The State Board of Elections should carefully consider the ramifications of decertifying WINvote voting machines less than two months before a primary election.  This potential change presents a particularly challenging set of conditions to those localities conducting primaries in the upcoming months.

As I understand, concern for irregularities in the performance of the WINvote machines prompt the decertification discussion.  The wireless capability of the machines in particular has been of particular concern.  While these concerns are reasonable, it is the case that reported irregularities have been limited and the voting machine's wireless communications can be disabled.  

As a matter of fairness, forcing localities to acquire new voting equipment with such limited time before a scheduled election seems wholly unreasonable particularly in light of the Commonwealth's lack of funding support for voting machine replacement.  The estimated cost for voting machine replacement in Roanoke County is $400,000.  The timing of the potential decertification gives localities no opportunity to budget for equipment replacement and therefore will force a re-prioritization of other funds very late in the fiscal year.  It should be observed that the potential need to identify funding for voting machine replacement comes on the heels of the Commonwealth's reduction in Aid to Localities, which in Roanoke County has reduced budgeted revenue by nearly $300,000.

From a practical perspective, it is infeasible to acquire and properly test new voting machines for use in upcoming elections.  Implementing new machines and ensuring Officers of Election are properly trained on new equipment would be a considerable task given the limited time before a June primary election. The success of any election depends on the knowledge and abilities of the Officers of Election.  Those skills and abilities surely include familiarity with voting equipment being utilized.  Implementing new equipment without adequate time to ensure familiarity through proper training could call into question the integrity of the election as readily as concerns expressed about the WINvote machines.

It is unclear to me why we would decertify equipment absent a comprehensive understanding of the machines deficiencies in favor of hasty implementation of a new system for voting.  While we are all concerned for a fair, well executed  election process, it seems the proposed solution would generate unnecessary fiscal distress for localities and potentially jeopardize the integrity of the very election process the decertification action is intended to defense. 

Tom Gates