PRESS RELEASE
Office of Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
Contact: Adrin Nazarian (818) 240-6330
Chief of Staff
620 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 403
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 240-6330
(818) 240-4632 fax
adrin.nazarian@asm.ca.gov

July 31, 2007
Bob Reid (916) 319-2043

KREKORIAN RESPONDS TO ELECTION SYSTEM REVIEW

Assemblymember Demands Disclosure of Details Of Electronic Voting
Systems

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) said today that he was deeply
troubled by the results of Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s
"Top-to-Bottom Review" of California’s election systems. The review has
exposed security flaws in the current system that reinforce the urgent
need for Krekorian’s Assembly Bill 852, known as the Secure, Accurate
and Fair Elections (SAFE) Act of 2007, according to the Assemblymember.

"I applaud Secretary of State Bowen for her thorough and detailed review
of election systems in California," said Assemblymember Krekorian. "The
initial results prove what many of us have feared — electronic voting
leaves our elections vulnerable to security breaches and errors. If our
Nation is to maintain its rightful role as the world’s beacon of
democracy, we cannot tolerate an atmosphere of doubt surrounding the
sanctity of our elections."

The initial results of the report show that the electronic voting
systems manufactured by Diebold, Sequoia and Hart Intercivic suffer
flaws that can be exploited by lax observance at the polling place,
flawed procedures at the county level, or a concerted effort to
manipulate the elections process. To date, however, only partial
results of the study have been made public, due to confidentiality
restraints imposed by the manufacturers of the electronic voting
systems.

"Because of the profit concerns of these major corporations, the public
is still being denied access to critical information about one of the
most vital functions government has – ensuring that our elections are
fair and secure," said Assemblymember Krekorian. "This shroud of
secrecy imposed by corporate interests is precisely the reason we need
to enact the SAFE Act, so that every part of the election process is
open, accessible and above-board."

Krekorian’s legislation would require public disclosure of the computer
source code that runs the state’s voting machines. If a manufacturer
refuses to disclose a voting system’s source code, that system could not
be certified for use in California elections. This important reform
will ensure that the public, including voting rights advocates, computer
scientists and the media, could analyze the source code and identify any
potential errors or security risks.

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) represents the cities of
Burbank and Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater
Village, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley
Glen, Valley Village and Van Nuys.

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