Contact:
Byron Spice
412-268-9068

Anne Watzman
412-268-3830

For immediate release:
March 16, 2006

Carnegie Mellon Scientist To Test Electronic Voting Machines Purchased by Allegheny County

PITTSBURGH—Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist and nationally recognized authority on electronic voting machines, has been hired by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to perform a certification examination of the Sequoia AVC Advantage voting machine, the model purchased conditionally by Allegheny County.

The nine-hour certification exam is scheduled for March 28-29 in Harrisburg. If the machine should for some reason fail to be certified, Allegheny County may not be able to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act by the May 16 general primary and may not be able to take advantage of federal funding for upgrading its voting systems.

Shamos, a lawyer as well as a computer scientist, has performed more than 115 such examinations of electronic voting systems in Pennsylvania and Texas since 1980. He is one of two examiners who serve as consultants to the state Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation.