OR SoS: "Just Trust US" Is No Longer Enough

[Wilms]

"Just Trust US" Is No Longer Enough

"We believe that our elections are accurate, but we need hard evidence to show the public."

By Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State

July 10, 2006

This speech was delivered to the Oregon Association of Counties on November 17, 2005. It is reposted here with permission of the author.

snip

We are seeing proposals that are costly and complicated to prove that an election is as accurate as we say it is. I believe we are faced with a compelling public demand to do more than we're now doing to verify election results.

We cannot ignore our constituents. It's not enough anymore to simply tell them "just trust us."

We need to revisit our compromise, and look again at the best way to validate election results. Administrative recounts of selected precincts to verify election results would not only be appreciated by the public, it would also improve elections administration by allowing us to identify and fix systemic problems in vote counting before certification of the results.

We don't believe that there are systemic problems in vote counting, but we don't have the procedures to prove it.

We believe that our elections are accurate, but we need hard evidence to show the public.

snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1488&Itemid=113

[skids]

1. There, that wasn't so hard now was it...

...another one for the pile of "things people in power should say but don't."

So many SoS's and local BOE officials, even the ones with nothing to hide, act as if admitting that accountability is needed is akin to admitting their system has a problem. We know why some of them do it (because they actually do have something to hide) but the others should take a hint from Bradbury.

It's only what they are paid to do, after all.

[longship]

2. One SOS gets it.

Recommended and :kick:ed.

[GuvWurld]

3. Hot damn, buy that man a governor's mansion.

:applause:

[Wilms]

4. .