In order to remove these touch-screen voting machine it may have to be done state by state. According to the Secretary of State site the only voting manufacturer that gave paper trails was TruVote International, Inc.
I'm I wrong or are 12 people along with Election Officer Larry Singer and endorsed by Secretary of State Cox are the ones that are keeping Georgia from paper ballots? If that case, can't we gather those who vote with these machines to pressure these 14 people who decide our voting system.
(Source:
http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/electronic_voting/faqs.htm)
"Q:How many manufacturers submitted bids and who were they?
A: Nine equipment manufacturers submitted bids. They were: Millennium Year 2000 Solutions, Inc., Unilect Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation, TruVote International, Inc.(Owner Athan Gibbs), Diebold Election Systems, Inc., Election Systems & Software, Accenture, Shoup Voting Solutions and Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems.
Q: How were the bids evaluated? Who was involved in making the decision?
A:Secretary of State Cox appointed an evaluation committee to review the proposals and recommend the vendor that offered the “best value” solution. The committee spent several weeks evaluating proposals and conducting tests of equipment capabilities. The 12-members committee was comprised of seven employees from the Secretary of State’s office and one each from the Office of Planning and Budget, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Georgia Technology Authority. In addition, two retired county election superintendents, from Bibb and Fulton Counties, served on the committee. The committee’s recommendation that Diebold be selected was unanimous. The recommendation was reviewed by Georgia’s Chief Information Officer Larry Singer and endorsed by Secretary of State Cox."
(Source:
http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/electronic_voting/faqs.htm)
During the last election(2002), the GA Senate created by Tom Price(R) proposed the SB500 which would required that voters receive a paper trail. It was blocked by the Democrats in the House. It was supported and still is from the email that I've received from several other political parties which includes Georgia Green Party,Libertarian Party of Georgia,Georgia Independence Party(asking for more volunteers);Constitution Party and the Committee for a United Independent Politics. We should be able to press the Democrats to get on board by explaining how its a bipartisan issue that will benefit all of Georgia.
Sources:
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2003_04/fulltext/sb500.htm; http://www.voterchoice.org/; http://www.countthevote.org/;http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0404/S00021.htm and