Democratic Party Platform Would Outlaw Lever Machines

[clear eye]

The Section on "Voting Rights" is also disappointing in that it does not pledge to mandate non-partisan civil service state BOEs. Nor does it pledge to mandate open code for either voting machines or tabulators. I do have to wonder who they consuted for this part. Election reformers have our work cut out for us.


"Voting Rights

Voting rights are fundamental rights because they are protective of all other rights. We will work
to fully protect and enforce the fundamental Constitutional right of every American vote—to
ensure that the Constitution’s promise is fully realized. We will fully fund the Help America Vote
Act and work to fulfill the promise of election reform, including fighting to end long lines at
voting booths and ensuring that all registration materials, voting materials, polling places, and
voting machines are truly accessible to seniors, Americans with disabilities, and citizens with
limited English proficiency. We will call for a national standard for voting that includes voterverified
paper ballots. We will ensure that absentee ballots are accessible and accurately
counted. We will vigorously enforce our voting rights laws instead of making them tools of
partisan political agendas; we oppose laws that require identification in order to vote or register
to vote, which create discriminatory barriers to the right to vote and disenfranchise many eligible
voters; and we oppose tactics which purge eligible voters from voter rolls. We are committed to
passing the Count Every Vote Act. Finally, we will enact legislation that establishes harsh
penalties for those who engage in voter intimidation and creates a process for providing
accurate information to misinformed voters so they can cast their votes in time."

(starts on the bottom of p. 55--enter as "58" in adobe to view--of <http://www.demconvention.com/assets/downloads/2008-Democratic-Platform-by-Cmte-08-13-08.pdf> )

[Captain Hilts]

1. Over my dead body!

ER: Damn, I'm already dead. But it's still a BAD idea. These things work great!

[Bill Bored]

2. Some of our good Dems are not the brighest lights on the tree. nt

[Bill Bored]

3. Interesting that they are committed to passing the Count Every Vot Act

and NOT the Holt bill though.

The Act was spoonsored in the House by the late great Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and in the Senate by Hilary Clinton. It has some interesting parts that go beyond Holt, and also incorporates a good deal of Holt's stuff.

Unlike Holt, the Count Every Vote Act includes a no-nonsense ban on the connection of GEMS and other EMSs to the Internet. For that reason alone, it deserves more support.

That said, the current Congress has done nothing and they are mostly Democrats.

[Wilms]

4. It doesn't really surprise me.

It's a result of the mis-info and dis-info about HAVA requirements, and the understandable (but not well thought out) reaction to DREs.

Given the choice between a paper ballot and a DRE, the paper ballot seems the obvious choice. Problem is the paper ballot is counted by a computer, and there are other choices...like keeping levers and installing a ballot marker in every polling place.

But it's much easier to say, "paper ballot". And that's what we mostly hear.

[Bill Bored]

5. But, but, but...NY is the only State left with levers. So unfortunately,

this option does not apply to the vast majority of states in 2008.

They will have to get by with paper ballots and risk-based audits and of course, central tabulation audits such the one proposed by Holt in HR6414 in the LAST (109th) Congress (but not this one). I suppose the good Dems could have said THAT in their platform, but they don't want to imply that some elections where they prevailed may not have been on the up and up.

Still, they did say to pass the CEVA.