THE LET AMERICA VOTE ACT - Legislative Language [PLEASE SUPPORT THIS!]

[BradBlog]

URL: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3502

THE LET AMERICA VOTE ACT - Legislative Language
Here's the Bill Calling for Emergency Paper Ballots at Every Polling Place in America this November!

Yesterday I called on Congress to pass an emergency measure to require Emergency Paper Ballots be made available at the polls during this November's general election. I spelled out several reasons for this last-ditch, "Hail Mary" attempt to try and mitigate just some of the myriad problems and disenfranchisment that will occur at polling places this year thanks to new, poorly designed, malfunctioning, unsecure electronic voting machines now deployed across the nation.

In primary after primary this year, voters have been told to "come back later" or, at best, given a provisional ballot (which may or may not ever be counted) when voting machines either failed to work or, frequently, weren't even present by the time voters showed up to vote. That is voter disenfranchisement, pure and simple, and it affects voters of any and all political stripes.

I'm urging all American citizens to contact their Congress Members — as well as their state and local officials — to demand that non-provisional Emergency Paper Ballots be made available at the polls this year! This is simply common sense.

For more reasons and information on why this legislation needs to be passed by both Houses of Congress and signed by the White House with Terry Schiavo-like speed in the last days before they recess for the election -- and for the complete suggested legislative language for the bill, and a few words in response to naysayers -- you can read my latest article here: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3502

Contact your Congress members here: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
Contact your local media here: http://www.townhall.com/actioncenter/writeeditors.aspx

My complete suggested language for the LET AMERICA VOTE ACT is posted below. It will take you 30 seconds to read in its entirety. Please do whatever you can to help it find sponsorship and see it passed by Congress immediately! American democracy is worth the effort!

LET AMERICA VOTE ACT
(EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT MANDATE OF 2006)

WHEREAS significant failures of electronic voting machines have occurred in various jurisdictions during primary elections held in Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Maryland and other states during 2006, and

WHEREAS such failures have forced legitimate, registered voters to have been turned away from the polls by the thousands so far in 2006 primary elections simply because neither voting machines nor paper ballots were available for use when the voters arrived at their polling place, and

WHEREAS the probability exists that such failures will continue and the adverse results of such failures will be multiplied and increased in magnitude by the additional number of voters participating in the November 7, 2006 General Election, and

WHEREAS the potential exists for massive disenfranchisement of American voters in the November 7, 2006 General Election, by such failures of electronic voting machines,

NOW THEREFORE be it enacted that:

A. For the November 7, 2006, General Election, each election jurisdiction shall be required to prepare and print Emergency Paper Ballots of the proper ballot style for all races and propositions which shall be contested in that jurisdiction.

B. Such Emergency Paper Ballots shall be printed in sufficient quantity to guarantee that every voter who requests the use of such an Emergency Paper Ballot shall be able to receive such an Emergency Paper Ballot.

C. As with all provisional ballots, such Emergency Paper Ballots shall be printed in all languages specified for ballots in that jurisdiction.

D. Any voter eligible to vote in the jurisdiction in which he or she requests an Emergency Paper Ballot shall be entitled to receive and cast such Emergency Paper Ballot, regardless of the type of ballot that shall have been specifiied in that jurisdiction through operation of law, without further qualification, request, proof or furnishing of reason for such request.

E. Such Emergency Paper Ballots shall be official ballots for purposes of casting, tabulating, audits, redundant counts and recounts, and shall not be considered provisional ballots.

F. Emergency Paper Ballots shall be cast and tabulated in the same manner as all other ballots cast on November 7, 2006.

G. The associated costs to states for this mandate will be reimbursed out of Help America Vote Act funding.

H. This Act shall terminate and cease to have effect on February 28, 2007.

URL: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3502

---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION - The revolution begins...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us

[bonito]

1. K&R n/t

[mikelewis]

2. K & R

What about Conyers?

[BradBlog]

3. Have you called them?

Have you called and/or written them? If not, please do!

Brad

[emlev]

4. Question

What are we asking our reps to do if no legislation has been introduced yet? Is there a number or a sponsor to refer them to yet? Are we asking them to introduce it?

[BradBlog]

5. Answer

YES! Ask them to introduce it. Immediately! Full legislative language is available above, or in it's original article here:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3502

If you *really* wanna short hand it, just ask them to require Emergency Paper Ballots in every polling place this November right now!

Brad

[tbyg52]

6. Senators written, thread recommended....

Not that it will do much good where I am, but it's what I can do.

Can't write my representative, because he (it) is an empty chair.

[deacon]

7. k + r

[Laurab]

8. K & R and a dumb question

When I go to the contact page, there are 29 people total. I know my Senators, and my local Congresspeople, but should I contact ALL the NY Congresspeople, or do they only take comments from their own districts?

[mom cat]

9. Brad, you are a jewel!

:loveya:

[Wilms]

10. Will do chief.

Seems painfully obvious that this should be done.

I'm wondering why you gave a cut-out date, though.

Or did I miss a part saying e-voting is banned thereafter. :D

Thanks, Brad.

[BeFree]

11. Painfully obvious

But when it comes right down to it, who better to save our country than the citizens themselves?

But, indeed, if we are not to rise up and take control then we shall be doomed. And if this thread doesn't hit the top and we get a real hearing in congress concerning this bill, then that may well be a sign that we are doomed.

If you are reading this and you aren't quite sure about taking matters into your own hands and seeing that your vote is duly counted, all I can say is I hope you like the dictatorship that will soon overcome you due to your unpatriotic navel gazing.

[mojowork_n]

18. Done, thanks for the links, with More Discussion HERE:

Yes, thanks, I did link over to my Senate and congressional reps. submission pages.

Let's all hope it's not just going through the motions.

There's a disturbing diary on Kos today, sort of on the same topic. ("My Vote Counts -- Maybe.") It's wandered and gone through several detours, but the number of comments (pushing 600) indicates what sort of nerves have been struck:

A Noose that Slowly Tightens

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/20/174152/072?detail=f

[JimDandy]

12. Excellent! One fix- er-up is necessary, though:

In some areas, uncontested races must also appear on the ballot. To accommodate that, just change:

"A. ...of the proper ballot style for all races and propositions which shall be contested in that jurisdiction."

to:

"A. ...of the proper ballot style for all races and propositions which shall be on the ballot in that jurisdiction."

[Febble]

13. Excellent n/t

[marions ghost]

14. kick

:kick:

[Kurovski]

15. Kick(nt)

[texpatriot2004]

16. K & R for Transparent Democracy nm

[Kurovski]

17. I'll kick to that!

:kick: