BBV: ask Senator John Kerry to cosponsor The RECORD Act

(BBV=black box voting=voting on electronic machines which don't print paper ballots)

If you've already asked your own Senators to support voter-verified paper ballots, now contact John Kerry's office.

You can contact the office of any Senator by dialing
1-800-839-5276
and asking to be transferred to that Senator's office.

Leave a message asking him to cosponsor "The RECORD Act of 2004," bill number S.2313, which requires paper ballots be printed by electronic voting machines.

After Senators Bob Graham, Hillary Clinton, and Barbara Boxer each introduced their own bills on this subject, they came together to produce "The RECORD Act."

It has more cosponsors than similar Senate bills.



---------------------------
http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_04_26_the_record_act.asp
For people who want electronic voting machines to print paper balltots, there is a new bill in the Senate we can support.

"The RECORD Act of 2004," bill number S.2313, requires paper ballots. It states that paper ballots are the official record of election results.

It is similar to another good bill, "The Voter Confidence Act," bill number S.1980.

But The Record Act has more cosponsors, and I encourage activiists to support "The Record Act" in the Senate for that reason.

Cosponsors include Hillary Clinton (NY) and Barbara Boxer (CA), who previously introduced other bills on this subject. Other cosponsors of the RECORD Act include Charles Schumer (NY), Ernest Hollings (SC), Frank Lautenberg (NJ), and Blanche Lincoln (AR).

If you don't live in New York or Florida, where both Senators are already cosponsors, please ask your Senators to become cosponsors.

Dial 1-800-839-5276 (Capital Switchboard) and ask to be transferred to the office of one of your Senators.

Then you could say, for example, "I'd liike to leave a message for the Senator to please cosponsor "The RECORD Act," bill number S. 2313, to improve the accuracy of our elections."

By the way, if you are unfamilliar with why many people want electronic voting machines to print paper balltots, the concern is that if the machines count the votes wrong, there will be now way to do a meaningful recount, without paper ballots.

Guess I need to just read the stupid thing. Argh!

They're similar bills.

My main reason for supporting "The RECORD Act" over the "The Voter Confidence Act" is that Barbara Boxer and Hillary Clinton are involved with the former, and so they're more likely to try to get other Senators to support it.

One plus of "The RECORD Act" is that it requires 2% of precincts to be subject to random audits, while "The Voter Confidence Act" requires .5%.

I'd like to know WHY NOT?????

This is so critical. I'm sending an e-mail to Kerry's campaign staff asking about it.

I would recommend calling instead.

I don't know the campaign phone number, but they probably get more emails than they have time to read.

nt

you're part of the problem IMHO.

John...get on board...this is important.

kick

kick

kick

Called the one in Texas already, will call the Washington office later (they're not answering and the mailbox is full).

:kick:

Thanks for keeping this visible, Eric! :yourock:

nt

kick

:kick:

:kick:

I hope he hears the voices in the wilderness screaming for justice.

+

These BBV threads fall to fast lately.

But I'm tired of kicking it. Maybe it should go in 2004 election discussion?

you're looking tired.

:hi:

nt

Did you call your senators yet Mike? Maybe if we had fair elections, you wouldn't have to work for a dictator.

kick

kick

:kick:

Could be something as simple as Kerry may not have had the time to study the Bill as of yet, or have his staff go over the details.

I'm sure he is going to be overly cautious concerning anything he attaches his name to from here on in.

I'd rather he take his time making sure there are no hidden loopholes that will comeback to bite us at a later date.

Please don't support this new bill.

There is a big problem with this new bill. There is a "OPT-OUT" for counties which have already puchased EVMs, which don't have a printer.

SO this "OPT-OUT" basically guts the intent of the language of the bill

Verfied Voting.org and Other Activists are calling for support of

ONLY S1980.

That is most similar to HR2239 and has the best chance of passing.

Boxer herself in now supporting S1980, so please call your senators to support ONLY S1980.

It has some wonderful provisions (2% surprise, random recount that must considered the official count; no thermal paper; anyone can look at the source code.)

BUT ... If a state can convince the EAC that it is "technologically impossible" to comply with the paper trail requirement by 2004, and the EAC grants a waiver, then no paper trail is required in 2004.

In other words, it's up to the EAC to decide. Shall we trust them to make the right decision?

S.1980 and H.R.2239 are missing some of the goos aspects of S.2313, but they would give us a paper trail in 2004, and S.2313 won't.