Voting Rights Group Rally Against Expensive, Vulnerable Voting Machines Ahead of Suffolk County Leg Meeting

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY (06/04/2024) (readMedia)-- TODAY, ahead of the Suffolk County legislature meeting, voting rights groups including Long Island Progressive Coalition and other voting rights advocates, will rally against the purchasing of the ExpressVote XL: a touch screen voting machine that allows voters to mark their ballot electronically instead of on traditional paper ballots. The Suffolk County Board of Elections has said it plans to purchase these machines and is seeking budget authorization to spend a minimum of $34 million on these machines.

In last November's election, voters again used these machines in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, four years after an earlier problem with the machines not recording votes. The machines produced ballot summary cards with selections for judicial candidates that were inconsistent with voters' selections, causing confusion as to whether voters were accurately recorded. The ExpressVote XL costs more than $11,000 per unit. This is far more expensive than other voting machines. Additionally, it will cost more money to store, run, and transport the machines.

WHO:

Long Island Progressive Coalition

And other Long Island Voting Rights Advocates

WHERE: Outside the Rose Caracappa Auditorium – Hauppauge

725 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Smithtown, NY 11787

WHEN:

TODAY, June 4th at 9am