Sign Petition to Support Rep. Holt's Fair Elections Bill

There's alot of work going on within New Mexico and nationwide to try to ensure fair elections where our votes are counted accurately. If we can't feel confident about this, is our democracy actually working? We know the answer.

That's why HR 550 is important. There's a petition on Rep. Rush Holt's web site to support this election reform bill, which he sponsored. The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (HR 550) would:

• *Mandate a voter verified paper ballot for every vote cast in every federal election, nationwide; because the voter verified paper record is the only one verified by the voters themselves, rather than by the machines, it will serve as the vote of record in any case of inconsistency with electronic records;
• Protect the accessibility requirements of the Help America Vote Act for voters with disabilities;
• Require random, unannounced, hand-count audits of actual election results in every state, and in each county, for every Federal election;
• Prohibit the use of undisclosed software and wireless and concealed communications devices and internet connections in voting machines;
• Provide Federal funding to pay for implementation of voter verified paper balloting; and
• Require full implementation by 2006

Not unexpectedly, the bill is currently stalled in the House Administration Committee and needs a boost. Today, blogs around the nation are posting information on HR 550 and urging their readers to sign the petition and contact their Congressional reps to urge them to sign up as cosponsors of the bill. It's also a good idea to contact members of the House Administration Committee to light a fire under them about this issue. CapWiz provides an easy way to contact members of Congress. You know what to do.