Pennsylvania ALERT - our good VVPR bill on agenda with BAD bill Tuesday!

[demodonkey]

PA SENATE STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE: THE VERY GOOD AND VERY BAD ON AGENDA THIS WEEK

SB 977, Pennsylvania’s much-needed bill for voter-verified records will share the Senate State Government Committee meeting agenda with the restrictive HB 1318 this Tuesday morning, December 13, prompting an urgent action alert to contact State Senators and Representatives in the Keystone State.

Introduced in early November by Senator Joseph Conti (R- Bucks), SB 977 is an exact clone of HB 2000, introduced in the PA House earlier this fall by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny. ) HB 2000 / SB 977 would require voter-verified records on all voting systems with a routine 5% random manual audit records, and would make the paper the official record in the event of discrepancy, audit, or recount. The Pennsylvania bills have been highly acclaimed nationally as well-planned “model” legislation for VVPR, and have already garnered co-sponsors making up over one-fourth of each chamber in the state legislature. HB 2000 and SB 977 are also receiving growing support from local and county governmental bodies as well as individual citizens throughout the state.

HB 1318, which started out last spring as a simple bill to amend requirements for candidates running for open seats on local governmental boards, was marked up on the PA House floor just prior to passage in June to require photo ID for all voters and further disenfranchise persons with a history of felony conviction. The Pennsylvania Senate has already added further language restricting polling places. The bill is so changed from its original intent, the original sponsor Rep. Marc Gergely (D-Allegheny) removed his name as prime sponsor last month.

While movement on the VVPR bill(s) has been long awaited in the Keystone State, citizens and activists are highly concerned that SB 977 for VVPR has been placed on the same agenda as HB 1318 for this meeting right before the holiday recess. The fear is that restrictive provisions from HB 1318 may be rolled into the “good” bill SB 977.

All Pennsylvanians are urged to contact their State Senators and State Representatives now – it is very, very, very important that we get calls, e-mails, and faxes into State Senators’ offices on Monday and Tuesday morning. There is no time to procrastinate. Tell your Senator to vote “NO” on HB 1318, and urge passage of SB 977 as written, without any added provisions or language.

If the Senate passes HB 1318, the state House will have to re-vote on it due to Senate changes to the bill, so urge your Representative to vote “NO” on HB 1318 if it comes to a vote, and ask him or her to work to get HB 2000 moving out of committee and passed as written.

The e-mail alert provided by VoteTrustUSA and VotePA can be used to send your message. Be sure to add a note requesting a vote against HB 1318 and that HB 2000 / SB 977 be passed as written.

For more information, visit VotePA's website, and the Pennsylvania Action Center linked at the top of the home page.

[enough]

1. Thank you from Pennsylvania.

Very clear and useful information.

[Wilms]

2. Senate Committee Puts VvPAt and Voter ID on the Agenda

Pennsylvania: Senate Committee Puts VvPAt and Voter ID on the Agenda

By Marybeth Kuznik, VotePA
December 10, 2005

SB 977, Pennsylvania’s much-needed bill for voter-verified records will share the Senate State Government Committee meeting agenda with the restrictive HB 1318 this Tuesday morning, December 13, prompting an urgent action alert to contact State Senators and Representatives in the Keystone State.

Introduced in early November by Senator Joseph Conti (R- Bucks), SB 977 is an exact clone of HB 2000, introduced in the PA House earlier this fall by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny. ) HB 2000 / SB 977 would require voter-verified records on all voting systems with a routine 5% random manual audit records, and would make the paper the official record in the event of discrepancy, audit, or recount. The Pennsylvania bills have been highly acclaimed nationally as well-planned “model” legislation for VVPR, and have already garnered co-sponsors making up over one-fourth of each chamber in the state legislature. HB 2000 and SB 977 are also receiving growing support from local and county governmental bodies as well as individual citizens throughout the state.

HB 1318, which started out last spring as a simple bill to amend requirements for candidates running for open seats on local governmental boards, was marked up on the PA House Floor just prior to passage in June to would require photo ID for all voters and further disenfranchise persons with a history of felony conviction. The Pennsylvania Senate has already added further language restricting polling places. The bill is so changed from its original intent, the original sponsor Rep. Marc Gergely (D-Allegheny) removed his name as prime sponsor last month.

While movement on the VVPR bill(s) has been long awaited in the Keystone State, citizens and activists are highly concerned that SB 977 for VVPR has been placed on the same agenda as HB 1318 for this meeting right before the holiday recess. The fear is that restrictive provisions from HB 1318 may be rolled into the “good” bill SB 977.

snip

The e-mail alert provided by VoteTrustUSA and VotePA can be used to send your message. Be sure to add a note requesting a vote against HB 1318 and that HB 2000 / SB 977 be passed as written.

http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=VTUSA&hotissue=2

snip

For more information, visit:

VotePA’s http://www.votepa.us

Pennsylvania Action Center http://http//www.votepa.us/actioncenter.htmlwww.votepa.us/actioncenter.html

snip

http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=481&Itemid=113

[DebJ]

6. kick

[demodonkey]

3. Kick - I think PA might be in for a mini version of what's happening in OH

PENNSYLVANIANS -- DO THIS ALERT, PLEASE!


http://www.votepa.us/actioncenter.html

[ancient_nomad]

4. Thank You!

I really appreciated this, and just completed and sent the e-mails. :kick:

[blue neen]

5. Thanks for the alert.

I will contact my rep and my senator.

[Wilms]

7. Pennsylvania's Second Largest City and County Support Voter Verified Paper

Pennsylvania's Second Largest City and County Support Voter Verified Paper Records and HB 2000/SB 97

By Matybeth Kuznik, VotePA
December 12, 2005

Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County joined the City of Pittsburgh this week in support of voter verified paper records on voting machines with routine random manual audits of all elections, and of the bills pending in the state legislature to require them.

By unanimous vote taken Tuesday evening December 6, Allegheny County Council passed motion 2246-05, “urging the Allegheny County Chief Executive to select new voting machines in accordance with the requirements of the Help America Vote Act, that allow for the creation of voter verified paper records (VVPRs) for each voter, and supporting House Bill 2000 and Senate Bill 977, each of which is currently pending in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.”

With this motion, the county joined the City of Pittsburgh which passed a Proclamation on November 14 acknowledging the importance of voter verified paper records, routine audits, and the pending state legislation. The City Council resolution went on to recommend that “Allegheny County select new voting machines that use voter-verified paper ballots.”

Western Pennsylvania activists recently worked with Allegheny County officials to implement a Voting Machine Evaluation Process at the county’s public Voting Machine Fair, and many addressed the City of Pittsburgh Council and Allegheny County Council to request these resolutions of support for voter verified paper records.

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http://www.votetrustusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=491&Itemid=113