PFAW: Best chance to give voters paper trails, confidence in voting in

2008 and beyond

    WASHINGTON, July 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Majority Leader
 Steny Hoyer and Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey announced a compromise that
 will advance H.R. 811, the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility
 Act of 2007." The bill bans paperless voting machines and requires a
 voter-verified paper record for every vote in the country.
 
     "Today's announcement gives Americans renewed hope that Congress will
 soon put an end to unaccountable, unverifiable, and inaccessible voting,"
 said Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way. "Millions of
 voters were disenfranchised in recent elections, and millions of others
 have wondered if their votes were correctly counted. That is intolerable.
 Given how much is at stake in the coming elections, passing this
 legislation should be the nation's top domestic legislative priority."
 
     The Hoyer-Holt compromise to H.R. 811:
 
     -- Ensures that by the 2008 presidential elections there will be a
 paper record for all votes cast in federal elections, and makes the paper
 ballot the ballot of record for purposes of a recount;
 
     -- Institutes a system of mandatory random audits;
 
     -- Prohibits wireless devices in voting machines;
 
     -- Makes voting system "source code" -- the software that runs the
 voting machine -- subject to examination should discrepancies arise;
 
     -- Provides for emergency paper ballots should voting machines break
 down or fail in any way.
 
     -- Mandates upgrades to provide durable paper records and enhanced
 accessible technology by 2012.
 
     Neas praised the tenacious efforts of Majority Leader Hoyer,
 Representative Holt, and members of a diverse coalition to reach a
 compromise that achieves all those essential goals, and noted that the
 legislation includes requirements to ensure accessibility as well as
 accuracy and reliability, a provision that has garnered a letter of
 appreciation from the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities.
 
     Neas also noted that the compromise addresses some concerns raised by
 local election officials about having sufficient time and resources to
 comply with new requirements. The bill authorizes over $1 billion to offset
 anticipated costs to state and local governments. It also provides a
 reasonable fix for election officials so they are not forced to purchase
 all new technology by November 2008, while still providing voters with the
 ability to verify their votes. Election officials will have the option to
 upgrade their DREs to include verifiable paper records as in interim step
 or use optical scan voting systems.
 
     "The status quo is unacceptable, and maintaining the status quo in 2008
 with this fair and practical solution before us would be inexcusable," Neas
 said. "We urge Members of Congress to recognize the 'urgency of now' and
 call for swift bipartisan approval in the House of Representatives."
 
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE People for the American Way