Make voices heard on voting

[kster]

SNIP..From the land of butterfly ballots and pregnant chads, we find Florida Gov. Charlie Crist leading the parade back to paper ballots as the state jettisons its inventory of touch-screen voting machines and replaces them with a $32 million investment in optical scanners.

That is roughly the same amount that Riverside County has spent on electronic voting in less than seven years ---ñ and the meter is still running.

SNIP..The whole state of Florida is returning to a sensible, secure paper ballot system that affords the simplicity and transparency required for any legitimate election process. While this is a giant step toward election integrity, the ultimate dilemma is over ownership of our democracy: Do we consent to a privatized election industry or do we insist that the control of our votes return to the public domain?

SNIP..Through silence, we the people have acquiesced the power of this representative republic to private enterprise that now holds our votes as a trade secret. It is time to break the silence and save our vote by participating in public hearings that may determine the fate of our democracy.



http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/02/18/opinion/jacobs/19_40_232_17_07.txt


Posted in California forum:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=141x26720