Senate approves additional $1 billion to overhaul election system

[Judi Lynn]

Senate approves additional $1 billion to overhaul election system

JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer Friday, October 24, 2003


(10-24) 11:12 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --

Intent on avoiding a repeat of the 2000 presidential election debacle, the Senate has added $1 billion to the president's request for funds to carry out improvements in the national voting system.

"In a time when we are committing billions of dollars in federal resources to build democracies around the world, we simply cannot afford to shortchange our own," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., before the Senate voted 63-31 Thursday to waive budget caps and increase funds for election reform in fiscal year 2004 from $500 million to $1.5 billion.

Joining Dodd was Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate's No. 3 Republican, who said he found himself "in an extremely awkward position" in contesting the budget figure proposed by the president and agreed to by the Senate Appropriations Committee. "This, however, is that very rare instance which I believe warrants providing funding above that provided in the budget."

In all, 19 Republicans supported the increased funding, added to a $90 billion spending bill for Transportation and Treasury Department programs in the budget year that began Oct. 1. (snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/10/24/national1353EDT0589.DTL

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

1. I'm worried that we've just funded a seriously flawed reform

We've got to get HR2239 passed to plug the biggest holes in HAVA. Before all that new money is wasted on machines that will need to be replaced.

[TrogL]

2. Costs of fixing an election

Buying all new Black Boxes - $1 billion
Controlling the votes - priceless

[arcane1]

3. yet not a word in that article about security concerns...

just this:

"They noted that 27 states still use punch cards, the voting method that was the source of problems in the disputed Florida presidential election in 2000. "

their fear and aversion to punch cards are going to be our doom. Anyone who complains about Diebold, etc, (who is surely getting a good chink of that money!) will be ridiculed for "wishing we still had punch cards"


:grr:
:mad:

[E_Zapata]

4. Yeah, those incumbents are going to fucking need

a properly 'dialed' election system.

Bastards.

[Dover]

5. Was the bill specific about what exactly this "overhaul" entails?

It sure has the smell of new e-voting machinery.

Or was it left open ended and ambiguous? Will be interesting to see who does and who doesn't get onboard HR2239. VERY interesting.