BRAD BLOG: Holt Election Reform Legislation Filed; Blackwell Shredded Documents; MUCH MORE...

[BradBlog]

Yes, democracy is in the news today. Big time.

As Rep. Holt introduces his new Election Reform legislation, several groups have scrambled to be the first to endorse. We'll take a more cautious and careful approach as the devil is frequently in the details when it comes to ER legislation. Just ask Bob Ney. We'd urge all readers and citizens to take the same cautious stance and be sure to actually review and analyze the pros and cons before we all accidentally create "HAVA 2"...this time without Bob Ney and the Republicans to blame it on. That, and much more from today's BRAD BLOG below... -- Brad

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Why the Holt Election Reform Bill Must be Amended to Guarantee a Real Paper Ballot
Guest Blogger and Constitutional Attorney John Bonifaz on Concerns About Holt's 'Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007' (HR 811)

Guest Blogged by John Bonifaz, Founder of the National Voting Rights Institute and a Senior Legal Fellow of Demos' Democracy Program.

Today, Congressman Rush Holt introduced H.R. 811 , a bill trumpeted as requiring “a voter-verified permanent paper ballot.” But before we all jump on this train as the new guarantee that our votes will be properly counted in future elections, we ought to beware of the warning flag. A paper trail from DRE (Direct Recording Electronic, usually touch-screen) machines cannot protect the integrity of our elections.
...
We can and we should press for the principled position here: an amendment to the Holt bill that would ban the continued use of DREs and require a real paper ballot. Otherwise, we're going to wake up in 2008 realizing the new disaster we helped to create...

FULL GUEST EDITORIAL:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4125

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OH MY OHIO: Cuyahoga County Election Director Resigns! New SoS Requests Audit of Blackwell, Shredded Documents!
Big Doings in the Buckeye Today...

FULL STORY: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4126

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Rep. Holt's New Election Reform Legislation Filed Today in U.S. House
As Ever, With Election Reform Legislation the Devil is in the Details...So Learn the Details BEFORE Supporting or Rejecting This Bill!

Congressman Rush Holt's (D-NJ) new, re-written Election Reform legislation --- now known as HR811, previously known as HR550 in the last Congress --- has been introduced today. It's now available at the link below.

Holt's bill is the first of several competing Election Reform bills which will be introduced in the House and Senate by various members...

FULL STORY: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4124

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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission's Executive Director Oversaw Failed Voting Machine Test Labs in Earlier Role as Well
Thomas Wilkey Has Kept Problems at the Labs Hidden from the Public and Behind a Wall of Secrecy for Years...

Guest Blogged By Michael Richardson

Thomas Wilkey, Executive Director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) seems to bear more direct responsibility for the growing voting machine test lab scandal than any other person. Let's connect a few dots and sift through a bit of murky alphabet soup...

COMPLETE EXPOSÉ: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4119

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VIDEO: Terror In Her Own Words
A Look Inside A Fox News Fear Special...Keeping America Terrified...

VIDEO: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4121

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'Daily Voting News' For February 04 and 05, 2007

According to an ‘Opinion’ in the New York Times today, “Governor Crist is asking the Legislature to finance the purchase of new optical-scan machines, and it is expected to agree. Choosing optical scans is Governor Crist’s second good move. In optical-scan voting, voters mark a paper ballot that is then read by a computer. Polling place lines are shorter, because many voters can fill out ballots at the same time. These paper ballots are the official ballots, and can be recounted by hand to resolve a dispute. More than half the states — including large ones like California, New York, Illinois and Ohio — require computerized voting machines to produce a paper record. The addition of Florida would be a major defeat for election officials and voting-machine companies that have stubbornly opposed paper-trail requirements.”...

COMPLETE DVN: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4122

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---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION - The revolution begins...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us

[MissWaverly]

1. thanks, Brad, I was just at your site today & missed

the piece about the shredding documents, why did nobody stop them, didn't they care about
democracy, decency and the American way?

:-(

[Ellipsis]

2. 5th and ...a tap n/t

[texpatriot2004]

3. K & R for Transparent Democracy nm

[Wilms]

4. Good reading. n/t

[BradBlog]

5. Good toon...

I like it. Don't know what it means...but I like it.

[tblue37]

6. Destroying evidence. Hmmmm--sounds likea crime. (eom)

[KoKo]

7. What'sthe next step if Holt's Bill passes? Amendments? Is there

anyone on our side who will push an Amendment?