Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder-Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 27, 2006

Contact:
Warren Slocum
Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
Phone: (650) 363-4988 Fax: (650) 363-1903 E-mail: wslocum@smcare.org
Web: www.shapethefuture.org www.smcare.org

Alternate: David Tom, Phone: 650.312.5222 E-mail: dtom@smcare.org

Slocum to address San Francisco Elections Commission at special educational forum on Voting Systems

REDWOOD CITY, CA— The San Francisco Elections Commission is sponsoring a Special Educational Forum on Voting Systems that will be held from 6:00 – 8:00pm on Wednesday, March 29th in the Koret Auditorium, at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library at 30 Grove Street (on the lower level), San Francisco. San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum has been invited to share his expertise and perspectives on the “current and future state of voting systems and vote tabulation devices.”

Reflecting on twenty-five years as an election administrator, Slocum said, “Every time voters cast their ballots, they create a new America—one election at a time. It’s the genius of our democracy. And the great irony is that while we have knocked down voting barriers and been more inclusive to strengthen our democracy, some of those actions have contributed to the current crises in confidence in elections.”

“Each state primary marks the date in time when the intersection of federal mandates, new state laws, new voting systems, last minute equipment certifications and lawsuits challenging the certifications all enjoin. The drama is unfolding before our eyes,” said Slocum.

“Election administrators, election activists, candidates and the public are watching every primary in the country, watching the election process and watching the electronic voting equipment in action. They are looking for assurances—assurances that the votes in our democracy are being counted accurately, assurances that the voting equipment is secure and assurances that the processes are transparent,” he continued. “There are things that we can do to improve the process and restore public confidence. And we should do them,” he said.

The purpose of the Forum is to allow members of the Elections Commission, and interested members of the public, to learn about and discuss the complex issues regarding the current and future development of voting technology and voting systems, including issues of public confidence.

Featured on the panel with Slocum are Mr. Alan Dechert, President and CEO of the Open Voting Consortium and Ms. Susan Lapsley, Office of Voting Systems Technology Assessment, of the California Secretary of State’s Office and Ms. Courtenay Strickland Bhatia of the Verified Voting Foundation. The public is welcome to attend.

Public notice of the Forum can be found on the San Francisco Election Commission’s website, www.sfgov.org/site/electionscommission_page.asp?id=38123.

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