Save the BallotDFIA members in Johnson County are gathering signatories for the following letter which will be sent to our senators and representatives in Congress on Nov. 19. If you would like to join Howard Weinberg (letter author), Ellen Ballas, Trish Nelson and others in this effort to save the integrity of our voting system, please send an e-mail to saveballot@yahoo.com. Please include your name, address, and phone number.
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Dear Senators Grassley, Harkin and Representatives Boswell, King, Latham, Leach, Nussle:
We are writing to urge you to introduce and support two measures which we believe will help to restore the integrity of the electoral process, and so, perhaps, help to heal our gravely divided nation. First, we advocate a law requiring elections to provide a transparent method of verification of the vote by recount. Secondly, we want voter intimidation to become a federal felony.
We believe civil society is largely a matter of trust among citizens. When this trust begins to deteriorate, the consequences are not hard to foresee: anarchy, inequity, fragmentation, resentment— ultimately, perhaps, tyranny—certainly, the loss of freedom from violence and dishonesty.
In our society, trust must reside in the ballot. Without a true ballot there can be no democracy. The recent and widespread institution of technology that does not permit verification of the vote count greatly concerns us, and we believe faith in the integrity of the electoral process is terribly at risk. Fortunately, there are many methods of vote tabulation which provide all the ease and convenience of electronic balloting, with the verifiability of other methods. To illustrate the problems that concern us, we attach the recent letter signed by Representatives Conyers, Nadler, Wexler, Scott, Watt, Holt.
In the last election there were many reports of attempts to intimidate voters at the polls on election day. For all of us, but for minority voters especially—Native American, African-American, Hispanic-American—the freedom to vote without fear of intimidation and reprisal is a fundamental element of the American promise. There can be no question that even the appearance of such intimidation has a corrosive effect on the trust among citizens. Therefore, we urge you to recognize such bullying as a serious crime, and to specifically outlaw it all over the nation.
We think these measures are elemental and necessary, and we urge you, as our legislative representatives, to implement them as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
(names here)
cc: The Honorable John Kerry, 304 Russell Bldg., Third Fl., Washington, DC 20510; fax: 202-224-8525
The Honorable John Conyers, 2426 Rayburn Bldg., Washington, DC 20515; fax: 202-225-0072
(click here for Conyers et. al letter)
**Please pass this on**
