Andy & Bev - I need help - Democratic Underground

Pastiche423

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Tue Jun-01-04 12:24 AM
Original message

Andy & Bev - I need help

I just received this email from Justice for All:

"Testimony Request RE Voting Accessibility"

Angela Katsakis of AAPD's Disability Vote Project
<aapdvote@earthlink.net> writes:

If you've had problems with inaccessible voting systems or
have been hassled at the polls, then the Election
Administration Commission wants to know (see the
announcement that follows). If you've had problems with
punch cards, optical scans and lever machines, describe
them in your testimony. Submit testimony by June 4, 2004,
to testimony@eac.gov or to the Election Administration
Commission, 1225 New York Avenue, Suite 1100, Washington,
DC, 20005. Remember to include your contact information.

Kelly Anthony, Director of the Missouri Disability Vote
Coalition, is testifying for the Election Assistance
Commission to discuss the impact of the provisional ballot
on people with disabilities. The hearing is open to the
public and the notice is posted below and attached.

BACKGROUND:

This November, only about 8% of the nation will be voting
on accessible voting systems. Most Americans will vote on
punch card, optical scan and mechanical lever machine, as
they did in the 2000 election. Each type of voting system
is inaccessible for different reasons. Another problem with
these voting systems is that they do not count votes as
accurately as accessible touchscreen machines. For example,
in the October California recall election, punchcards
failed to count 6% of the vote, optical scan failed to
count 3% and touchscreens failed to count 1.5% of the
votes. Besides being accessible, touchscreens count more
votes, are simpler to administer, and, in the long run,
cost less to purchase and operate.

Poorly trained pollworkers will deny the right to vote to a
person with a disability because the pollworker believes
the person is 'too disabled' to cast an informed vote or
because they cannot find the voter's name on the
registration list. Prior to HAVA, only 15 states offered a
provisional ballot. A provisional ballot, a new HAVA
requirement, mandates that anyone who is told by a
pollworker s/he cannot vote, according to the Help America
Vote Act, should be offered a provisional ballot. After the
rush of Election Day, during the canvass (official counting
of the ballots), the voter's registration is verified and
that ballot is counted.

Angela Katsakis
Disability Vote Project Coordinator
AAPD (American Association of
People with Disabilities)
1629 K Street, NW, Suite 503
Washington, DC 20006
1-800-840-8844 (V/TTY)
VOTE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT, BECAUSE IT DOES.

=============================

U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
1225 New York Ave. NW - Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005

SUNSHINE ACT NOTICES

AGENCY: United States Election Assistance Commission

DATE & TIME: Thursday, June 3, 2004, at 9:00 A.M

PLACE: Loyola University
Water Tower Campus
25 East Pearson
Chicago, IL 60611
15th Floor
Kasbeer Hall

STATUS: This Meeting Will Be Open to the Public.

NOTE: Early Arrival: Those Attending Are Advised to Arrive
Early for Registration and Security Check

PURPOSE: To Conduct a Public Hearing to Identify Best
Practices, Problems and Transition Issues Associated with
Optical Scan, Punch Card, and Lever Machine Voting Systems
and the Success and Problems Identified with the Use of
Provisional Voting.

The Following Witness Panels Will Be Presented:
Punchcard Panel, Lever Machine Panel, Optical Scan Panel
and Provisional Vote Panel

PERSON TO CONTACT FOR INFORMATION:
Bryan Whitener
(202) 566-3100

Justice for All is the largest online organization for the disabled. They are heavily promoting touch screen machines. I have sent them links to blackboxvoting.com, the John Hopkins study and other related links.

What else can I do to educate them?