[ note : this diary topic was
previously diaried by
txbirdman. If anyone wants to add any further useful / relevant info on this topic, I'll check in later tonight to update again ]
Even better than an email, call your Senator
Help make the controversy over possible electronic vote fraud MOOT.
Support ACCOUNTABLE ELECTIONS !
SEE UPDATE, below the fold.
The bill is simple and straightforward, and provides the necessary "bottom line" without which we cannot have reliable elections.
The bill's passage will mean that all the states and counties still seeking to purchase new voting equipment can only buy systems which can provide a voter-verified paper ballot. It is far easier and more cost-effective to start out with a verifiable system than to retrofit!
To pass quickly, S.330 must have strong bi-partisan support. You can make the difference: contact your Senators today and urge them to co-sponsor this critically important legislation!
S.330 is a
bipartisan bill sponsored by 4 Republican and 5 Democratic Senators [ thanks to
Steady Eddie for the list ]
See additional info, below, on other voting reform bills you may want to consider supporting : S.330 is not the only voting reform bill - H.550 is a much more comprehensive bill, and Dem. Rep John Conyers Jr. has a bill of his own.
Free Speech Zone graciously provided this list of relevant phone numbers.
"Your two US Senators & Congressional Representative - here is the main switchboard number for the House and Senate: 1-800-839-5276 . Although individual numbers are listed below, you can reach all Senators and Representatives via this 800 number.
2) Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader: 202-225-4965
3) These members are allegedl/reportedly looking into the issue -urge them to introduce a bill to investigate voter fraud:
Rep. Henry Waxman of CA - 202-225-3976
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of OH - 202-225-7032
Rep. Dennis Kucinich of OH - 202-225-5871
Rep. Tim Ryan of OH - 202-225-5261
4) Democratic & Republican Members of the House Judiciary Committee:
Rep. Robert Wexler of FL - 202-225-3001
Rep. Maxine Waters of CA - 202-225-2201
Rep. Chabot of OH (R)- 202-225-2216
Rep. King of IA (R)- 202-225-4426
5) Democrat & Republican Members (call both) of theSenate Judiciary Committee:
Sen. Patrick Leahy of VT - 202-224-4242 (Ranking Member)
Sen. Ted Kennedy of MA - 202-224-4543
Sen. Joe Biden of DE - 202-224-5042
Sen. Russ Feingold of WI - 202-224-5323
Sen. Charles Schumer of NY - 202-224-6542 "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is another much more comprehensive bill, H.550, which addresses the same issue, and there is considerable controversy over which bill deserves support.See discussion below.
Misty provided practical info by recommending Congress.org as an easy way to email your rep on this, should you choose to support S.330.
Dueling reform bills : S.330 vs. H.550 :
clarity offered a
strong criticism of S.330 and touted the superiority of this competing bill : "HR 550 includes safeguards we need, such as
* mandatory random hand count audits of 2% of a state's precincts in all general and federal elections
* prohibits use of private source code "Any voting system containing or using software shall disclose the source code, object code, and executable representation of that software"
* "No voting system shall contain, use, or be accessible by any wireless, power-line, or concealed communication device at all"
* "The manufacturer and the election officials shall document the chain of custody for the handling of software used in connection with voting systems"
* "The manufacturer of the software used in the operation of the system shall provide the Commission with updated information regarding the identification of each individual who participated in the writing of the software, including specific information regarding whether the individual has ever been convicted of a crime involving election fraud"
* Manufacturers and their officers and directors cannot hold positions of authority in any political party or partisan campaign
* No component of any voting device shall be connected to the internet
* These standards must be established by January 1, 2006 (VIVA doesn't go into effect until 2007, after the next round of congressional elections)
NONE of this is in VIVA. This is what we should be fighting for!
Why aren't we pushing our Senators to sponsor a mirror to HR 550?"
CarbonFiberBoy did the homework to provide
the text of S.330, and followed with this comment :
I think we should support S330 and HR704 and HR550 and let the legislators sort it out.
As Howie said, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
In addition,
AskQuestions noted that Rep. John Conyers Jr. is sponsoring a bill of his own ( see
story on Conyers' bill at TomPaine.com ) Conyers studied the 2004 election in Ohio quite extensively.
the VOTER Act will provide for a uniform Federal write-in/absentee ballot; require states to provide for a verifiable audit trail; ensure that provisional ballots cast anywhere in a state are counted; eliminate disparities in the allocation of voting machines and poll workers among a state's precincts; mandate early voting and election day registration procedures; protect against improper purging of registration lists in federal elections; provide for a study regarding making election day a public holiday; ease voter registration requirements; allow voter identification by written affidavit; study eliminating partisan election officials from administering federal elections; enhance training for election officials; require the use of publicly available open source software in voting machines; provide uniform standards for vote recounts; prohibit voting machine companies from engaging in political activities; and enhance legal protections against voter intimidation and threats.
CTdem2 contributed
an incisive general caution to all camps : "Paper trails are ESSENTIAL.
But we must make sure that the "paper trail" idea does not constitute a "voter's test" or some other trick that would work against either party."
IN a related vein, the issue of the 2004 election Mikofsky/Edison polling data vs. actual vote count discrepancies has been further analyzed by Steve Freeman and Josh Mitteldorf, and their write up - published in
In These Times ( online version ) - is well worth a look :
A Corrupted Election : Despite what you may have heard, the exit polls were right [ courtesy of
SarahLee ]