Letter to Senator Boxer
(Via e-mail form on her website, entitled "Vote of No Confidence" in regard to her motion to vote on Rumsfeld)
Dear Senator Boxer:
Thank you for standing up to the war criminals in the Bush administration. I hope the Democrats get a majority in the midterm elections so we can impeach them all. Of course, what we need are war crimes trials, but impeachment would at least stop them from doing any more harm.
Regarding the elections, I hope we don't have more races like CA-50 where Congress decides to "select" members before all the votes are counted and nullifies any recounts. Lately I have been afraid it is too late to salvage democracy because the wrong people are in charge of *counting* the votes.
You may know there is an ongoing struggle in Humboldt County to meet the accessibility requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Friday morning I was dismayed during the County Board of Supervisors meeting in Eureka because HAVA requirements have backed our Supervisors and County Recorder into a corner. Although it seems like a noble idea to ensure that voters with disabilities can vote at the polls independently, none of the certified accessible voting technology is secure, accurate, or reliable.
It seems that Humboldt County will have to spend nearly $800,000 to outfit 80 polling places with the Hart Intercivic eSlate to meet HAVA requirements and avoid Federal penalties. As you may know, the Elections committee far preferred the VotePAD, but after heavily slanted testing, it was not certified. The VotePAD would have cost only about $52,000 for 80 units--and it is much more secure, accurate, reliable, and usable. The eSlate was a distant runner-up, but since it is certified and Hart is willing to help us make our deadlines, the Supervisors approved purchase of the eSlate units. San Luis Obispo County is twice as big as Humboldt County, and only 11 disabled voters used accessible equipment in the June election. Also, many other counties using eSlate have had serious technical difficulties.
I am concerned that the general confusion surrounding a hasty installation of new equipment (here and in other counties facing the same dilemma) will prevent conclusive election results. This will set the stage for more premature "selection" of representatives as occurred in CA-50 this June.
Whether this is a premeditated political plan to seize power, or just a big pork-barrel project, it seems that HAVA's disability provisions are a pretext to force counties to purchase high-priced and insecure, unreliable, and inaccurate electronic voting devices.
You have probably heard of the poll results that 92% of Americans want to understand how their votes are counted and even watch the process. Howe often do you see poll results that nearly unanimous? Please stand up for the 92% of your constituents who want their votes to be counted accurately, and question the wisdom of using HAVA to force counties to use expensive and inadequate electronic voting equipment. I'm sure you want all our votes for you to be counted accurately when you run for re-election.
Thank you for representing me in Congress. You nearly always support my positions, and I wish you the best of luck fighting the power-mad totalitarians in Washington, D.C. There are too many in the administration who act as though they hate our freedom and show reckless disregard for everyone outside their circle. (For example, the Patriot Act and the response to Hurricane Katrina.)
Sincerely,
Me
Dear Senator Boxer:
Thank you for standing up to the war criminals in the Bush administration. I hope the Democrats get a majority in the midterm elections so we can impeach them all. Of course, what we need are war crimes trials, but impeachment would at least stop them from doing any more harm.
Regarding the elections, I hope we don't have more races like CA-50 where Congress decides to "select" members before all the votes are counted and nullifies any recounts. Lately I have been afraid it is too late to salvage democracy because the wrong people are in charge of *counting* the votes.
You may know there is an ongoing struggle in Humboldt County to meet the accessibility requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Friday morning I was dismayed during the County Board of Supervisors meeting in Eureka because HAVA requirements have backed our Supervisors and County Recorder into a corner. Although it seems like a noble idea to ensure that voters with disabilities can vote at the polls independently, none of the certified accessible voting technology is secure, accurate, or reliable.
It seems that Humboldt County will have to spend nearly $800,000 to outfit 80 polling places with the Hart Intercivic eSlate to meet HAVA requirements and avoid Federal penalties. As you may know, the Elections committee far preferred the VotePAD, but after heavily slanted testing, it was not certified. The VotePAD would have cost only about $52,000 for 80 units--and it is much more secure, accurate, reliable, and usable. The eSlate was a distant runner-up, but since it is certified and Hart is willing to help us make our deadlines, the Supervisors approved purchase of the eSlate units. San Luis Obispo County is twice as big as Humboldt County, and only 11 disabled voters used accessible equipment in the June election. Also, many other counties using eSlate have had serious technical difficulties.
I am concerned that the general confusion surrounding a hasty installation of new equipment (here and in other counties facing the same dilemma) will prevent conclusive election results. This will set the stage for more premature "selection" of representatives as occurred in CA-50 this June.
Whether this is a premeditated political plan to seize power, or just a big pork-barrel project, it seems that HAVA's disability provisions are a pretext to force counties to purchase high-priced and insecure, unreliable, and inaccurate electronic voting devices.
You have probably heard of the poll results that 92% of Americans want to understand how their votes are counted and even watch the process. Howe often do you see poll results that nearly unanimous? Please stand up for the 92% of your constituents who want their votes to be counted accurately, and question the wisdom of using HAVA to force counties to use expensive and inadequate electronic voting equipment. I'm sure you want all our votes for you to be counted accurately when you run for re-election.
Thank you for representing me in Congress. You nearly always support my positions, and I wish you the best of luck fighting the power-mad totalitarians in Washington, D.C. There are too many in the administration who act as though they hate our freedom and show reckless disregard for everyone outside their circle. (For example, the Patriot Act and the response to Hurricane Katrina.)
Sincerely,
Me
posted by Kathryn at 1:14 AM
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