I don't know whether to file this under the 'I can't believe it's true' or the 'business as usual' category. As most of us know, the change to Dem leadership in Congress means we will finally get mandated paper trail on voting machines. Long advocated by NJ Congressman Rush Holt and supported by freedom lovers everywhere (especially on DKos) his legislation has great support from the new Congress and was set to fly. Until. Until.
Until a number of Secretaries of State (those charged with implementation) got together and started whining about how unrealistic it is to have a paper trail by the next election. These SoSers (ironic abbreviation) are up on the Hill and making progress. Latest story (see the whining link) says there may be a waiver in the bill. A little more below the fold.
The bill itself still looks to be on track according to our Rush:
Advocates of a paper trail, post-election audits and other proposed safeguards in the bill say problems with electronic voting machines can't wait. "What do you mean, too soon? It's eight years too late," says Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., the bill's sponsor. "We can't go through another federal election with people not believing the results."
Game, set, match right? Not so fast
Many states are moving their presidential primaries up to February. Even some advocates say the bill can't be implemented by then. "Would it be nice to get it done by 2008? Yes," says Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, a liberal think tank and advocacy group. "Would it be realistic? Probably not." As a result, lawmakers are considering waivers for next year.
There are even clues on Rep. Holt's own site.
Q: Is the timing of the bill too aggressive?
A: -- No. If enacted promptly, there would be adequate time to implement it. To delay would reduce trust in the process of democracy.
It appears the large number of February primaries may be at risk. according to the USA Today article
there are a number of SoSers involved (including some Dems) but the heads of their associstions are not.
Vermont Secretary of State Deborah Markowitz and Kansas Election Director Brad Bryant, the heads of national associations for officials in their respective positions, say the new standards will not be as much of a problem.
But, that doesn't change the fact that waivers may become part of the bill. So, what to do, what to do? One thing I notice about MSM articles. They rarely contain the information someone reading their article might need. Like the National Assoc of the SoSers From here you can send your own message or contact your personal SoS and see where they are on the bill. I bet SoSers don't hear all that much from the general public and would probably throw those that are in opposition to the bill. Then there's the National Board of Electors Again, you know what to do. Ask if they support The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (H.R. 811). My personal view? Some SoSers are (gasp)a little lazy and working a little more and pushing county and town election clerks is not popular. My Response? Should have seen a paper trail was coming and gotten to work on it. Please report back here. Let's show a little muscle!