Rush Holt calls on Congress to approve bill requiring E-voting paper trail

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/15/AR2006111500962_pf.html

House Member Wants E-Voting Paper Trail

By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
The Associated Press

Wednesday, November 15, 2006; 2:44 PM

WASHINGTON -- Citing the disputed vote in a Florida congressional district, a Democratic lawmaker on Wednesday urged Congress to approve his measure requiring a paper trail for electronic voting.

Rep. Rush Holt, sponsor of the bill, said the inaccuracy of electronic touch-screen voting machines "poses a direct threat to the integrity of our electoral system." The New Jersey congressman argued the Florida district, in which more than 18,000 votes have gone uncounted, has exposed the system's flaws.

Florida law requires a recount in all five southwest Florida counties in the 13th Congressional District. But scrutiny is focused on Sarasota County, where touch-screen voting machines recorded that 18,382 people-13 percent of voters in the Nov. 7 election-did not vote for either Republican Vern Buchanan or Democrat Christine Jennings, despite casting ballots in other races on the ballot. That rate was much higher than other counties in the district.

<>An unofficial recount of the five Florida counties on Wednesday showed Buchanan with a 401-vote lead over Jennings in the race. The Associated Press' unofficial election night count had the total at 373. Buchanan has declared victory; Jennings has not conceded. The race is one of a handful of races across the nation that remained unresolved in the days after Election Day.

<>Holt contended that even after the votes are recounted and a winner declared the absence of a voter-verified paper trail will fuel doubts about the results.

<>Holt's "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act" had the support of 219 House members before last week's election and now has 221 bipartisan co-sponsors, his office said.

The bill would require that all voting systems produce a voter-verified paper record for use in manual audits; ban the use of undisclosed software and all wireless and concealed communications devises in voting systems; and establish procedures to be followed if there is a discrepancy between reported results and audit results.

Bill is H.R. 550.

[bklyncowgirl]

1. That's my Congressman

Hopefully he'll finally get a vote on this thing when the Democrats take over the House.

[Fridays Child]

2. Keep up the pressure!

:thumbsup:

[eliphaslevi]

3. Scrap the damn machines!

We have the House and the Senate. Scrap the machines and go with paper ballots and hand counts! If we must have electronic devices in our elections then let it be optical scanners with mandatory audits.

I doubt it is a good idea to allow vendors control of how our votes are registered and printed.

[aquart]

4. That's nice. Ban the machines.