[EM] HR811 and Federal paper trail legislation

[James Gilmour]

> From: Abd ul-Rahman Lomax> Sent: 25 May 2007 21:16
> I've heard only one substantial objection to ballot imaging, and I 
> consider it spurious and misled or misleading. And that is the 
> privacy of the voter. The privacy of the voter is not violated by 
> ballot imaging. First of all, there is only even an issue if the 
> images are public, which is merely an independent part of the 
> proposal. Concern about privacy would only require, at most, that the 
> images only be available to those with legal need to see them. 
> Secondly, ballots do not identify voters. Even if they are not 
> English speakers, an issue that was raised.

I am not familiar with US law on these points, but in the UK there is NO ballot identification
information on the face of the ballot paper.  That information (ballot paper number  -  and bar code
if for machine counting) is all on the back of the ballot paper.  Both side were scanned in the
recent elections, but when scanned images were displayed (on computer screens, on large screens and
projected onto very large screens) for adjudication, it was only the face of the ballot paper that
was shown.  No-one could identify the ballot paper from the image.

The information that linked the ballot paper to the elector to whom it was issued was not available
in electronic format anywhere.  That info was recorded on a separate tally list (paper record only)
that is kept separate from the completed ballot papers.  The ballot paper numbers and the list of
issued ballot papers with electors' numbers can be brought together for examination ONLY by order of
a court.

James Gilmour