A petition From Velvet Revolution: Tell Congress America Needs A Paper Ballot!

[babsbunny]

We are sending this note out again since there was mail server crash when we originally attempted to send it just before the holidays. If you are receiving this as a duplicate, our apologies. But we thought it important enough to make sure you all had the chance to see it and sign on to this most important campaign at a crucial moment in the for real Election Reform legislation in Congress! Thank you for your time.


Please join more than 40 non-partisan Election Integrity organizations who have signed the following letter demanding that Congress enact legislation requiring a paper ballot for every vote cast. Problems throughout the 2006 primary and general elections have made it clear that only a paper ballot -- not a "paper trail", nor a "paper record" -- will begin to help re-establish confidence in our tattered electoral system.

We've made it simple for you to do. Just fill out the form via...

http://www.VelvetRevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots

...to let your Congress Members know that Election Reform begins with a paper ballot. It's time for American Citizens to rise up and take our democracy back. This is an important first step as the new Congress convenes and considers new Election Reform legislation.

December 14, 2006

Open Letter to all Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives:

We, the undersigned non-partisan election integrity organizations, strongly urge you, as a first order of business in the 110th Congress, to enact new federal legislation to protect the integrity of our elections. While there are many areas of concern for any such legislation, none is more essential to the accuracy of our elections and the confidence among our electorate than for there to be a paper ballot for every vote cast. Not a paper "trail" or a paper "record," but a paper ballot.

In light of lessons learned during the 2006 primary and general elections --- with myriad contests resulting in uncertainty and thousands of voters in state after state turned away from the polls unable to cast a vote on DRE systems which failed throughout the day --- we now hold that a paper ballot, whether counted by optical-scan system or hand, is the minimum requirement for any Election Reform legislation in which voters may have confidence. Such a requirement is needed to help ensure Americans that every legally registered voter can vote, that every vote is recorded precisely as the voter intends, and that every vote is counted and, if necessary, re-counted accurately.

This year's elections have made crystal clear that electronic voting machines --- both those without paper ballots, such as Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) touch-screen systems, and even those with so-called "Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails" --- caused massive disruptions, undermined the results of crucial elections, and forced thousands of voters to leave the polls without being able to exercise their franchise.

Paper trails and paper records are not sufficient to safeguard elections and restore confidence among the electorate. Unless there is a paper ballot for every vote cast, three fundamental principles of democratic elections are violated:

Observable tallies. It is impossible for citizens to observe the counting of electronic ballots and audit the results.

Equal access. Requiring voters to cast votes on computers discriminates against those who are not familiar with the technology.

Accurate results. It is impossible to ensure that the reported results are accurate. In fact, a voter-verifiable paper audit trail cannot be depended on to provide the certainty lacking in electronic tallies. Clear evidence from several recent elections reveals instances in which:

The electronic screen record did not reflect the voter's intent.

The electronic count did not match the paper trail produced by the e-voting machine.

The summary review screen did not match the paper trail produced by the e-voting machine.

Voters did not know to verify the paper trail or were prevented from doing so by improper design, incorrect setup, or malfunction of the printer.

Computer systems introduced unnecessary complexity into the entire election process and therefore increased the likelihood of errors by voters, poll workers, and election officials.

Computerized voting relinquished control of the final outcome to the technical skills of those who programed the software.

While it is not easy to reconcile the money already spent on new DRE systems, it would be worse to continue using election equipment that is not accomplishing its critical task. If this were a public safety matter, no one would question the ban on the continued use of a dangerous product, even if it had been funded by billions of public dollars. Why should we act any differently when it comes to protecting the safety of our electoral process?

Ultimately, the true price of free, fair, reliable, accurate, and transparent elections in America cannot be judged by dollars alone.

We therefore urge you to immediately enact legislation which requires a paper ballot for every vote cast. Now is the moment for action, in time to take effect for the 2008 primaries and general election.

Respectfully yours,

The Undersigned

VoterAction.org
VotersUnite.org
VelvetRevolution.us
National Voting Rights Institute
Demos
TrueMajorityAction
Dolores Huerta Foundation

Audit AZ
Broward Election Reform Coalition
California Election Protection Network
Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections
CASE America
CASE Ohio
Citizens for Accurate Mall Ballot Elec Results
Citizens for Election Integrity Minnesota
Coalition for Voting Integrity - Pennsylvania
Coloradoans For Voting Integrity
Colorado Voter
Commonweal Institute
Defenders of Democracy
Democracy Cell Project
Election Reform Network
Election Defense Alliance
Florida Fair Elections Coalition
Friends of the Earth
Gathering To Save Our Democracy - Tennessee
Georgians for Verified Voting
Hip Hop Caucus
Iowans for Voting Integrity
Mainstreet Moms (theMMOB.org)
Missourians for Honest Elections N.C. Coalition for Verified Voting
Network of Citizens
New Yorkers for Verified Voting
Oregon Voter Rights Coalition
ProgressiveActionAlliance.org
Palm Beach Coalition for Election Reform
Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections - Florida
SAVEOurVotes.org - Maryland
Texas Safe Voting
TrueVoteMD
Verifiable Voting Coalition of Virginia
Verify The Vote Indiana
Virginia Verified Voting
VoteAllegheny
VotePA
VoteRescue of Texas
Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay
The American Voter


Send the letter above to your Congress Members via:

http://www.VelvetRevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots

And please spread the word. It's your democracy. Use it or lose it!


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