House Republican Press Release

May 8, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

Rep. DelGobbo Seeks Review of New Voting Technology by Secretary of the State’s Office

Cites Privacy Concerns Raised by Voters in Monday’s Naugatuck Election

Citing privacy concerns raised by Naugatuck voters in Monday’s municipal election, state Representative Kevin M. DelGobbo has written to Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz seeking an immediate review of new voting technologies and procedures adopted by her office for this year’s elections.

During Monday’s election, many Naugatuck voters expressed “their anger over what they considered the lack of privacy in filling out and submitting their ballots” using new voting technology and election procedures “adopted by your office,” Representative DelGobbo wrote. “This is a circumstance that I can personally attest to in my own experience voting yesterday.”

“The ‘privacy booths’ where electors would fill out their ballots were inadequate to in fact provide a sense of privacy,” Representative DelGobbo wrote. “Election officials, as well as other voters who might be walking past, could quite easily observe the selections being made by a voter.”

“In addition, many residents commented that when they were placing their ballots in the optical scan machine, there existed many opportunities for election officials and other voters to observe how [they] had filled out their ballots,” Representative DelGobbo said in the letter. “I would also note that some of the technical problems experienced in utilizing these optical scan devices give me cause for concern.”

“I would welcome the opportunity to discuss with you my observations about these ‘technical’ issues at your earliest convenience,” Representative DelGobbo wrote. “In the meantime, I am requesting that your office immediately review the technologies and procedures that your office has implemented in this new election process, to ensure greater privacy for electors filling out their ballots.”