SMART elections files lawsuit against the nycboe
Read the Lawsuit
Read the Press Release
Read the Press Release
Petitioners, LooEase “Lulu” Friesdat, a voter in the June 2024 New York Democratic Primary, Desmond Cadogan, a voter and candidate in the 70th Assembly District in the June 2024 Democratic Primary in New York County, on behalf of themselves and other voters, SMART
Elections, Inc., and SMART Legislation ... hereby complain as follows against the Respondent New York City Board of Elections (“NYCBOE”.)
Read the Press Release
Read the Press Release
Read the Press Release
Court Challenge Charges Gross Irregularities and Reports of Bribery in Harlem Election
New York, NY – SMART Elections and its Co-founder and Executive Director, Lulu Friesdat, are lead plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed Thursday, October 17th, against the New York City Board of Elections (NYCBOE).
View the Exhibits
Read the Press Release
View the Exhibits
Exhibits for the lawsuit illustrate the discrepancies in the number of ballots, evidence of illegal electioneering, missing seals on ballot boxes and reports of poll workers being paid cash under the table.
why observe elections?
It's Necessary
What if we told you that by spending a few hours during the election you could help ensure that it's secure and accurate? Or that people all over the world do this for their elections. Like in Turkey, where for ten years volunteers have observed and monitored the vote count in order to protect election results. As The Washington Post Reports, "Turkey’s oldest election monitoring organization, Vote and Beyond, sends out tens of thousands of volunteers to polling stations across the country to monitor the vote, including the official count."
Observing elections is a critically important part of ensuring they are fair and accurate. The U.S. has a long tradition of observing elections around the world, and it's critically important now that we turn an observing eye to our own elections at a time when a majority of voters express concern that there will be violence following the election, or attempts to overturn the results. (Data from a December 2023 survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center.)
The Carter Center, a long-time leader in international election observation is now calling for nonpartisan observation here in the U.S. *Watch our forum with Avery Davis-Roberts of The Carter Center & David Levine from the Alliance for Securing Democracy.)
From USAID, one of the most respected organizations in protecting elections around the world:
"The elections of 2024 will occur amidst a 17-year trend of global democratic decline."
They recommend supporting:
"Independent observation of elections ... particularly by nonpartisan civic groups.".
You Can make a Difference
The SMART Elections' team has years of experience monitoring & protecting U.S. elections.
We've developed systems that include observing
- If the number of voters & ballots match
- If polling station results match reported results
- If audits are carried out correctly and are free from discrepancies
U.S. elections are local. Your involvement in ensuring fair & accurate elections at the local level helps give you confidence that the results are correct. You and your neighbors benefit from a better, more equitable government when you get involved in this way.
Lulu Speaks on TEDx Stage About Bipartisan Voting Reform
"We’re doing it wrong. We’ve structured our elections incorrectly — from the beginning — and naturally we’re having some very serious problems.."
Enter a raffle to
Win 5 days in Maui!!
We're raising money for a lawsuit to protect New York elections from voting machines that experts say will increase costs & wait times and decrease security & confidence.
A $100 donation enters you into a raffle ticket for a stay in a luxury eco-retreat in Maui called Hale Akua. DONATIONS OF ANY AMOUNT WELCOME!
stop the expressvote xl
What's Happening with NY Voting?
New York elections are at a dangerous crossroads. New types of voting machines, called “all-in-one” and “universal-use”, are attempting to flood the state. After a four-year battle against it, a new All-in-One voting machine called the ExpressVote XL was approved on 8/2/23 by the NY State Board of Elections.
These systems do not allow you to vote with a pen and paper. They will radically change the way we vote. Experts say they will increase costs, and wait times, especially in communities of color. Experts say: elections conducted on these systems cannot be confirmed by audits
The ExpressVote XL also wraps your vote in a barcode. The barcode is what's counted, not the text you see. There is no way for you to verify who you are voting for. In 2023 in Northampton County, PA the ExpressVote XL printed different candidates on the summary card than the ones that voters selected. But the machine did not count the vote it showed on paper. It scanned a barcode and actually counted the vote for the opposite candidate of what was on the paper.
What does this demonstrate?
- The ExpressVote XL can flip votes.
- The ExpressVote XL can count the vote for a different candidate than what is on the paper summary card.
New Yorkers have been voting with either a pen and paper or a ballot-marking device for over 10 years. That system works. Voters can vote in the way that they prefer.
Yet despite all the warnings about these voting machines Erie, Monroe and Orange Counties are purchasing them.
Please make a tax-deductible donation to help fund a lawsuit to stop the ExpressVote XL in any counties that have purchased it.
We are immensely grateful for your support!
Watch Our Forum on the ExpressVote XL
We give you the full story about this voting machine, the timeline, and what you can do to help stop this trainwreck. Remember that New York Congressional elections helped determine the balance of power in the House in 2022. Join us - and get involved. It's urgent and it matters!
an interview with our executive director
Who Benefits from Political Polarization?
In today’s politically charged climate, it seems that polarization has become the norm. Divisions between political parties, fueled by partisan rhetoric and media sensationalism, have created an environment where compromise and collaboration are increasingly rare. But who really benefits from this state of affairs? In a thought-provoking conversation Lulu Friesdat, the Co-founder and Executive Director of SMART Elections, helps us sort out the origin and consequences of political polarization in the United States.
The Manipulation of Public Opinion
Political polarization serves as fertile ground for the manipulation of public opinion. As Friesdat highlights, polarized narratives reduce complex issues into soundbites, perpetuating a simplified, but distorted, view of the world. “Political parties thrive on red meat that pushes voters into entrenched channels of division,” she says. “Think about the push and pull between gun rights and safety, the conundrum of women’s rights and the rights of the unborn, and the existential questions posed by the profits and dangers of a fossil-fuel economy. “ In an environment of intense partisan hype, individuals are more likely to cling to their preconceived beliefs and remain closed to other perspectives. This manipulation not only hinders genuine dialogue but also stifles progress and prevents the development of comprehensive solutions to our society’s challenges.
A MESSAGE FROM RENOWNED ELECTION SECURITY EXPERT PROFESSOR J. ALEX HALDERMAN
"...we urge those working to debunk election conspiracy theories to carefully distinguish between claims that the 2020 U.S. election result was hacked—for which there is no evidence—and claims that U.S. elections have real vulnerabilities and face threats from sophisticated attackers—which is the consensus view of the National Academies. Failure to clearly maintain this distinction confuses the public, discredits anti-disinformation efforts, and makes it even more difficult to have important public conversations about vital election security reforms and to implement those reforms. Voters deserve better.
Will these findings make voters less confident?
What should be done to fix the problems?
We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news when trust in elections is already low, but the public needs accurate information about election security. Whether our findings ultimately strengthen or weaken public trust will depend on how responsible officials respond.
The most effective remedy for the problems we found and others like them is to rely less on BMDs [Ballot-Marking-Device]. The risk of attack is much lower when only a small fraction of voters use BMDs, as in most states, than when all in-person voters are forced to use them, as in Georgia. Where BMDs must be used, the risk of an undetected attack can be reduced by avoiding using barcodes to count votes. Officials can configure the ICX to print traditional-style ballots that do not use QR codes. This has the virtue of forcing an attacker to make changes that are (at least in principle) visible to voters. States should also implement rigorous risk-limiting audits of every major contest, which the National Academies has called on all states to do by 2028.
Our findings in Georgia demonstrate that elections face ongoing security risks that call for continued vigilance from policymakers, technologists, and the public. In light of these risks, the best way for officials to uphold voter confidence is to further improve security, not to deny that problems exist."
SMART is an acronym
