The Gold Standard for Election Reform

[kerrygoddess]

The Gold Standard for Election Reform
22 February 2005

An editorial in Tuesday’s New York Times takes an objective look at election reform bills sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. While the Republican bill sponsored by Senator John Ensign of Nevada focuses on requiring that electronic voting machines that produce voter-verifiable paper records, it appears to fall flat from there…

Mr. Ensign's bill does not go as far as another paper-trail bill that has been introduced in the House by Representative Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat. That bill is preferable because it includes other safeguards, like requiring an audit of some paper records as a spot-check for the electronic totals. Still, Mr. Ensign's bill would be a good step, and its Republican sponsorship and narrow focus could give it real momentum in this Congress.

The Democratic Senate bill, introduced last week by Senators Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, John Kerry and Frank Lautenberg, is now the gold standard for election reform. It would require not only paper records, but recounts in 2 percent of all polling places or precincts, and restrictions on political activity by voting machine manufacturers.

http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=413

[hedda_foil]

1. It's a great editorial but it's got one fact wrong.

The reading of the Holt bill is off. That bill requires the same 2% hand counted paper audit as the Clinton bill and provides a workable mechanism to make it happen every time.

[PATRICK]

2. Not so sanguine about first steps

that lead us over the cliff and it's too late to hope for the effective reform. That has already happened by the way and is getting worse.

I see no hopeful signs at all except for the trench warfare that is needed state by state to undo the perversions of HAVA.

Should have been done in 2000. Without the open revelation of the crime of 2004 the party again has surrendered the momentum and is weaker than ever to effect real repair nationally.

[BillyDoc]

3. You know, we could eliminate this problem

By using paper ballots, and ONLY paper ballots. They could be printed by a fancy computer, no problem. That would satisfy all the HAVA requirements, in fact. As long as they are COUNTED by humans! And the results posted on the precinct door for all to see.

They did this in Canada recently, and it only took 4 hours to count all that paper. But then, Canadians are generally better educated than Americans and know how to read and other esoteric things like "counting."

[In Truth We Trust]

4. Paper ballots NOW!!!! Hand counts Now!!!!!

The REAL Gold Standard!!!!