[Voterescue] Fw: Important decision on voting machines

[Bill Gammon]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org Political Action 
To: Bill Gammon 
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 12:28 PM
Subject: Important decision on voting machines


Dear MoveOn member,

With time running out to secure our voting machines before the 2008 election, Democratic leaders have negotiated a compromise version of Rep. Rush Holt's paper ballots bill, H.R. 811.

It's not ideal, but we need to decide if we'll support it anyway. On the one hand, the compromise is imperfect. On the other, it's our only chance to make significant national progress before the 2008 election.

Read more about the compromise below, then let us know if you think MoveOn should support the current version of the Holt bill:

Yes, we should support the bill.

No, we should not support the bill.

Not sure if we should support the bill.

The Holt paper ballots bill has met with strong concern from many disability rights groups because electronic voting machines offered many people with disabilities their first opportunity ever to vote independently. Some technology does exist to make paper ballots accessible, but not all disability groups feel it's adequate.

The compromise Holt bill requires all electronic voting machines to include paper trails by 2008, but it allows the use of cash register-style printers that are not great for reliable voter-verification. Some counties will also be allowed to buy new electronic voting machines.

By 2012, the bill would ban these more error-prone paper trails and require durable paper ballots instead. The bill would not ban electronic voting machines altogether, but it would make the durable paper ballots the vote of record and would require manual audits to ensure accurate counts.

The compromise bill is supported by Common Cause, the Brennan Center for Justice, and People for the American Way-some of the leading groups we've worked with for years to secure voting machines. There are other groups who have long opposed the Holt bill because it doesn't ban electronic voting machines.

MoveOn is a member-directed organization, so we have to make this tough call together. Should MoveOn support the latest version of the Holt bill?

Yes, we should support the bill.

No, we should not support the bill.

Not sure if we should support the bill.

Thanks for all you do.

-Noah, Ilyse, Justin, Carrie, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
  Saturday, September 1st, 2007

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at: 

http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=11157-3369451-LTCZkv&t=7


PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subscription Management:
This is a message from MoveOn.org Political Action. To change your email address or update your contact info, please visit:
http://moveon.org/subscrip/coa.html?id=11157-3369451-LTCZkv
To remove yourself (Bill Gammon) from this list, please visit our subscription management page at:
http://moveon.org/s?i=11157-3369451-LTCZkv  


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.10/977 - Release Date: 8/28/2007 4:29 PM
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://voterescue.org/pipermail/voterescue_voterescue.org/attachments/20070901/818cf4a7/attachment.html