Ask your representative, today, to vote for HR 5036, the Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act, to provide federal money to cover the costs of any US election district/county that wants to vote on paper ballots and institute an audit. This is our only chance to improve election security before the November election. Call the toll free Congressional switch board at any of the numbers below and ask for your Representative or give your zip code to be connected to the correct office. If you can't call until late, most will record your message.
1 (800) 459 - 1887 1 (800) 614 - 2803 1 (800) 828 - 0498 Phone calls are best, but there is an easy email action at: _http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22334_ (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22334) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tell Congress: Pass HR 5036 Emergency Bill for Secure Elections in 2008 With little more than six months to go before the election, now is your best chance to help make the 2008 Presidential election verifiable. Please ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the "Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008”, Representative Rush Holt's bill to provide emergency funding for paper ballots voting systems and random hand counted audits of the November elections. The Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act offers states or counties reimbursement for purchasing paper ballot systems in time for the November elections, and reimbursement for conducting random hand-counted audits of the November election results. While the bill as introduced would have offered money only for the most reliable voting systems - those that use voter-marked paper ballots, with accessible ballot-marking devices to serve voters with disabilities - an amendment has been added in committee that would also provide funding for retrofitting direct-recording electronic voting machines (DREs) with printers. We strongly discourage any jurisdiction from choosing this option. Adding printers to DREs is not the best option for voter-verified paper ballots; paper based systems, whether initially counted by optical scanners or by hand, provide a record of voter intent, are more reliable and cost effective than DREs, and they are simpler for pollworkers and voters to use. They are also easier to recount and audit than DRE paper trails. By offering crucial funding, Congress can empower state and county officials to do the right thing in time for November. Rep. Holt's bill could not be more timely. As the Presidential primary season unfolds, 14 states will use paperless electronic system in their primaries, either as the statewide system, or as the system used in many counties. It doesn't have to be this way in November. Urge your Representative to cosponsor the Confidence in Voting Act._ Take action now: please send the letter below (or feel free to edit as you see fit). Thank you! http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22334_ (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=22334) **************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money & Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolcmp00300000002850) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
