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Folks, I fear we are losing our focus.
The dictionary says a ballot is:
bal·lot A sheet of paper or a card used to cast or register a vote, especially a secret one. The act, process, or method of voting, especially in secret.
Does everyone know that NONE of the bills call for a paper ballot! It's only a ballot if it's used to cast the vote! Why are we capitulating and calling them VVPB?
None of the bills say that the paper is used for casting the vote. The paper printout is only a backup. It is NOT A BALLOT!
All the bills provide an easy way for the Diebold and the rest to program their machines to print out a receipt that matches the voter's intent, and send something completely different to the system.
There is NOTHING in place to ensure that the vote cast matches the paper receipt. Holt's bill is the only one that has anything that addresses this - 2% spot checks. Is that enough, to have 98% of our votes still on DREs?
It's only a ballot if it is used to cast the vote!
These paper printouts are nothing but a way to make everyone think their actual vote is being cast while we have no way of knowing what really is happening.
Does everyone realize what those pieces of paper are going to do? Not much. They'll sit in a pile and collect dust, just in case there's a recount. And as every day passes waiting for an unlikely recount, there's more opportunity for the ballots to be tampered with, even if there was a recount.
If we want a democracy, the voter verified paper MUST be used to cast the actual vote in the election! Not sit in a pile somewhere and probably never be touched!
Please do not say that any of these bills have a VVPB. They don't.
We all seem to have agreed that VVPB is a good thing. But let's all realize that these bills do not provide a VVPB.
Any time you hear someone saying that the bills provide a VVPB, call them on it. It is not a ballot!
Gary
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