BBV: Graham Introduces Legislation To Ensure America's Votes Count

OK BBV'ers - here we go - a companion bill in the Senate. None of us (VV.org) have looked at it closely yet, so I can't comment on it at this time.

Assume that the efforts we have all made the past few months to enlist support for HR2239 will need to be applied to this bill.

We are already establishing a Senate database in VerifiedVoting.org, and will have it up in the next few days.

And since we put the call out for you to research the holiday recess schedule for your Congressmen, figure we need to do the same for our Senators now, and to go see them and push for support.

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press release --

http://www.senate.gov/~graham/pr120903.html

For information call: 202-224-3041
Graham Introduces Legislation To Ensure America's Votes Count

December 9, 2003
Senator Bob Graham, D-Florida, today introduced the Voter Verification Act, legislation that would require computer voting systems to produce a paper record.

"After the election of 2000 and the mid-term election - where stories of voter problems were not uncommon - we have to put an electoral system into place in which Americans can have full confidence," said Graham. "This legislation will take us one step further to ensure that every vote really counts and we do not have another debacle like the 2000 election."

Key provisions of the legislation include:
- Requiring that all voting systems produce voter-verified paper records for use in manual audits
- Banning the use of undisclosed software and wireless communication devices in voting systems
- Requiring mandatory surprise recounts in .5 percent of both domestic and overseas jurisdictions.
- All voting systems would have to meet these requirements in time for the November 2004 election.

There is bi-partisan companion legislation already filed in the House. HR 2239 is sponsored by Representative Rush Holt, Democrat of New Jersey, and 94 other members.

Graham's bill will be referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

don't let this get lost in the debate shuffle. This is great news.

kick