California: Location of Public Hearing on HAVA Has Been Changed.

[nicknameless]

I received an email late this afternoon from CA State Senator Debra Bowen's office:

Sorry for the late notice, but due to the overflow crowd we’re expecting, we’re moving to Room 447.

Hearing info repost with correction:

HOW WILL CALIFORNIA VOTERS BE CASTING THEIR BALLOTS IN 2006?
PUBLIC HEARING

WHO: Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach),
Chairwoman of the Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee

WHAT: The Senate Elections, Reapportionment & Constitutional Amendments Committee will hold a hearing to examine how California will comply with the Help America Vote Act.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 18, 2006, at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: State Capitol, Room 3191 447

WHY: The federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires every polling place used in a federal election to include at least one voting machine that disabled voters, including blind and visually impaired voters, can use to vote independently. California law requires all direct recording electronic (DRE) machines to be equipped with an accessible voter verified paper audit trail (AVVPAT), which allows voters to verify their votes were correctly recorded. Furthermore, the AVVPATs must also be used for voter-requested recounts and the 1% manual audit of the results following each election.

As of now, one non-DRE machine that meets HAVA’s access requirements for disabled voters has been certified for use in the state, and one DRE has been certified for use in the general election, but not in the primary election. A number of counties are awaiting word from the Secretary of State as to whether the systems they’ve bought or want to buy will be certified for the 2006 elections.

“I want to get a snapshot of where we are, where we need to get to, and how we’re going to get there by the June primary,” said Bowen. “A number of counties are holding out hope the Diebold TSx will be re-certified for use in June, but I’m not interested in seeing any machine used if we can’t be sure it’s secure and that people’s votes will be counted accurately. If we just make it easier for people to vote without ensuring their votes are counted correctly, we’ll have defeated the purpose of HAVA, wasted millions of dollars, and pulled the rug out from under our democracy in the process.”


Witnesses scheduled to testify before the committee include:

o Secretary of State Bruce McPherson

o Deborah Seiler, Elections Manager, Solano County

o Jill LaVine, Registrar of Voters, Sacramento County

o Elaine Ginnold, Registrar of Voters, Alameda County

o Conny McCormack, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Los Angeles County

o Neal Kelley, Registrar of Voters, Orange County

o Deborah Hench, Registrar of Voters, San Joaquin County

o Cathy Darling, County Clerk-Registrar of Voters, Shasta County


** Members of the public may testify once the scheduled witnesses have finished their remarks. **

CONTACT: Evan Goldberg (Sen. Bowen's office)
[phone]
[phone]

[Peace Patriot]

1. Thanks for the info, nicknameless! VERY IMPORTANT HEARING!

Please attend if you are able to!*

Debra Bowen is running for Secretary of State. SUPPORT HER! www.debrabowen.com

----------------

*(The railroad and cattle barons who moved the capitol of Caifornia from San Francisco, where it was originally, to Sacramento, knew what they were doing--making it virtually impossible for large numbers of California's progressive population to attend important government meetings. Sacramento is far from virtually everywhere in California--an eight to ten hour drive (one way) for most, an all day trek for San Franciscans (with an overnight a good idea, after a long day of Sacto palaver). As a consequence, the election reform groups who have packed the Sacto Diebold meetings with public commenters deserve kudos. The issue itself is a magnet, but still it takes good organization and a lot of hard work to get people to go that far. And my deepest thanks to everyone who has done so!

[nicknameless]

2. Thanks for that background, Peace. I hadn't known that.

The ever-nefarious right wingers. ::sigh::

I second your kudos to all who make that long trek and then suffer through testimony from the likes of Conny McCormack, etc.

:patriot:

[kster]

3. K&R....nt