Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Beverly Hills Sues Over 'Severe Ballot Design Flaw' In LA County Voting Machines
A member of the news media operates L.A. County's new voting machines in Norwalk, California, Monday, September 16, 2019. (Kyle Grillot for LAist)
()
With weeks to go before voting starts for California's March 3 primary, Beverly Hills has filed a lawsuit targeting the user interface of new Los Angeles County voting equipment.
The filing names L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan as a defendant and claims the new machines have "a severe ballot design flaw, one that threatens the integrity and accuracy of dozens of races in the upcoming consolidated primary election."
At issue? Only four candidates fit on the first digital "page" of a given race on the ballot-marking machines, and it's too easy for voters to unknowingly skip candidates further down the ballot by hitting "NEXT" instead of "MORE" on the touch screen, said City Attorney Larry Wiener.
"We're really doing this on behalf of all the voters in the county of Los Angeles," Wiener said. "This isn't just a Beverly Hills issue."
Support for LAist comes from
This would primarily impact local contests where names don't rotate on the ballot, like many city council races.
How could the county fix it? It's up to election officials to decide, Wiener said, but the city has some ideas:
"The City is asking LA County to gray out the NEXT button until the voter has moved to the last page of that individual race and viewed all candidates," Beverly Hills spokesperson Keith Sterling wrote in a press release. "Alternatively, the City is asking that instructions be included on the first screen indicating there may be additional candidates than the first four names listed and to select MORE to view all choices."
Read the Beverly Hills lawsuit here:
Logan responded to Beverly Hills' concerns in a letter to City Clerk Huma Ahmed dated Jan. 6.
"The ballot layout features have been subject to significant review," Logan said.
After the public got a chance to try the ballot-marking devices in mock elections last fall, Logan's office added a pulsating yellow ring around the "MORE" button and a gradient feature to let voters know there is more of the ballot to view past the visible page.
Logan says there is evidence from a Long Beach City Council election in November showing consistency in results when people voted by mail, in-person with pen and paper, or using the ballot-marking machines.
Support for LAist comes from
Read the full letter:
Los Angeles County voters are facing big changes and some uncertainty about where and how they will vote starting next month.
Absentee ballots will begin hitting voters' mailboxes Feb. 3. But unlike most of California, more than half of Angelenos still vote in person -- and they'll be contending with the loss of their neighborhood polling places as they switch to voting in new, consolidated "vote centers." It's an additional change they'll have to adjust to on top of the brand-new machines to mark their ballots when voting starts next month.
The new 11-day in-person voting period starts Feb. 22, when the first wave of vote centers is scheduled to open. L.A. County hasn't announced the precise locations of those voting sites yet, however -- and the new high-tech voting system is still not state-certified.
The Secretary of State put L.A.'s new equipment through a mountain of tests to check for safety and accuracy.
They found dozens of issues related to security and paper jams that could cause delays. You can read more on this from LAist here.
Registrar-Recorder Logan said his office has dealt with any problems that popped up in testing, during a mock election and a November pilot program -- and he's confident the new system will make voting easier and more convenient for Angelenos.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist