Urgent! -Maryland: save paper ballot legislation HB 244

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

The Maryland legislation was gutted in the Senate, with a really
abysmal set of amendments that would pave the way for even
MORE expenditures to enrich Diebold's coffers, plus would have
allowed for the Diebold "scan-your-VVPAT-roll" version of an
"audit" (NOT!). The language failed to make the VVPR the official
record in case of discrepancies, by cleverly saying "an official
record" where it should have said "the official record"... and nothing
in the "audit" provision made it a "manual" audit.

This alert just went out in hopes that the (rest of the) Senators
stand tall and pass the right version of the bill-- the version that
passed in the House. Keep a good thought for Maryland tomorrow.


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Dear friends,

Your help got H.B. 244, Delegate Hixson's voter-verified paper record bill, passed unanimously in the House. The Senate version has been gutted, though, and your support is needed one more time -- without your effort, Maryland may not get verifiable voting this year.

The original version of the bills, H.B. 244 and S.B. 713, contained many good provisions, including a robust random manual audit requirement which will help ensure that voting systems are working as they should. H.B. 244 was amended to include a requirement that all Maryland elections this year will be conducted using paper optical scan ballots (with accessible ballot-marking devices).

Insist that the Senate pass the House version of the bill. VerifiedVoting.org joins TrueVoteMD.org in asking you to contact your Senators today -- ask them to dump the bad version of the bill, and pass the language in H.B.244 as it passed the House. The Governor is ready to sign and fund it.

Even if you wrote before, you can send another email or fax in less than 60 seconds. It can make all the difference.

It takes less than a minute to send a free fax or email to your senator from the VerifiedVoting.org Action Center at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/vevo//campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=2333


Pamela Smith
Nationwide Coordinator
VerifiedVoting.org
[e-mail]

[JimDandy]

1. Not an MD resident but for those who are... K&R n/t

[Amaryllis]

2. K and R

[kster]

3. KNR-5