Congressional Committees Project. I want to monitor the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. These are the committees are entrusted with dealing with election issues. Consider joining as well.

I support Holt's bill, but it's not quite a no-brainer. There are those who are opposed to it because they think it doesn't go far enough. Although it's drafted to serve as a floor for election integrity rather than a ceiling, these people think that passage of the bill will take away pressure for a more comprehensive approach. I'm not convinced by that argument, but it needs to be acknowledged.

Also, it's important to distinguish between a paper TRAIL and a paper BALLOT OF RECORD. Paper TRAILS are better than nothing, but only serve a purpose if the trail is examined by the person casting the vote, if the trail is not eaten (for instance, by a paper jam), and if the trail actually matches the electronic vote.

Paper BALLOTS OF RECORD may be produced with or without the aid of a voting machine, but the user examines it before submitting it, and the physical ballot is what is counted.

Holt's bill demands a ballot of record, which is good.

Even now, before the Congress switchover, a majority of the House has signed on as co-sponsors of the bill. So prospects do look good.

For more background, please go to the Voting Rights page on the dKosopedia.