HOW YOU CAN HAVE A LAW THAT COUNTS

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

HOW YOU CAN HAVE A LAW THAT COUNTS

HR 811 - You can impact it.
HR 811 - Have You Read It Yourself?
HR 811 - Has flaws - but that is typical of the legislative process.
HR 811 - Needs corrections - amendments are already being written and submitted.
HR 811 - Even organizations that support are working for amendments right now
HR 811 - Ask your organization to make recommendations for HR 811 and the Senate Bill

Full text of HR 811
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-811

Rather than flat out opposing the legislation,why not clearly state what needs to be changed?

Otherwise, you may be helping perpetuate paperless voting).

Many activists admit that they haven't even read the bill!

They are depending on someone else's "Cliff Notes" to HR 811!

Impact HR 811 and Senate legislation by making clear-cut recommendations-

Read the bill, compare to your state's legislation
Read the bill, outline and document the portions that need correction
Read the bill, provide corrective language to replace it with
Read the bill, submit your organization's recommendation to Millender-McDonald in the House Admin and Diane Feinstein on US Senate side.

Lawmakers will respond to well thought out recommendations that make sense
and are not written in sensationalistic and accusatory tone.

Bill Overview

Committee Assignments
This bill is in the first stage of the legislative process where the bill is considered in committee and may undergo significant changes in markup sessions. The bill has been referred to the following committees:

House Administration
(Because the government takes a day or two to post legislative information online, GovTrack is usually current as of the start of the previous day.)
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-811

How a bill becomes law

Or Why EFF, Common Cause, etc are pushing HR 811 right now, even though they seek amendments

B. Committee Action - The bill is referred to the appropriate committee by the Speaker of the House or the presiding officer in the Senate. Most often, the actual referral decision is made by the House or Senate parliamentarian. Bills may be referred to more than one committee and it may be split so that parts are sent to different committees. The Speaker of the House may set time limits on committees. Bills are placed on the calendar of the committee to which they have been assigned. Failure to act on a bill is equivalent to killing it. Bills in the House can only be released from committee without a proper committee vote by a discharge petition signed by a majority of the House membership (218 members).

Read it - it takes momentum to keep legislation alive

Remember - no National law will completely solve each state's problems.

YOU CAN HAVE A LAW THAT COUNTS

[Bill Bored]

1. I agree, but I want one that COUNTS VOTES!

All the amendments, etc. can be proposed without actually supporting it. Any org that supports it right now is supporting paperless voting by allowing paperless recounts.

I agree with everything you say. All of these things should be done. But I think supporting this bill at this time is sending the wrong message. It's just too flawed and we know why. It's because of hubris -- not unlike the Bushies'.

I think we should be sending a strong message that screw-ups like this will not be tolerated.

If this bill is the best they can do in the end, then the decision can be made at that time to support it or not. But to support it now is like saying it's OK to walk all over us. Support it once it's fixed, or at least as good as HR 550. Not before then.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. there's no way it will remain in current form

ever heard of a bill that was never changed while in committee?

Better stay on top of this one.

There is the "Election Reform Community", and the "Election Administrators Community".

I am told that when Holt addressed the election officials at NASED, that
he was lucky it wasn't during meal time, that likely food would be flying from
the tables of the angry election officials.

Election officials will push back, some against the paper, some against
other parts of the bill.

We need to provide solid recommendations in a professional format and
do it promptly.

[Bill Bored]

5. I've done that THREE times already, WYVBC, and that doesn't even include

comments to Holt's office.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. HR 811 with 39 embedded comments

Thanks to Teresa Hommel, of www.WheresThePaper.org

HR 811 with 39 embedded comments:
http://www.wheresthepaper.org/HR811withCmt070214.htm

This is an easy way to read the legislation, where each comment
directly follows the text that it comments on.

[Bill Bored]

4. YES! The New Yorkers are Weighing In Now! Watch out Joyzy!

(There must be something in the water over there!)

[Bill Bored]

6. Oh, and BTW I URGE EVERYONE to support THESE suggestions!

New York, as we know, is one of the few places left in the country where election integrity trumps both HAVA and the vendors. There is NO electronic voting in New York and we can't even certify the stuff because it doesn't meet our regs or even the federal ones.

The CIBER scandal first broke in NY when our Board of Elections and concerned citizens found they weren't testing to the standards.

We are the only state who has read the law (HAVA) and the Voting System Standards and who is demanding compliance from the vendors.

We have learned from hard work, mistakes and positive contributions of others.

Now watch NY eat this bill for breakfast like a bagel with a schmear!

Thank you for posting this, WYVBC.

Excelsior!:toast:

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. NY also probably only one to...

to read the bill.

New Yorkers dont get led around by the nose -
they see for themselves.

Others are happy to have someone tell them what to think.

So, big thanks to folks in New York who really are smarter and faster,
who don't just talk faster.

[troubleinwinter]

8. A Kick & Recommend for this!

[Bill Bored]

9. Well, apparently not much interest in this very important subject.

I knew this would happen as soon as the Dems won an election.

I guess all that talk about stolen elections, rigging, integrity, reform, etc. really was just sore loser talk.

Too bad. It's just the hard core left now. No critical mass. Congress will be able to shove through any piece of crap legislation they want now because no one is taking an interest. Who would have thought?

The Dems win one midterm election and the whole election integrity movement is DOA. Frickin' brilliant! Couldn't have planned it better myself. Rove really is a genius!

[BeFree]

10. What did you expect?

Given the acrimony amongst the hard core and the fact that the simple solution - HCPB is poopooed by so many of the elites, and now we are faced with a bill that is a hodge-podge of gobble-de-gook, you expect the masses to rise? Bill, you never seemed to be much of a dreamer, but it's as if you are dreaming now. But I for one appreciate the work you have been doing on this awful bill.

[Bill Bored]

12. Thanks. But I don't consider HCPB hard core.

The hard core are the ones who are trying to improve this bill and they seem to be few and far between on DU. A couple years ago, everyone would be on top of this. Now it doesn't even make the front page.

Screaming for HCPB without lobbying elections officials or politicians isn't hard core. It's mostly laziness. I doubt anyone would oppose HCPB if you can get a board of elections to implement it.

[BeFree]

16. That's just it

Improving this bill would mean that it is junked. Trashed.

We are sick of the shenanigans and the machines. We want rid of the damn things and those who are working to improve this bill are seen as folks who accept the machine - if it can just be tweaked.

It is awful that anybody with the knowledge available can be seen to be supportive of the machine.

Yes, time to draw a line. Either you are for the machine, or you are for the people. Really quite simple.

HCPB as per HR 6200 is the law we should all be asking congress to adopt. That is the real, hard core reform.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. whoa!

Bill - not so fast -


If this happens:

"Too bad. It's just the hard core left now. No critical mass. Congress will be able to shove through any piece of crap legislation they want now because no one is taking an interest. Who would have thought?"

Its because the loudest voices being heard will be the ones that
propose solutions that congress won't even consider.

There are plenty of the "lets shoot it down" types out there, circulating their
cliff notes for HR 811 around, asking people to oppose HR 811.

Folks who pay attention know that Federal legislation is a big deal,
and that it of course will be studied and amended in committee, just
like state legislation.

Instead of those "lets shoot it down" folks approaching the congress
in a professional manner (as our opposition will do), they are attacking the
one congressman who has carried their water for the past 3-4 years.

Smarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrt!

I refuse to give up until I believe there is a reason to give up.

Anyone who "fancies" themselves to be knowlegable on the subject
of election integrity can rise to the challenge and prepare their
recommendations, and work to get them considered.

Legislation is HARD, even if things had gone badly for Dems in 06, some
activists would back off now.

The problem is, the activists who we hear the loudest are the ones
who will make the least positive impact -

Some folks have attacked any federal legislation regardless of its
form, content or point of development. Lawmakers can see those folks
coming a mile away, and know that these folks will can NOT be pleased,
and that there is no point in trying.

Edited to add: Election Officials are NOT divided on this issue, they
know that to be successful they just need to present themselves calmly
and like professionals, and they have a better chance of being heard than
folks who point fingers, name call, and even attack Rush Holt.

The anti paper community - mostly election officials - if they play it smart - will
prevail, especially if enough of the Election Reform Community plays it dumb.

[Bill Bored]

13. My point was simply the apparent lack of interest here on DU. It's a shame. nt

[In Truth We Trust]

14. k&r for HCPB's.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

15. well at least 4 people showed interest

by the looks of those little red thingies at the bottom of your message.

: O

[galloglas]

17. It would be a damned site nicer

if they would just pass a law that WOULD LET THE PEOPLE COUNT!!!