Verified Voting Action Alert for NC, free fax - Act now to pass VVPB law

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Please use this simple action alert page at www.verifiedvoting.org set up to help pass NC VVPB laws. They send to your senators, representatives and cc the NC State Board of Elections.

Please help get the word out to anyone who may be in NC or knows someone in NC:


Alert: Pass 'Public Confidence in Elections' Act Today!
February 28th, 2005

A paperless e-voting machine in North Carolina irretrievably lost 4,400+ votes in November's election. This and other all too frequent e-voting machine malfunctions make it clear that NC voters deserve much better voting technology security and reliability... and leaders in the state legislature agree.

In February, Representatives Insko and Preston introduced HB 238, the Public Confidence in Elections bill which calls for voter-verified paper ballots statewide, as well as other provisions to improve the reliability and verifiability of North Carolina's elections. Senators Kinnaird and Allran introduced an identical companion bill in the Senate, SB 223.

But these bills need YOUR immediate support for passage. There are those in the state who still think paperless e-voting is "good enough" and unless you stand up to be heard on this legislation, North Carolina's elections don't stand a chance.

VerifiedVoting.org joins North Carolina Verified Voting in asking you to contact your state legislators today and urge them to pass HB 238 and SB 223 before any more votes are lost.

Take Action Today! Visit our Action Center at
http://hq.demaction.org/dia/organizations/vevo/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=421

[kster]

1. It would be alot cheaper

if we just went to paper ballots hand counted,why does the cost of the machine have to be involved in all this. I can't sell my family and freinds short anymore, I know the truth about e-voting,and I know it can't work.Not at this time.Paper ballots hand counted is the only way to have fair elections.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. two choices here, state will either pass bills or go all paperless

either support the bills as written or
have the other 60 counties join the 40 paperless counties in their paperlessness.

it won't help matters to have the entire state buy paperless voting machines.

That is exactly what will happen if these bills don't pass.

[kster]

3. I don't

wanna.

[garybeck]

4. This bill still allows DREs

it only requires a paper record:


(a) Permitted Voting Systems. – The State allows three voting systems: (i) paper ballots; (ii) optical scan; and (iii) direct record electronic (DRE). Paper ballots are inherent to paper ballots and optical scan voting systems. In order to provide a paper ballot in a DRE, each DRE shall generate a paper ballot which can be verified by the voter before the vote is cast.


this wording is extremely problematic. They don't get it - there is no such thing as a paper ballot with a DRE. it's a paper record.


Also, the bill is vague about audits, which are the whole key to making DREs with paper backups a feasible idea. It sites other legislation without clearly saying if the audits are mandatory or random:


In counties that use optical scan or DRE voting systems, subject to the sample counts under G.S. 163‑182.1 and G.S. 163‑182.2, and of a hand‑to‑eye recount under G.S. 163‑182.7 and G.S. 163‑182.7A, a board of elections shall rely in its canvass on the mechanical or electronic count of the vote rather than the full hand‑to‑eye recount of the paper ballots. In the event of a discrepancy between the electronic or mechanical count and a hand‑to‑eye count, the hand‑to‑eye count shall control, except where it is reasonable to conclude that the hand‑to‑eye count for whatever reason is not the true count."


i'd like to see the other legislation on audits. if they're not mandatory, manual, and random audits (MMRA), the bill does not solve the DRE problem at all.

[kster]

5. I can't help but

think ,about the lawyers these e-voting companies hire,that are sitting there saying, I hope the chumps pick this bill or that bill. Na this is my country that's what I am fighting for. I can't be fooled any more,I know the truth about e-voting (broken record) Paper Ballots, Hand Counted. I will fight for nothing less. I hope the DU don't kick me out of the club for this.

[garybeck]

7. this is not "VVPB" legislation

If we want democracy in country, it's going to come down to one thing. We all have to learn the difference between a paper record and a paper ballot.

this legislation requires a paper record, not a paper ballot. there is a HUGE difference.

this legislations leaves the door open for the entire state to use DRE machines.

the e-voting machine casts your ballot. the paper is only for backup.

I'm not sure that the open source code safeguards can protect against fraud when the machine is casting an invisible ballot for you.

[marions ghost]

8. Duh...yikes

:crazy: :silly: :crazy: :silly: Yes, good Q garybeck--are the audits mandatory or random? and WHAT is this really saying:

In counties that use optical scan or DRE voting systems, subject to the sample counts under G.S. 163‑182.1 and G.S. 163‑182.2, and of a hand‑to‑eye recount under G.S. 163‑182.7 and G.S. 163‑182.7A, a board of elections shall rely in its canvass on the mechanical or electronic count of the vote rather than the full hand‑to‑eye recount of the paper ballots. In the event of a discrepancy between the electronic or mechanical count and a hand‑to‑eye count, the hand‑to‑eye count shall control, except where it is reasonable to conclude that the hand‑to‑eye count for whatever reason is not the true count."

(???Does it say that in the <unlikely> event of a recount, hand-to-eye overrules machine count, except when somebody decides it doesn't...) This seems to be "status quo" is it not?

(Just a rhetorical comment garybeck--I don't expect you to reply).

[marions ghost]

6. will you

please keep us posted on the outcome of this?