From: Conny McCormack <CMcCormack@rrcc.co.la.ca.us>

To: [Name Withheld]

CC: Deborah Wright <DWright@rrcc.co.la.ca.us>

Subject: FW: Questions: signature checking; precints for audit

Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 15:16:51 -0700

Deborah Wright was discussing your info request (below) with me and I decided to respond myself.

Our office is constantly, and appropriately, researching technological improvements to manual processes and we've been exploring auto signature checking of absentee ballot envelopes for several years. We have a long-standing contract with Diebold Election Systems to process our absentee ballot mailings which includes both outgoing and incoming mail. We are testing a new application for auto sig checking in conjunction with this contract. All voters' signatures in L.A. County are already captured (and have been for many years) using Diebold technology and this would simply be an extension of the current process that would streamline it for greater efficiency.

Response to other questions:

Deborah will separately email to you the 1% manual audit precincts chosen for the Oct 2003 and Nov. 2004 elections. We (Dept staff) choose these precincts in order to assure appropriate coverage of all races and ballot styles. We have always been willing to add another couple of precincts to this list upon request of any candidates/campaigns in close contests. Also, for the Recall Election, our 1% was covered by the L.A. Times in a news article and was attended by many observers who praised our process and transparency. With regard to your question about early voted ballots on DREs, these are not required to be a part of the 1% manual tally. Beginning in 2006 the 1% will extend to all VVPAT-equipped DREs now that the Gov. has signed AB1636.

Conny McCormack