Looks like New Mexico pushed through PAPER BALLOTS!!! [View All]

[loudsue]

Disclaimer: I'm going to have to start this thread and then leave (shortly)! Sorry about that! I'll still be here for a few minutes, but I've got to go to work soon.
__________


I got this e-mail today from a friend (activist) in New Mexico. Their group has been busting their tails getting New Mexico to insist on paper ballots in the future. They still have to attack the "counting machines", but at least, this is a start! If they need an audit, they'll have some paper to count!

Here's the e-mail:

It is looking like New Mexico will have voter verified audit trails/paper
ballots. Yeah!
Denise

----- Original Message -----
From: XXXX
To: <[e-mail]>
Cc: <XXXXX
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 10:49 PM
Subject: Re: Thanks to everyone


>
> Charlie, You were always the expert voice of reason. When the issues got complex, you led us through the maze. What a wonderful combination of people and what a happy ending. Thanks to all.

Becky

The bills that passed, and one hopes will be signed by the governor, give us Voter verifiable paper trails. There are more things we could want, both in law and administrative policy, but we have now assured the raw material we need will be there: vvpat machines. And there will be many things we can now do to encourage sensible decisions by clerks such as urging optical scan combined with assistive technologies become the norm.

But for a moment we can all breathe a sigh of relief and thank some hard working folks in the VVNM group.

Robert Stearns has been instrumental in closing this deal and became our key voice in these final days of legislative action. Some quieter voices also played big roles too. Steve Fettig spent so much time at the legislature he had to register as a lobbiest. Kathy Campbell, Becky Shankland and others in the League of Women Voters used their influence to steer policy. And of course the Steering committee (Bob, Pat Leahan, Kim Kirkpatrick, Mitch Buzek, myself and formerly David Kraig) did our best to keep this going over the long haul and shape the discussion. We had help from people in Otero, and Taos, and Santa Fe and Los Alamos and even a few in Albuquerque. David Stupin and Lehland Lerman kept on hammering through the media. Denise worked the media in otero county. We had support from Pam who was our liason to verified voting.org.

And I'm sure I'm failing to mention many more of the folks we need to thank. And I have not even mentioned all the folks in the affiliated
organizations that worked with Verified Voting New Mexico.

And thank yourself. When we started there was very little hope we
would get this far. I'm so proud of all of you. You changed your
world. congratulations!

Celebrate! but we're not quite done.


:bounce: This is GREAT news! We need to keep hammering away at the State level, and then take on the members of some County boards who are opting for "lazy" instead of "Democracy". Each State needs their own activists working on this, like New Mexico has done, and others are doing!

But, first, we have to get the State legislatures on board!

F*** the creeps in Washington who are too busy schmoozing to pay attention and bring back Democracy!!