Urgent! Pass the Emergency Paper Ballot Mandate of 2006

[helderheid]

In primaries in Ohio, Maryland, California and numerous states across this nation, Electronic Voting Machines have caused serious problems at the polls, resulting in long lines, voters turned way from their polling places, and uncounted or miscounted votes. We must act now to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot that counts on November 7.

http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/86

Because our representatives in Washington are not addressing this threat to our democracy, netroots activists have drafted the Let America Vote Act: Emergency Paper Ballot Mandate of 2006.

This simple piece of proposed legislation mandates every voting jursidiction make available emergency paper ballots for the November 7, 2006 general election. These paper ballots will not be provisional ballots but regular ballots. They can be used by any voter who requests one - and will be used by every voter in the event of voting machine failure. These emergency paper ballot votes must be counted immediately upon the close of polls.

Congress will finish all pre-election work on Friday. Write your Representatives today!

http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/86

Bob Fertik

[helderheid]

1. sent the following (short n sweet)

As recent elections and the Princeton study show, these machines are not trustworthy. We must return to paper ballots.

[helderheid]

2. Velvet Revolution on this too

THE LET AMERICA VOTE ACT!
Call on Congress to immediately pass
'EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT LEGISLATION'
...before they leave for the Election Recess! Just 4 days left!
Every Registered American Voter Must Be Allowed to Vote This November!


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September 26, 2006

Given this year's primary election meltdowns and train wrecks -- that both VR and The BRAD BLOG have been covering since March 7th of this year -- in which electronic voting machines have failed to start up and thousands of American voters have been turned away from the polls when they came to vote, but couldn't…

Given the fact that one such meltdown occurred recently in the September 12th primary in Maryland, where many of the DC media and politicos live -- after which the state's Republican governor has called for all paper ballots this November…

Given VelvetRevolution's new Princeton Diebold Virus Hack report demonstrating conclusively that electronic voting machines may be hacked in a minute's time resulting in flipped elections without a trace left behind…

Giving that American democracy and the right to vote in that democracy ought to be a beacon to the world…

It is NOW time for Emergency Paper Ballot Legislation to be brought and passed immediately by both houses of the U.S. Congress, in order to at least mitigate the coming train wreck this November 7th.

We've decided to call it the Let America Vote Act (LAVA) of 2006…And here's basically what we're asking Congress to both introduce and pass in the 5 or fewer legislative days left before they recess for the election (but we're gonna need your help!)

Essentially, it'll read as simply as this:

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

Emergency paper ballots shall be made available at every voting jurisdiction in the United States during the November 7th, 2006 General Election. These paper ballots shall be available in sufficient numbers for optional use by voters who prefer to use them, and by all voters in the event of voting machine failure or unavailability. These paper ballots are not to be provisional ballots, but regular paper ballots that shall be counted immediately upon the close of polls on election night along with all other votes cast by properly registered voters.

It shall be illegal to turn away a legally registered voter from the polls without allowing them to cast a ballot!

A slightly more fleshed out legislative language version of the above has been posted at VR right here.

Though this legislation is not perfect, and certainly won't be a silver bullet for the problems we foresee on November 7th, there is little else that can be done legislatively on the Federal level between now and then. Congress has done been unable to do anything to ensure the accuracy and integrity of your vote for the last several years. This is their last chance to do so before the crucial mid-term elections. At least some of the problems sure to come would be mitigated with this legislation.

If you fill out only one online letter to Congress this year, VR urges you to let it be this one! The good folks at the SoS Project have made it simple.

PLEASE CLICK HERE to demand your Congress Members
create legislation immediately for
EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOTS at the polls this November!

It'll take 30 seconds to let Congress know it's time to assure that everyone who shows up to vote this year will be allowed to vote!

Once again, the URL to use to let Congress know it's time to do the right thing is here: http://tinyurl.com/ojd4r

Democracy is at stake. After at least two years of reporting in exhaustive details on these matters here, and at this late stage of the game, I believe the above "reform" is, unfortunately, the most we can likely hope for in time to have any real impact in mitigating a full-on train wreck during this November's crucial exercise of the rite of democracy.

Please forward this item to everybody you know!

We can't do this alone!
(Our donation link is: http://www.VelvetRevolution.us/donate.php)

If you prefer to send a Snail Mail donation, we'll gladly accept that as well!
You can send a check or money order checks to:

VELVET REVOLUTION
POB 9576
Washington, DC 20016

Thanks for joining the revolution and making your voice heard! Remember, Revolution begins at home! Dissent is patriotic! And...Without You We're Nothing!
VELVET REVOLUTION -- The New American Patriot! All the best,
Brad Friedman
VELVET REVOLUTION, Co-Founder
BRAD BLOG, Founder/Managing Editor

[helderheid]

3. Do this too

Dear Friends,

I've just joined Secretary of State Project's effort to introduce the Let America Vote Act in the Congress in time to prevent a major computerized voting debacle on November 7, 2006.

There are two things you can do to help make difference on this issue:

STEP ONE: TAKE ACTION

Please join me in taking action now to secure the election by clicking on the link below:
http://www.democracyinaction.com/dia/organizationsCOM/secstateproject/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1811

In primaries in California, Ohio, Maryland and numerous states across this nation, Electronic Voting Machines have caused serious problems at the polls, resulting in long lines, voters turned way from their polling places, and uncounted or miscounted votes. You must act now to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot that counts on November 7.

Along with thousands of other Americans, I'm calling on my members of Congress to address this issue immediately by introducing, or if introduced by cosponsoring, the Let America Vote Act. LAVA is a simple piece of proposed legislation that mandates emergency paper ballots be made available in every voting jurisdiction for the November 7, 2006 general election. With time running out, this is the only way we can be sure that mass failures of Electronic Voting Machines won't disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters on Election Day.

Please join me in taking action now to secure our election by clicking on the link below:
http://www.democracyinaction.com/dia/organizationsCOM/secstateproject/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1811

STEP TWO: ELECT REFORM SECRETARY OF STATE CANDIDATES IN KEY STATES

After you take action, there's something else you can do. We can make an important investment in protecting the election in 2008 by contributing money to help elect Democratic Secretaries of State who are running this year in presidential swing states. It's easy. All the information you need is at http://www.secstateproject.org. You can even give to multiple candidates with a single credit card contribution.

Learn more about supporting Secretary of State candidates who will secure our elections:
http://www.secstateproject.org

Katherine Harris. Ken Blackwell. Does anyone doubt that these two Secretaries of State, each the chair of Mr. Bush's presidential campaigns in their respective states, made damaging partisan decisions about purging voter rolls, registration of new voters, voting machine security, the location of precincts, the allocation of voting machines, and dozens of other critical matters?

A modest political investment in electing clean candidates to critical Secretary of State offices is an efficient way to protect the election in 2008. It's impossible to place election observers at every precinct where voter suppression tactics may be deployed. What's more, the most significant barriers to voting are set months in advance of any election - when voter registration laws are selectively enforced, when minorities are purged from voter rolls, and when decisions are made about what kind of voting machines are purchased.

To find out how you can join fight voter suppression in 2008, go to http://www.secstateproject.org

[helderheid]

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[helderheid]

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