TakeAction!

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Other Iowa Web Sites:

http://www.iowavoters.org

http://www.voterownediowa.org

http://www.blogforiowa.com

National Web Sites:

http://votetrustusa.org

http://blackboxvoting.org

www.verifiedvoting.org

www.votersunite.org

http://accurate-voting.org

http://coalition4visibleballots.
homestead.com

Alert: Urge Governor Culver To Sign Funding For Voter-Marked Paper Ballots (Continued)

17 states now use optical scan systems with ballot-marking devices statewide, and this year at least three other states - Florida, under the leadership of its new Republican Governor, as well as Maryland and Virginia - are taking steps get rid of their DREs and adopt optical scan and voter-marked paper ballots statewide.

Election officials and activists have discovered that the paper trail printers for the DREs are at best a short-term solution. The printer rolls raise questions of voter privacy, and the printers are prone to jams and have lost votes. So over time, SF 369 will phase out the DREs, and all voting in Iowa will eventually be on voter-marked paper ballots.

The $4.5 million in HF 911 is critical for counties who want to think ahead and make the switch to optical scan sooner rather than later.

Note: the Governor is expected to sign SF 369, as it does not allocate any money. Getting the Governor to sign the voting equipment funding in HF 911 is the trick!
 

Governor Culver needs to hear from you. Contact him and express your support for voter-marked paper ballots counted by optical scanners, the most proven, reliable voting system available.

A sample letter is below. Your own words are best, but the sample letter can help you get started.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Telephone the Governor at 515-281-5211, and e-mail from this site:

http://www.governor.iowa.gov/administration/contact/

Sample Letter:

Dear Governor Culver,

I am writing to urge to to sign House File 911, which allocates $4.5 million to the Secretary of State to make grants to counties to meet the voting equipment requirements of SF 369.

SF 369 takes us in the same direction in which Florida and Maryland are heading, toward a statewide voting system of precinct-based optical scanners, with ballot-marking devices to serve voters with disabilities. 17 states already use this system. Under SF 369, counties can convert to optical scan now, or purchase paper trail printers for their DRE machines and convert to optical scan when DRE equipment is replaced.

The paper trail printers are at best a short-term manner of providing verifiable voting. Precinct-based optical scan is, as University of Iowa professor Douglas Jones and other experts have observed, the most proven voting technology now available.

The $4.5 million in HF 911 allows counties who want to make the conversion to optical scan now to buy equipment by 2008. We should encourage counties to take this wise step sooner rather than later. Please let Iowa reward counties for thinking ahead, and sign HF 911.

Sincerely,