-for-all voting systems are much more expensive than hand-marked paper ballot systems.

Emails obtained through public records requests show that in May of 2019, the New York State Board of Elections halted certification of the ExpressVote XL due to concerns that state regulations do not allow its use.

New York regulations currently define an optical scan system as “a voting system in which a voter records his or her vote by placing a mark... on a paper ballot…” (§6209.1(u))

Emails also reveal that during the certification process for the ExpressVote XL, the New York State Board of Elections discovered that ES&S had deceived the board about the company's past/present litigation and did not provide the New York State Board with all the documents it was legally required to provide.

After the certification process was halted, the ES&S legal team threatened to sue the New York State Board of Elections for the loss of potential business.

Yet, despite this, the New York State Board of Elections could be certifying the ExpressVote XL very soon - possibly as soon as their next meeting on January 14th.

We must continue to follow expert guidance in our elections and not succumb to vendor pressure to buy expensive systems that do not serve the public. It is imperative that we protect our right to accessible, accurate, and secure elections.

Please send a letter right now to NY Legislators and election officials, then share it with your family, friends & networks.

(Click the red button that says "Start Writing" to quickly send a letter.)

Anyone can send the letter. NY has historically been a leader on election security and if NY standards are diminished, other states could be affected as well.

In addition to sending this letter - you can sign up to speak

1/14/21 at 10am - 3 minute time limit

Send requests to speak to election_ops@elections.ny.gov

Request must be received by 1/12/21 at 5pm.