Dawn Execution of Redistricting and Verifiable Voting Bills?

By: Sui Juris
Published On: 2/14/2008 4:48:36 PM

It looks like the Privileges and Elections Committee of the Virginia House of Delegates is about to kill very popular bills concerning bipartisan redistricting, no-excuse in-person absentee voting, recounts, registration  receipts and election machine audits.  They've scheduled a 7am session tomorrow, in which five members of the committee can kill each of these bills in an unrecorded voice vote.  See Vivian Paige's writeup for details and suggestions for action.

Crossposted from Blacknell.net.

Comments



Thanks, Lowell, and (Sui Juris - 2/14/2008 5:04:53 PM)
anyone in Richmond, please consider showing up to witness this mess.  Thanks.


I wrote my delegates and senators today in support (thegools - 2/14/2008 6:36:19 PM)
of these bills.  I would recommend the same for everyone here. The bills are SB.292, SB.35, SB. 536, & SB.38.

Here are my letters:

Dear Delegate Lingamfelter,
I am writing to ask you to please cast votes in  favor of SB.292, for SB.35 and SB. 536.
The bill, SB.292 by Senator Herring, will permit a locality to run a pilot program of audits of optical scan election machines, an important first step towards the goal of routine random audits following every election.
I ask you to vote yes on SB 35. This bill, from Senator Deeds, will ensure that in every recount of an election, paper ballots are run through scanners again, after the scanners have undergone a new round of logic and accuracy testing.  This bill achieves what voters and candidates mean by a recount: the votes are indeed counted a second time, in contrast to the current code provisions that generally accept the first machine tally as final.
I also urge you to vote yes on SB. 536, Senator Barker's bill, to enhance certification testing procedures for voting equipment. The SBE should have the means to decertify  equipment use in VA should security problems be found.
It is important to continue the effort to provide more accurate counts and recounts in elections. It is important to keep elections transparent in order to gain greater voter confidence in election results.
Thanks again for your work and your vote yes to pass this bill in committee.

Your sincere constituent,

                &
Dear Delegate Lingamfelter,
A committee in the House of Delegates will soon vote on bipartisan redistricting reform (SB38), a bill to end partisan gerrymandering.  I ask you to please do everything in your power to get this bill to the floor for a vote, and then please vote yes on it.


thank you! (Sui Juris - 2/14/2008 6:39:20 PM)
We really need them to know that people are watching.