We have a terrific CA democrat, a tireless campaigner for election integrity, a smart, effective legislator, running in CA for Sec'y of State.
Debra Bowen says that she is "running for secretary of state for 2 reasons: Florida and Ohio!"
Bowen is leading the fight against the current appointed-Republican Secy of State's decision to certify Diebold eletronic voting machines despite poor marks from his appointed panel of computer scientists. (Their report is being cited elsewhere as verification for the Hursti tests in Florida which showed that Diebold voting results could be changed or reversed without a trace.)
Now, with Bowen, we have a real chance to insure honest elections in California -- and of course that would have an impact on electing Democrats nationally.
Since she was elected to the CA legislature from Marina del Rey, Bowen has fought for campaign finance reform, championed consumer privacy, earned a reputation as one of California's leading advocates for environmental protection, writing laws protecting our air, water, and open space. In 1993, a law co-authored by Bowen gave computer users worldwide Internet access to information about CA bills, committee work, voting records.
But her hearings this past year as chair of the CA State Senate Elections committee, calling for testimony on voting systems from computer systems experts, including consultants to the "independent" testing authority, has produced a significant body of understanding of the dangers and pitfalls in election systems (complete transcripts are archived at blackboxvoting.org), and they have given us hope that someone in government with a brain cares about this issue and is really working to do something about it. Bowen has been working to pressure the Republican-appointed Secy of State to revise the super-restrictive voter database revisions he put into effect that disenfranchised approx 40 percent of new CA voter registrations.
Look at her website
http://www.debrabowen.com and join her campaign. Of course she needs our help. I thought of her yesterday when I read the Kos post on supporting a farm team. This woman is bright, articulate, and effective. She is the real deal. Those of us concerned about election integrity think that we need her desperately.
She would make the REAL difference in our elections.
Check her out and give her a hand.
Thanks, sandra