| abstract
| - Require voter-verified ballots for our public elections rather than rely on voting machines run by private entities. I support requiring ballots which can be hand-counted for recounts, random audits, and certifying results. I also support requiring open-source programming code for any electronic machines in an election Most of the current electronic voting options, including those being looked at by Pennsylvania, are made by private corporations who hold the programming code as their private intellectual property. This means if a vote is ever suspect, courts have ruled that the election boards have no right to inspect the programming code. Update: Furthermore, scientists have just shown that Diebold has a security flaw that allows them or any hacker the ability to break into their voting machines in an untraceable manner. Without the protection of a ballot that can be hand counted and programming code that can be inspected, this gives voting machine manufacturers a license to steal elections. Or, as Walden O'Dell, the recent CEO of voting machine manufacturer Diebold said in a fall 2003 fundraising letter sent to Republicans, "I am committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president." Senate Bill SB 977 and House Bill HB 2000 will require a voter-verifiable paper record and mandatory hand counts in at least 5% of the voting precincts. Please join me in supporting the bill by contacting your elected officials or signing one of my Voting Security petitions. In order to make our votes count, I also support opening Pennsylvania's ballot access to allow for more candidate choices in the voting booth. See the Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition for information on trying to pass the Voters' Choice Act, making it easier for minor party candidates to get on the ballot.
|