BRAD BLOG: PFAW's Position on DRE (touch-screen) Voting is Damned Dangerous to Democracy...

[BradBlog]

(Cross-posted at: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=466670&mesg_id=466670)



The following article (http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4299), I believe, is incredibly important to the future of our democracy. Whether you're aware of the details of the current heated debate to ban DRE (often called "touch-screen") voting systems or not, the following article is a must-read in my opinion. Even though I wrote it. It will catch you up on the key points in the entire debate, which will very shortly be coming up for a vote by the entire U.S. Congress. I invite any and all to forward this item, and/or cross-post the linked article in full.

The powerful and well-moneyed forces I'm up against -- PFAW, Common Cause, MoveOn, VoteTrustUSA and several hundred similarly mis-informed Congress members and public-advocacy groups -- will not be easily turned from their currently deadly-dangerous course. I will try nonetheless, because the truth and facts are on my side. But I will need your help....

-- Brad

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Brad Friedman (BRAD BLOG) v. People for the American Way (Ralph Neas/PFAW) on Amending the Holt Election Reform Bill to Ban DRE Touch-Screen Voting Systems

As Heard on 'Ring of Fire' with RFK Jr. & Mike Papantonio: I Support Banning DREs, Neas Opposes Such a Ban, and Speaks in Support of DREs

Papantonio: 'Brad, my bet is on you on this one'

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The Saturday before last I was interviewed on Air America's Ring of Fire with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Mike Papantonio concerning my call for the <a href="http://www.BradBlog.com/Holt">Election Reform Bill (HR811)</a> by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) to be amended to include a full ban on Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen) voting systems.
This past Saturday, Ralph Neas, the president of People for the American Way (PFAW), one of the groups supporting the Holt Bill as is, and fighting against a ban on DRE voting systems, was interviewed on Ring of Fire. I had been critical of PFAW's unwaivering support of the bill during my interview the week before (as I have been in many articles here and elsewhere), so Bobby Kennedy asked Neas, a number of times, to answer directly to some of my criticisms.

Both interviews, and their transcripts, are linked in full from this article (link below).

First, let me be clear: While I appreciate Neas and PFAW's advocacy for Election Reform in America, the bottom line is that they are drop dead wrong on the issue of whether we should allow dangerous, disenfranchising DREs for use in our electoral system.

So are the other large public-advocacy groups who are marching behind PFAW on this, including Common Cause, MoveOn, VoteTrustUSA and others.

That PFAW is actually advocating in favor of DRE use in our electoral system --- as you'll see in Neas' interview, who seems to actually recommend replacing the paper ballot system in Los Angeles with DREs for all of our 8 million voters! --- is simply astounding and beyond my capacity, thus far, to understand. But I have tried.

I have worked very hard in the background with all of the above groups to try and understand their unsupported position and see if consensus was possible. But I have failed.

At this point, it seems I have little choice but to deconstruct their arguments head-on. This important article does just that.

For the record, Mike Papantonio, at the end of my interview on Ring of Fire, asked me to let folks know this:

"If I'm betting on anybody to be right, it's you. Now what I want you to do is let your people know that.... Somehow --- your blog is incredible, I think it's the most incredible blog out there on this issue --- let 'em know that people that are actually involved in the litigation, that we think you're right. We think you're right."

PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE, IMPORTANT ARTICLE,
AS OUR DEMOCRACY MAY WELL DEPEND ON IT:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4299

Brad Friedman is an investigative journalist, blogger and the proprietor of The BRAD BLOG (http://www.BradBlog.com), perhaps the nation's premier journalistic authority on issues related to American Election Integrity.

[BonnieJW]

1. Sent the email to my congressman.

But it's Frank Wolf who never does anything or says anything. He sits in a corner and votes repub and never says a word.