Counties throughout California have stopped using some electronic voting machines to fight voter fraud

As a result of Trump’s voter fraud allegations in 2020, some Northern California counties are choosing to reject Dominion voting systems, which are electronic voting machines and software. Unsplash

Shasta County in Northern California decided to end its contract with Dominion voting systems earlier this month. This could result in ballots having to be counted by hand instead of through the use of a machine or system.

This decision came about as a result of the voter fraud accusations made by former president Donald Trump, which have been circulating again over the last few months. Many residents of Shasta County claimed that U.S. voting systems were used to fraudulently elect President Joe Biden during the 2020 election, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The Dominion voting system is the largest voting machine supplier in California, supplying voting machines to 41 of the 58 counties in the state, not including Orange County.

According to the Disability Rights of California (DRC), a nonprofit agency, voters with disabilities are among the population in the county of Shasta who are concerned about whether they will be able to vote as easily in the near future because of the accessibility that Dominion voting provided. For instance, the Dominion system provides an audio version of the ballot with a touch screen and a handheld controller.

In a February 6 statement published on their website, the DRC has reached out to Shasta County for a solution to this concern for voters affected by disabilities.

“If Shasta County does not provide suitable and fully functional replacements for these current accessible voting options for all elections after the special election in early March, a mere month away, it not only will be failing its disabled citizens who need these options in order to exercise their right to vote, (but) it will be in violation of both federal and state law,” the DRC stated in the statement. 

The DRC’s statement continued emphasizing state laws at risk from the removal of Dominion systems.

“Federal and state law, including the federal Help America Vote Act, require, among other things, that voting systems give people with disabilities the same opportunities for access to and participation in the voting process, including private and independent voting, as they do for nondisabled voters,” the statement reads.

Richie Amarillas is a first-year political science major at Chapman University who works as the Leisure Student Organizations Senator for the Student Government Association. Amarillas spoke with The Panther about the effect that this event will have on the future of politics.

“The removal of Dominion voting proves that Trumpism and the ability to deny elections still possesses a great deal of power in 2023,” Amarillas said. “The company has proven time and time again that their systems do not aid in voter fraud, yet Trump Republicans claim the opposite, and of course, these claims are unfounded and are without merit.”

Fred Smoller, an associate professor of political science at Chapman, has been teaching for 40 years. In an interview with The Panther, Smoller discussed the accusations that are being made against Dominion voting, as well as other voting solutions like mail voting and what that future may look like for voters.

“I think that we will continue to use vote-by-mail because there is no evidence of fraud,” Smoller explained. “The only thing this kind of voting does is make it easier for people to vote, and therefore, (get) greater voter turnout.”