Last week I emailed my two Senators in Florida asking for an...

[whistle]

....explanation and accountability for the 18,000 votes which were lost in the Sarasota FL area voting districts. Here is a response from one of my Florida senators, Mel Martinez <R>:

<snip>
Below is a response to the recent comments I received from you:


Dear M. Whistle:

Thank you for contacting me regarding election reform. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to take this opportunity to respond.

Before 2002, federal elections in the United States were administered at the state and local level. With the passage of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA, P.L. 107-252), the federal government set mandatory standards for voting systems, and provided funding to state and local jurisdictions for the administration of elections.

HAVA created the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an independent bipartisan federal agency with certain election administration responsibilities. HAVA also set requirements that influence voting and voter-registration systems, and the Act provides federal funding to help states replace voting equipment, improve accessibility, recruit poll workers, and perform research and pilot studies.

In addition, HAVA included a number of provisions to prevent voter fraud. Voter fraud threatens the integrity of our elections. HAVA was the first piece of federal legislation to address the problem of voter fraud, and many lawmakers have questioned HAVA’s ability to fully protect the integrity of our election system since its enactment in 2002.

On February 2, 2005, Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) introduced the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (H.R. 550). This measure would amend HAVA to allow for voter verification, a mandatory paper record of all votes cast, and increased accessibility for disabled voters. H.R. 550 has been referred to the House Committee on Administration, where it awaits further approval.

The right to vote is essential to a constitutional republic. We need to do everything we can to ensure that all votes cast are accurately counted and reported. I will be sure to keep your views in mind should the full Senate consider H.R. 550 or related election reform legislation.

Again thank you for sharing your concerns with me. If you have any further comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator


**Note: PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL. If you would like to reply to this message, please contact me through my website at http://martinez.senate.gov.

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[CrispyQ]

1. A canned response to voting issues without answering your specific question.

I get these types of responses from Salazar, too. :eyes: This way they can claim they answered you when really all they did was respond to you, not answer your question.

[whistle]

2. Yep! No response or answer back yet from Bill Nelson - D - FL