Posted on 03/18/2008 5:48:19 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and her counterpart in Ohio have been named recipients of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
Both will be honored for challenging the reliability of electronic voting systems in their states.
Bowen severely restricted the use of electronic voting systems six months before the Feb. 5 presidential primary, after computer scientists at the University of California concluded they could be hacked.
Many county registrars were furious with her decision, which they said left them little time to get ready for the early primary.
Twenty-one counties, including Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Santa Clara, shelved their touchscreen voting equipment in favor of paper ballots.
The switch overwhelmed election workers in some of the state's most populous counties, stretching the election night count into the next morning.
Bowen said she was gratified by the award, which she said came "out of the blue."
She said it vindicated the work of many who had preceded her in questioning the reliability of electronic voting systems, "in many cases having been told they were off-base or crazy."
She added, "When UC did the study, we actually learned there were issues nobody had ever recognized before."
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner required counties using electronic voting systems to give voters who requested them paper ballots in the primary election held earlier this month.
She also ordered county officials to replace their electronic voting systems with paper ballots and optical scan technology by the November general election.
In announcing the award, which was named after the Pulitzer-prize winning book by her father, former President John F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy praised both women for their willingness to buck opposition to ensure a fair vote.
"Our democracy depends on voter trust," Kennedy said. "Debra Bowen and Jennifer Brunner's efforts to earn that trust have made them true profiles in courage."
The awards will be presented May 12 at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston by Caroline Kennedy and her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
The Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants who have made decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences.
A special lifetime achievement award will be presented to former Mississippi Governor William Winter for promoting racial equality and education.
Darn,, and I bet the farm on ACORN winning it..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.