BBV: three major newspapers have endorsed a paper trail.

[Eric J in MN]

The NY TIMES, LA TIMES, and WASHINGTON POST have all endorsed a voter-verified paper trail in editorials (not op-eds only, but editorials).

If you haven't emailed your Congressperson yet, or want to send your Congressperson a reminder, please click on the link in my signature (bottom of this post).


Washington Post editorial:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20340-2003Dec21.html
Maryland ought to be able to negotiate a fair price for the cost of adding printers, and paper records ought to be a requirement, regardless of which company does the job. In California, the secretary of state has announced that all electronic voting machines must include paper printouts by 2006. Maryland Del. Karen S. Montgomery (D-Montgomery) has drafted legislation that would require voter-verified paper records. Voters would be allowed to correct errors they find on the printouts of their votes. The bill also would require random checks of the paper records in 2 percent of election precincts against the computer records, to search for possible tampering.

Before committing itself to a suspect system, Maryland at the least should insist on the kinds of protection sought by Ms.Montgomery. Mr. Ehrlich should join in putting these safeguards on the books and in conducting a further review of the arrangement with Diebold.

[creativelcro]

1. If the paper-trail does not have legal value, then it's useless..

[Eric J in MN]

2. Why wouldn't it? nt

nt

[creativelcro]

3. Because you cannot do anything with it.

The machines can still record what the hell they are programmed to do, even if on your piece of paper it says you voted for your candidate. The election is over, what do you do with your piece of paper if it is not the ballot that is counted ?... You tell me...

[Eric J in MN]

4. The paper ballot should be considered the real ballot,

The paper ballot should be considered the real ballot, because that is a physical object checked by the voter.

[creativelcro]

5. That's my point. Paper trail does not mean paper ballot

which is what should be counted...

[RedEagle]

6. Then take action to make sure...

...laws say that the legal ballot of record is the paper ballot.

A paper ballot is a tangible source document. An electronic ballot is not and never can be. It's a construct. A paper ballot is real.

[Andy_Stephenson]

7. Good...now they need to talk about....

A Voter Verified Paper Ballot. Semantics I know. But don't give em any wriggle room.


There is no definition in the dictionary for "paper-trail" but there is for ballot.



Ballot (n):

1. A sheet of paper or a card used to cast or register a vote,
especially a secret one.
3. The act, process, or method of voting, especially in secret.
4. list of candidates running for office; a ticket.
5. The total of all votes cast in an election.
6. The right to vote; franchise.
7. A small ball once used to register a secret vote.

[RedEagle]

8. Now, we work in the next tier of papers

Once papers start endorsing voter verified paper ballots, how much longer can the bought and paid for broadcast media NOT cover the story?

[Eric J in MN]

12. C-Span broacast John Kerry and John Edwards supporting

C-Span broacast John Kerry and John Edwards supporting voter verified paper ballots during the Flordia Democratic Convention a few weeks ago.

It would be nice if the other channels would address the subject.

[myrna minx]

9. Senator Dayton of Mn. supports the

voter verified paper ballot. :toast:

http://news.mpr.org/programs/midday/

[dflprincess]

10. I heard him on MPR today too

He said something like "I'm old fashioned, I want a paper trail that can be verified." He then went on to talk about how easily systems can be tampered with.

Myrna, when you heard him, did you get the sense that he is really angry and frustrated with this administration? (How many times did he use the word "shameful" when discussing something Bush* has done?)

[Eric J in MN]

11. I asked the question on Minnesota Public Radio.

I called as the show started, and it took over half-an-hour to get on the air, but I was glad that I got to ask his position on
verifying the vote.

Also, I was glad he was familiar with the Voter Confidence Act and supports it.