I sent an email yesterday to Hart InterCivic with the same tone and some of the same words that I used in my rant yesterday. I did so hoping that I would get a reply; I don’t think it’s fair to attack somebody publicly without giving them a chance to respond. And within hours, I received a reply from Michelle Shafer, the very person quoted in the Wired article. Apparently, the interview was conducted at 1 AM on election day and the quote was lifted from the context of a much larger interview. (To be clear, Ms. Shafer is not accusing the journalist of anything. The point is simply that it was one comment from a much longer conversation.)
At any rate, her response to me was thoughtful and considerate enough to merit publication here. (I did ask for and receive Ms. Shafer’s permission before publishing this.) So here it is:
Michael –
I am sorry that you did not like my comments in that article. However, it
is very important to note that the eSlate Electronic Voting units were not
malfunctioning. I am not saying that user error is not an important issue –
it is. However, it needs to be distinguished from technical error.
Straight Party voting in Texas (which is what was being referred to in the
article you referenced) brings many complexities to a ballot whether a paper
ballot or an electronic ballot. The positive thing about electronic voting
is that it gives voters a change to correct errors by reviewing the voting
unit’s summary screen.
In addition, there are several other advantages to e-voting including:
- Eliminating over voting
- Dramatically reducing under voting
- Enfranchising thousands of disabled voters
- Helping increase voter turnout through the use of early voting
- Facilitating voting by non-native speakers of the English language
- Ensuring a more precise and unambiguous count of the vote
- Efficient processing of provisional ballots
- Expediting vote tabulation and reporting
Continuous improvement is a major focus here at Hart InterCivic. We are, and will continue to be committed to providing the best, most secure,accurate, accessible and easiest to use products to our customers as possible.
Thanks for your comments.
Sincerely,
Michelle M. Shafer
Director of Corporate Communications
Hart InterCivic
Fair enough.