Something I have been pushing - random audits:
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Great news! Iowa is ready to take its next big step toward secure elections, but we need your help. Please send a message to legislators supporting House File 396, a bill to require random hand-counted checks of computer vote tallies.
Visit our action center to send a message to lawmakers and pass this on:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26849Voter-marked paper ballots, now required throughout Iowa, are the foundation of a reliable voting system. But paper ballots offer security only if we use them to check the software that reads the ballots and tallies our votes. And the computer voting systems we use in elections have grave vulnerabilities. Don't take our word for it, though. Here is a sample of what software experts say about security and the need for audits:
o University of Iowa professor Douglas Jones, one of the world's experts on voting technology, stated in an affidavit in Pennsylvania court this year that hand counted audits are the only defense against weaknesses found by recent security reviews.
o The Brennan Center's Task Force on Voting System Security wrote in 2006: "The value of paper ballots without the Automatic Routine Audit is highly questionable" (p. 83).
House File 396 is out of committee in the House, but we need to make sure the bill moves forward quickly in the closing weeks of the session. Your message will go to your Senator and Representative, as well as members of the House and Senate leadership. Please send a message today and pass this on:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26849Thank you for all you do.
Best regards,
The Team at Verified Voting
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Random hand-counted audits are the only way to feel assured that our elections are honest.