HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – The Hillsborough County Republican party has filed a ‘Resolution for Election Vote Accuracy’ with Governor Ron DeSantis, seeking to ban the use of electronic voting machines throughout the state.
On April 24, 2023, the Chair of the Hillsborough County Republican Party, Dana Galen, sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis, enclosing a Resolution for Election Vote Accuracy, which the Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee passed at its April 13, 2023 meeting.
The Resolution seeks to prohibit Electronic Voting Machine usage throughout Florida.
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The resolution also calls on the Florida Legislature, the Secretary of State, and the Governor of Florida to abide by ‘Florida Law and the Will of the Public’ to use their authority to prohibit electronic voting machines in the State of Florida.
The resolution states, “We urge instead the use of counterfeit-proof paper ballots and manual precinct counting systems to comply with the Voter’s Bill of Rights as provided for in Florida Statute 101.031 (2) to ensure his or her vote is accurately counted”.
In addition, to Governor DeSantis, Chairwoman Galen, forwarded the approved Resolution to the Secretary of State Cord Byrd, All Members of the Florida Senate, and All Members of the Florida House.
Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are computer-based voting systems used to cast and count votes in elections. EVMs are becoming increasingly popular as they offer several advantages over traditional paper-based voting systems.
One of the biggest advantages of EVMs is that they can speed up the voting process. In a traditional paper-based election, voters must mark their ballots and hand them to a poll worker.
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This process can be time-consuming, especially in larger elections. With EVMs, voters simply touch the screen to cast their votes.
This can significantly reduce the time it takes to vote, which can help improve voter turnout.
However, there are also some potential disadvantages to EVMs.
One concern is that they could be more vulnerable to hacking than traditional paper-based ballots. Another concern is that they could make it easier for election officials to manipulate the vote count.
According to a report by the Associated Press, electronic voting machines from a leading vendor used in at least 16 states have software vulnerabilities that leave them susceptible to hacking if unaddressed, the nation’s leading cybersecurity agency says in an advisory sent to state election officials.
In Georgia, for example, election security expert J. Alex Halderman told the the AP that he’s identified “multiple severe security flaws” in the state’s touchscreen voting machines, according to a sworn declaration in a court case.
Halderman told The Associated Press in a phone interview that while he’s seen no evidence the vulnerabilities were exploited to change the outcome of the 2020 election, “there remain serious risks that policymakers and the public need to be aware of” that should be addressed immediately to protect future elections.
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