Rep. Wexler (D-FL) fights for paper ballots in federal appeals court

[eomer]

<snip>

Yesterday, Wexler was back in Federal Court arguing that Florida is currently not in compliance with the Bush v. Gore standard and the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Currently, 52 counties in Florida with optical scan machines have a means to conduct a manual recount, while the other 15 counties with touch-screen machines have a paperless system that cannot. U.S. Circuit Judges Joel F. Dubina, Phyllis A. Kravitch and visiting U.S. District Judge Lyle E. Strom heard oral arguments yesterday. During the hearing, Judge Dubina questioned Rick Figlio, Florida’s Deputy Solicitor General, as to how a manual recount would be conducted on a touch-screen voting machine if he would have lost a County Commission race within the margin of error of one quarter of one percent. Mr. Figlio conceded that a manual recount cannot be done on a touch-screen voting machine. Wexler’s attorney Bob Peck requested that the Federal Appeals Panel move expeditiously in their decision.

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http://www.wexler.house.gov/news.php?ID=171[/div}

[Stevepol]

1. This sounds like BIG NEWS to me. Wexler has been a long time advocate.

He's been working on getting paper ballots for a long time, to get at least the possibility of audit and recount.

I can't see how the judge can rule against him. How can you comply with the law and do recounts when you can't do recounts????

This it seems to me is the way to go all across the country. At least with the optical scanners (though they're also programmed fraudulently or can be easily hacked and patched to produce the desire result) you have a paper ballot to use if audits are ever demanded.

[teryang]

2. It is big news and the way to go across the country

I've been suggesting this for five years. Glad to see an elected representative do it.

[LuCifer]

3. Robert Wexler...ROCKS!

One of the few in CONgress that DOES NOT make me want to :puke: upon waking up every day...

[electropop]

5. Floridians in Wexler's district:

Can you please provide a zip code we can use to write Wexler through the zipcode filter at house.gov? I want to write and thank him.

[seafan]

8. Try these zipcodes:

ZIP
Code

33063 Margate FL
33065 Margate FL
33068 Margate FL
33073 Margate FL
33093 Margate FL

[LuCifer]

10. Some Delray zip codes SHOULD work too

Like my old ones 33444 or 33445. One of the ONLY good things about living in South FloriDUH. Now where I live, I got this rightwing nutbag Mark Foley for my House rep. :puke: what a pain in the ass!

[MissWaverly]

4. This is where the fight must be fought

We have had 35 bills in the Maryland State Assembly, 30 were shot down either by the Assembly or by Gov. veto, we have made no real progress on the state level to regulate
the voting machines.

[diva77]

6. 30 bills down!!! wow!!! What are the 5 that passed? Would be interesting

to follow money trail and personnel connections to voting vendors in Assembly and Gov's office...

[MissWaverly]

7. Here's a list of what passed and what did not pass in Maryland

In Maryland 2005 there were 35 election reform proposals
only 5 passed that were not vetoed
HB 381 public election results
so they charge you for a vague piece of garbage which does not how many people signed the pollbook
HB 687 allowing 18 year olds to work the polls
HB 723 HAVA compliance registration-centralized list
HB 444 Election officials statewide, the gov must allow individuals
submitted by State Central Committee by the principal political party
entitled to that appointment.
SB 700 allowing 18 years olds to be judges

What failed: early voting, voter ID, DRES-paper trail, (Ehrlich
vetoed the voting systems standard security bill HB 479, bless his
heart, Mr. "So honest it hurts"), a proposal to make voter intimidation a crime, (Hey it's all fun), oh and here's another one that really should have been passed, HB 80 a bill that would require
that your vote be preserved and be available if a recount is required, it failed, (of course) AND SB 9 that would allow a paper
record to provide a manual recount - voted down

[seafan]

9. More info from some local newspapers here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1974767


This is a very big deal. If these 3 federal appeals judges rule that the paperless machines violate voting rights, it will be 'Katy, bar the door'. Am really looking forward to their decision.