SO the HAVA money has been spent. But what happens when the 2005 VVSS are

[FogerRox]

mandatory?
DO we go thru this all again? And spend another 6-7 billion, this time with out fed money.

[nicknameless]

1. And how about the exorbitant maintenance costs they'll be facing yearly?

Why can't municipalities take matters into their own hands, print up paper ballots and provide pens for marking them?

Personally, I also see this as the real solution to that so-called "runaway train-wreck" that's being predicted.

:evilgrin: & r'ed


On edit: D'oh!

[FogerRox]

2. If I'm right -- it kinda wont matter

we'll have to replace all the machines HAVA bought.
BY 2007.

TO meet the new standards, then we can pay new software fess, and such.

[BeFree]

3. I was considering this earlier

In Holt's 550 is the paper ballot provision, yes?

Well, when the bills pile up and HAVA dies its certain death, and the expensive boondoggle machines are discarded, all that will be left is the 550's requirement for a voter verified paper ballot.

[FogerRox]

4. not sure if I follow you

I believe most voting equipment bought inder HAVA will be obsolete, when the 2005 voting system standards become mandatory in 2007. If I am right, we throw out all the equipment and buy new, a sort of double dip for the vendors.

[BeFree]

5. Here's what I mean

When the voting equipment becomes obsolete and congress refuses to fund HAVA, all that will remain is the Holt 550 requirement for VVPB.

That means a de facto requirement of paper ballots because there will be no money to purchase the expensive machines.

At my local BOE meeting, the supervisor even broached the subject that paper ballots were an option if no machines could be used.

Of course it will be up to us to see that congress turns down HAVA funding and we get 550 passed. Doable.

[FogerRox]

6. Ok, yeah that could be, I doubt it, the Cons want to control the voting pr

process, and get the vendors to sell double the equipment.

[BeFree]

7. We have to make sure HAVA dies

It is doable. We can show what a waste of money HAVA has been. Money better spent on say, New Orleans.

We can show that the $4 billion spent so far has resulted in the trashing of confidence in elections. Heck, the former EAC head, Martinez, just said confidence has slipped and is slipping. We just need to make the connection.

HAVA is the reason we have the machines: without HAVA there would have never been enough money for all the purchases of the machines.

HAVA is no friend to honest elections.

[FogerRox]

8. agreed

[Wilms]

9. Great discussion...

Foger, I hope you can get us clearer on the standards, or more specifically, if "grandfathering" will be disallowed as successive standards go into effect.

I've been wondering about this, and the economic impact.

But by the time DRE's purchased now need to be replaced (either due to non-compliance, or no longer functioning) the true costs of purchasing, storing, maintaining, programming, transporting, and training personnel will be known.

Look for small municipalities, in particular, to be seeing red.

[EFerrari]

10. I'm beginning to think that this POS HAVA will be the last straw

for American voters. In the end, it will do the opposite of what these constitution thwarters want.

Partly because of expense, partly because of equipment failures, and partly because the word really is getting out about how insecure these systems are -- thanks to many people and, many people right here on this forum.