HR 811 - Gov Bill Richardson issues call for verifiable elections in 2008

HR 811 - Bill Richardson issues call for verifiable elections in 2008

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/ncvoter...

The D.C. newspaper The Hill has published Bill Richardson’s call to pass HR 811, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act

TheHill.com - A reliable, verifiable vote in 2008

Richardson, governor of New Mexico and presidential candidate says our "one person one vote" is in jeopardy if we don’t act now. In his OP he states:

In November 2008, voters will go to the polls and choose the next president of the United States and their representatives to Congress — or will they?

According to Common Cause, more than a third of our states still use voting machines that do not support hand recounts and provide no auditable paper trail. “One person, one vote” is the hallmark of America’s democracy, but to make sure that our next president is elected by people, not by the malfunction of an electronic voting machine, we must immediately move to a durable paper-ballot system backed by regular audits in every state in the nation. For these reasons, Congress should quickly pass H.R. 811, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007, introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and cosponsored by more than 220 Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

Every federal election since 2000 has clearly shown that these machines can and do malfunction. In New Mexico, in 2002 these voting systems lost the votes of almost 13,000 citizens, and in 2004 they failed to register the candidate of choice for many voters. If there is no accurate and verifiable paper record of voter intent, there is no accountable means of determining a winner. Worse still, voter confidence is damaged and diminished. Any elected official’s authority is only as strong as the voter’s belief that the election was won fair and square.

Mr. Richardson knows something about making big changes to voting systems: in 2006 he oversaw New Mexico’s conversion to a statewide paper ballot system in a matter of months.

Richardson says don’t let congress drag their heels! We must press congress to act now, in time for 2008:

"Congress must also resist demands for a go-slow approach that unduly delays the sensible, pragmatic approach in the Holt legislation. In New Mexico, within eight months of mandating a voter-verified paper-ballot system statewide, we held elections that were accountable and verifiable.

That result is due in no small part to the diligent and committed work of state and county election officials, and the poll workers in each of our precincts. To ensure the integrity of our next election, America must move to a paper ballot system by 2008, not 2010.

One person, one vote is in jeopardy if we do not act boldly and quickly. It’s time we undertake national electoral reform that restores confidence in our electoral system and our democracy."

Contact your Congressman and call on him to support HR 811, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act. Tell him we are can-do nation that plan to end paperless, unverifiable voting in over a year!

Call the House switchboard at 202-224-3121 or toll free at 888-355-3588 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office. If your congressman already supports HR 811, thank them. If they aren’t yet a co-sponsor, ask them to become one now.

Can you help out by signing this petition to Congress? It’s really easy — just click the link.
http://pol.moveon.org/paperlessvoti...