January 10, 2006

Susan Bysiewicz
Secretary of the State
30 Trinity Street
Hartford, CT 06106

Dear Secretary Bysiewicz:

I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut to express our concern regarding the status of new voting technology as it pertains to blind and disabled voters.

I know you have led the fight for new voting technology since 2000, and have invited the blind and disabled community to participate in the process. We greatly appreciate these efforts. Upon hearing that we won't be able to vote privately and independently in 2006, we were naturally very disappointed. When we learned that the Danaher machine was picked, we were downright discouraged. Every blind person I spoke with who participated in the focus groups in November 2005 ranked the Danaher machine fourth-right below tossing pebbles into coconut shells.

We understand that your office must make decisions based on the opinions of people with other disabilities, as well as the public, but if the new technology isn't fully accessible to the blind, we have gained nothing for our struggle.

We also understand that Connecticut's statutory obligation for a full-faced ballot reduced the number of potential vendors, and hope your efforts, along with the Attorney General's, rectify this antiquated requirement.

The NFB of Connecticut is not advocating for any particular machine, but we urge you to adjust your weighting formula so that the concerns of the blind and disabled community are reflected when making the final choice.

We all want precise, secure, and accessible voting in Connecticut. In that sense, perhaps it is best Danaher provided fraudulent information, so now there is a year to obtain the optimal voting technology. Voting technology that will last for years, and allow those of us who have waited so long to vote privately, independently, accurately, and securely.

Respectfully yours,
Chris Kuell, Ph.D.
National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut

For more information, E-mail us at: info@nfbct.org