BBV: Amendment on House floor today forcing a paper trail!

[goobergunch]

AMENDMENT NO. 11 offered by Mr. KING (IA): Page 106, insert after line 4 the following:

SEC. 511. (a) Section 301(d) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15481(d)) is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: ``, or January 1 of the first calendar year which begins after the fiscal year during which the aggregate amount appropriated for all fiscal years for requirements payments under subtitle D of title II is equal to or greater than $3,000,000,000, whichever is later.''.

(b) None of the funds appropriated in this Act for requirements payments under subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 may be used to obtain any voting system which is not capable of providing a permanent, auditable, and individually verifiable paper record of each vote cast on the system.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?position=all&page=H7841&dbname=2003_record

Unfortunately, subsection (a) is a violation of House rules (legislation on appropriations), although the BBV subsection (b) is legit. I'm fairly sure that the whole amendment will fall under the point of order, however. :grr:

It is interesting to see King (IA) offering this amendment, however...he's one of the more conservative Republicans in the House.

ON EDIT: They won't get to this for a while yet...it should be on C-SPAN later in the day.

[goobergunch]

1. kick

:kick:

[MuseRider]

2. It is great

to see that it is a repub bringing it to them. This is certainly not a partisan issue. I am glad they are getting that message. I was really afraid it would get painted as a "sour grapes you lost" Democratic Party issue.

[zekeson]

4. Have to agree

I was shocked to see that a Repuggly was bringing on the bill.

:kick:

[goobergunch]

5. Not just a Republican...

a far right-wing Republican.

Rep. King (IA) is considered the most conservative member of the freshman class. That's probably why he put it in a form that can't pass, but still...:wow:

[ButterflyBlood]

17. King is a nutcase

I believe that as a state senator he filed some suit to stop Iowa's Democratic governor from introducing a policy that would prohibit hiring discrimination based on sexual orientation. Just to put things into perspective Gary Bauer endorsed him.

[shance]

3. This is great. And equally great to see a concerned Republican too**

Time to call Rep. Kings office to express thanks.

and thank you GP!**

[goobergunch]

6. The House is now doing a series of votes on amendments...

earlier in the bill.

:kick:

[goobergunch]

7. kick

:kick:

[hang a left]

8. sure hope it is not

all fluff, for appearances sake. Interesting, I wonder if the SAIC report has been leaked.

[oasis]

9. kick

:kick:

[PATRICK]

10. Is this a pattern?

When you think there is case of vote fraud by the GOP and reform is needed timepasses. Suddenly, suprise, the intitiative comes from the GOP! Everything down to Sonny Perdue and now this has been exactly the same. The GOP takes the lead.

I am not comforted very much. It is just more of a black eye for the quiescence of the Democrats except for some aimless steam here and there. It seems that someone is responding to the people and rumblings in the hinterland when it encrioaches on special turf. That party is ...

[TruthIsAll]

11. ITS A CLASSIC REPUKE RUSE.......HYPOCRISY!!

APPEAR TO SUPPORT LIBERAL, NO-NONSENSE LEGISLATION TO PROMOTE A GOOD CAUSE KNOWING THAT IT WILL SURELY FAIL.

IT WON'T PASS. BUT THE REPUKES IN LIBERAL DISTRICTS CAN CLAIM THAT THEY VOTED FOR IT.

[w4rma]

12. With a Republican House and a Republican Senate, some of the GOP

will *have* to support it.

I think that the paliocons have the best chance to support it. They tend to be more idealistic than the corporatist neo-cons. Note, it sounds like King (who is offering this amendment) may be a palio-con.

[TacticalPeek]

13. Kick a congresscritter today. n/t

[RedEagle]

14. I Think There's A Fly In This Ointment

(b) None of the funds appropriated in this Act for requirements payments under subtitle D of title II of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 may be used to obtain any voting system which is not capable of providing a permanent, auditable, and individually verifiable paper record of each vote cast on the system.


It's beginning to look like we have to all for a paper trail that will be used to conduct local, county, statewide, and national audits, and that that ballot should have a printed copy of the vote, readable without assistance from another machine or unit, except in the case of the blind.

You can audit an idividual vote all you want, and you should.

But this amendment does not call for capability to audit entire elections, only indivudual ones.

It does not mention that the veficication should be readable without a bar code scanner or matching up data on the internet.

There fore, VoteHere's answer to auditing falls right into this as well might Populex, if you have to scan the ballot to "read" it.

Reading the ballot should be in the most literal term- I can read what's on there and verfiy it with the naked eye.

I have an uneasy feeling this is another carrot and not the whole stew.

[Andy_Stephenson]

15. Well at least it is a start...

But why do I smell herring?

[punpirate]

16. Because it's fishy...

... that's why. I read the part (b) in the same way. The key language is "voter-verified," and it's not there, thanks very much....

Cheers.

[Andy_Stephenson]

18. Exactly!

that was my read as well!

[hedda_foil]

19. Exactly. VoteHere fits right in.

God only knows what Populex's device does. But VoteHere's truly devious contraption must be the reason for this. Can anybody check on this Congressman's bidness connections? Campaign contributions? There's a connection here. I can smell those fish too.

[Zhade]

20. Campaign contributions

(via OpenSecrets.org)

Top Contributors

National Auto Dealers Assn $5,000

National Beer Wholesalers Assn $5,000

National Assn of Home Builders $2,500

National Rifle Assn $2,500

Wal-Mart Stores $2,500

American Assn of Nurse Anesthetists $1,000

American Crystal Sugar $1,000

American Hospital Assn $1,000

Ashland Inc $1,000

Chicago Mercantile Exchange $1,000

Dairy Farmers of America $1,000

Food Marketing Institute $1,000

Gateway Inc $1,000

International Franchise Assn $1,000

Major League Baseball Commissioner's Ofc $1,000

Microsoft Corp $1,000

National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn $1,000

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Assn $1,000

Pizza Hut Franchisees Assn $1,000

Qwest Communications $1,000

[RedEagle]

21. Red Herring Amendment

As someone aptly named it earlier.

Watch for this one to be pushed instead of a real amendment, like Rush Holt's.

In fact, this is probably being done to make the GOP machine look like it's doing something, when all that's happening is making the process drive right up VoteHere's lane.

We're about to be bamboozled again folks.

Get on the horn to your legislators and demand they only back HR2239, that you understand the funny business in this amendment, and that you won't accept funny business any more.

I have a bad feeling that those congress people who would't get on board Holt's bill will flock to this one, then say, "See, I am doing something."

Hit'em hard NOW before it happens. Make then KNOW this travesty is not acceptable.