To the NC State Board of Election Commissioners, 

On August 23 you will have 2 proposals in front of you

Section 3.4.2.12 

1) Recording of Voter’s Selection An electronically assisted Ballot Marking Device or other ballot marking equipment shall produce or mark a paper ballot that is indistinguishable in size and type of paper and in printed content from hand-marked paper ballots.  For the purposes of this section, “printed content” does not include the voter response area where the voter indicates their selection by darkening an oval, square, rectangle, or other shape. 

2) Each voting system shall provide the option for a paper ballot to be marked by hand for voters who choose to cast their votes in this manner.  

I strongly encourage you to VOTE YES on BOTH of these resolutions. Security experts recommend that all voters, who are able to, vote using hand-marked paper ballots. Voters with disabilities deserve to have a private, independent secure vote that cannot be distinguished from other votes. 

Additionally I do not want the ES&S Express Vote certified in North Carolina:

There are numerous problems with the ES&S Express Vote.

• The ExpressVote uses a touch screen. Touch screen systems have many security risks, and if not calibrated correctly can pick a different candidate than the one that was selected by the voter. They can also be programmed to do this with malware.
• The ExpressVote counts votes with barcodes. Voters cannot read barcodes without equipment. The barcode-based setup “makes a mockery of the notion that the ballot is ‘voter-verifiable,’” said Duncan Buell, a computer science professor at the University of South Carolina, because “what the voter verifies is not what is tallied.” - Politico 
• Barcodes and barcode readers can be hacked to change votes.
• Touch screen systems are more expensive than hand-marked paper ballot system.  Estimates from other states show them being two to four times as expensive as standard digital scan machines, when one includes maintenance, storage and the fact that more machines are necessary per polling place. For example one touch screen voting machine can serve far fewer voters than a digital scanner, increasing costs exponentially.
• Touch screen voting machines, can cause long lines at the polls if there are not enough machines. A lack of adequate voting machines has been found to unequally disenfranchise communities of color. 

Voters with disabilities must be able to vote privately, independently and comfortably, but their votes must be counted accurately. We need both accessibility and security. Focusing on properly maintaining, setting-up and training poll workers on secure ballot-marking devices, will help more than certifying expensive, dangerous equipment that we do not need. Many disability advocates speak highly of the ES&S AutoMARK, which is already certified for use in NC.

North Carolina can be a national leader on this issue. demonstrating what strong election security protocols look like. Voters everywhere are concerned that by certifying another touch screen machine for use in North Carolina, you will open the door for interference in our elections, instead of choosing to protect us from foul play I want to have confidence that all votes will be counted correctly, and I ask respectfully that North Carolina abandon risky touch screen voting and join states who are securing their elections with hand-marked paper ballots and secure ballot-marking devices. That process works because it allows for elections to be audited with a hand-count of trusted paper ballots. Please vote yes on the two proposals on August 23rd.

Sincerely,