VoteTrustUSA: Arcata, The VCR, & Importance of Paying Attention

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http://votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=147&Itemid=30

Arcata, The Voter Confidence Resolution, and the Importance of Paying Attention

By Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, VoteTrustUSA
September 16, 2005

The city council of Arcata in Humboldt County, California recently passed a “Voter Confidence Resolution” as reported in an article (link) that has been reprinted on many websites. The resolution, a year and a half in the making and promoted by Humboldt resident and Green Party Presidential candidate David Cobb, gained the support of a wide range of citizens and public interest groups. It establishes a specific platform of election reform measures aimed at encouraging participation, enhancing representation, and ensuring confidence in the accuracy and security of the election process.

One of the resolution’s authors, Dave Berman, feels this type of initiative, if adopted by cities throughout the country, could have a decisive impact on voter confidence. It would also focus attention on the election process. The article quoted Berman pointing out that ”we must first change the national dialogue". Berman’s call for a national dialogue of the election process seems both obvious and elusive. It also seems crucial to the cause of ensuring the integrity of our elections. The efforts of those supporting the resolution in Arcata also highlight the necessity of local action.

The resolution rests on a comprehensive eight-point platform that addresses clean money campaigns, election holiday, equal time provisions, more open presidential debates, and preferential voting. It also calls for publicly owned and operated voting processes, voter verified paper records, and public and local citizen oversight of vote counting.

The fact that one would expect such a resolution to emerge from a progressive college town like Arcata should in no way diminish the significance of its success. Not only is proactive election reform at the local, county, and municipal level the most promising avenue for change in terms of resources and influence, it is also the only venue that will really work.

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