Helping America Vote? (Bev Harris Mentioned)

[Room101]

Sorry if dupe, I have been away for a couple days.

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=287&row=0

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“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” —Sec. 1, 15th Amendment

Despite differences in ethos and political ideology, we can agree that the most fundamental and essential aspect of the democratic process is one’s right to vote.

The 2000 Presidential election debacle brought to light massive problems with the way that Americans vote. Due to mechanical problems with voting machines, and partisan fighting, many voters were left completely disenfranchised. In response to public outcry, Congress adopted the “Help America Vote Act” (HAVA) in 2002. This act, originally designed to safeguard voter rights, in fact, contains flaws so major that it has the opposite effect; the Act puts one of our most basic rights in peril.

Conflict of Interest
One of the first mandates in HAVA is that older, ‘punch card’ voting systems be replaced with computerized voting machines. These machines are manufactured by private companies, raising the potential for foul play due to special interests. It would seem appropriate for companies manufacturing voting machines to remain neutral and unbiased, but most voting machine companies are financially involved in political campaigns and many active and former politicians are employed by these companies. Here are just a handful of examples:

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Matthew Pascarella is a student at Marymount Manhattan College in NYC and is a staff researcher for Greg Palast. This article was influenced by the work of investigative journalist Greg Palast and voting experts Bev Harris, Rebecca Mercuri, and Kim Alexander. And oh yeah—the 12th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.