The most sarcastic pro-VVPB LTTE I've ever read (that I didn't write) [View All]

[Fly by night]

As many of you know, things are really heating up in TN right now on the paper ballots issue. (See the ER forum for two other threads about the red-hot media attention this issue is getting now.) This morning, a LTTE was published in the (Nashville) Tennessean, responding to our State Election Coordinator's numb-nuts excuses, published in the same paper on Friday, for why vvpb is impossible in our state for the 2008 election.

I have never met Suzanne Ward, but she is my hero this morning. I hope our voting rights activists get up in front of our state Senate today and just read Suzanne's letter out loud. Read it and celebrate the common sense and the strength of our growing voice -- I sure am. FBN
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http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/OPINION02/802050301/1007/OPINION

State must fix its voting machines (Nashville Tennessean, 2/5/08)

To the Editor:

A recent editorial by our state coordinator of elections suggests that we simply accept the risk of flawed elections, and offers the lamest excuses I have ever heard as to why Tennessee cannot have verifiable voting by November 2008. Here are the excuses:

1) 93 of our 95 counties already made the wrong choice.
2) Paper ballots could require stacks of paper.
3) No voting system is perfect.
4) Changing systems in an election year is "dangerous."
5) Replacing our flawed equipment will cost money.
6) It might be hard to learn a new system.
7) It might be hard to test the new equipment.
8) It might be hard to train poll workers.
9) It might be hard to train voters.
10) Tennesseans probably aren't up to a learning curve.
11) Problems with voting machines might not even exist.

Problems with voting machines are well documented, and the people of Tennessee are more than capable of fast learning when it comes to protecting our freedoms. Please use my tax dollars to buy paper, print ballots and conduct training. And, for the love of the Founding Fathers, can someone tell me what is "dangerous" about a change that would help ensure that every vote counts?

Why so many Tennessee counties squandered the original funds on the wrong machines is beyond me, but there is no excuse for perpetuating this mistake.

We need to fix it now — whatever it takes — and move on.

Suzanne Ward
Kingston Springs 37082