BBV: STOP HAVA FUNDING !!!

[RedEagle]

Folks, this is the end run attempt to get the machines in place before November. One of our BBV.org member caught this:


We are about to be over taken by events---voting system standards are not in place and the disbursing of $2.3B in HAVA funds for voting system upgrades will soon be underway.

"Election Panel Tells States Money Will Be Coming: $2.3 Billion to Be Disbursed for Voting Upgrades"
By Dan Keating, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, February 17, 2004; Page A17
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46371-2004Feb16.html?referer=email

Action is needed.
How influence the Election Assistance Commission?
One possibility is to write letters.

The HAVA Election Assistance Commission address (at FEC) is as follows:
Election Assistance Commission
800 North Capitol Street
Suite 760
Washington DC 20002
[phone]
e-mail addresses have not yet been established, as of Feb 27th

The individual committe members
Chair DeForest "Buster" Soaries Jr.,
Vice Chair Gracia Hillman, --- nominated by Rep. Nancy Pelosi
Paul DeGregorio, and
Ray Martinez. --- nominated by Sen. Tom Daschle
can be addressed c/o Election Assistance Commission....


Please personally contact each member to plead with them to consider
before disbursing the money the following:
buying more touch-screen systems without adequate Federal and State Standards risks the integrity of the voting process throughout the nation; delay disbursing funds until voting system standards are in-place.
To appreciate the problem of the absence of voting system and voting procedure stanards, call as expert witnesses or consultants

Dr. Rebecca Mercuri ([e-mail])
215/327-7105 or 609/895-1375
10AM-6PM U.S. Eastern Time, Mon.-Fri.
(try the 609 number first)
www.notablesoftware.com/evote.html, and

Bev Harris ([e-mail]),
330 SW 43rd St
PMB K-547
Renton WA 98055


(I would also include folks like David Dill, David Jefferson, Barbara Simons, Lynn Landes, Avi Rubin. Include the fact that NIST has had to totally drop out of working on the new standards, because they are underfunded-RE)

direct and tactful rebutals to one or more comments
by the commission chairman, DeForest "Buster" Soaries,
reminding him that this is not a partisan issue.
We're stuck, I think, with persuasion.
His comments, quoted by Dan Keating, Washington Post Staff Writer,
in the article cited above were

"... Rushing to put standards into law before the commission
does its work would undermine the process, Soaries said.
He also maintained that critics and the media are blowing problems
out of proportion.

" 'We have some flaws, but the truth is that the error rates are
very small, with all technologies,' he said.
'Legislators are proposing solutions to a problem that doesn't exist.
They're talking about What if? scenarios.' ..."


These comments do not provide confidence that informed wisdom and prudence will be operating as this commission does its work.

We are being overtaken by events.

Please contact each of these commision members--
there is a real problem that they can help solve.


Additional information found at the following:

www.vote.caltech.edu/mail-archives/votingtech/May-2003/0157.html

www.house.gov/pelosi/prDachlePelosiEAC052803.htm
which contains information about commission members appointed by Democrats.

"...After a drawn-out Senate confirmation process, the four-member commission came into existence last month and had a coming-out event yesterday at the National Association of Secretaries of State conference, ..." (from Dan Keating Wash Post article above)
NASS website http://www.nass.org/ does not appear to contain anything about this meeting, as of Feb. 28th.

[RedEagle]

1. No Money, No Touch Screens

It's that simple.

Kick!

[ParanoidPat]

2. Has anyone studied the feasibility of filing a 'class action' lawsuit.....

.....on behalf of the voters asking for a moratorium on the introduction of any more of these machines? :shrug:

It could be based on the 200 plus documented cases of malfunctions since their introduction and the ever growing body of evidence of security problems inherent in this system as assessed by numerous acknowledged computer experts in several government sponsored studies.

Time is growing short! :(

[RedEagle]

3. Sounds good unless...

...we got a judge like the California one who said it was better to do an election on time than to worry about if it was accurate or not.

Like, we just can't take the time to do things right?

[4dog]

4. kick

Four + threads on BBV right now! Front page on the Saturday NYT. It's certainly in the nation's consciousness. But our rulers do not want us to vote democratically, for reasons obvious to many here.

[Moderator]

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