Sample letter for Holt bill that needs to say INCLUDE IN RECORD

[Melissa G]

We Need to say that the faxes should please be included in the Congressional Record!
Here is a sample Letter..

Dear Elections Chief, March 30, 2007

This is the last communication from Black Box Voting on this matter, and I
apologize for using your fax lines once again. I didn’t want to, but I believe
this is important.

As you know, Black Box Voting and others have pointed out dangerous provisions
in the Holt Bill: unfunded mandates, for equipment that does not yet exist, and
shifting regulatory power over elections from your state to the federal
government.

I thought you'd be interested to know that your efforts, and those of many
citizens, have now caused the mark up of the Holt Bill to be DELAYED for at
least two weeks. I have been told that congressional fax machines whirred all
day long, gumming up the "fast track" on this bill.

I have learned that there is one additional step if you would like your comments
to be memorialized into the congressional record. Though your faxes stopped the
train (temporarily) it turns out that your faxed comments will not be entered
into the record. If you feel strongly about this and want your opinions entered
into the congressional record, here are the instructions:

The deadline is today (I know; like we have nothing else to do). The procedure
is to e-mail your comments on the Holt Bill to: [e-mail]

The instructions we received are: (a) Submit a letter to the above e-mail
address with your comments on the Holt Bill; (b) In the letter, explicitly
request that your comments be included in the congressional record.

The House Administration (full committee) is still planning to mark up Rep.
Holt's Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 (HR. 811), but
the schedule has now been moved forward at least two weeks.

They’re saying, "Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good." We say: "Do
not let the Congress be the enemy of democracy."

While the most pressing issue for many elections officials will be the unfunded
mandate, the reason Black Box Voting believes this bill is the enemy of
democracy is that it contains a Trojan horse. While offering citizens the
glittering promise of a paper trail, the hidden peril in the Holt Bill is that
it makes the EAC permanent and expands its powers. Thus, the Holt Bill
transfers permanent control over the administration and equipment for elections
to the federal level.

Whether or not you like the current administration, please consider this: By
making this change permanent, the Holt Bill requires us all to "trust"
forevermore that every single president will appoint four benevolent cronies to
tell you how to run your elections. The founders of this nation were thoughtful
enough to provide for long-term stability by requiring dispersal of power, and
it was their wisdom that gave power over elections administration to the
states. If the Holt Bill extension of the EAC is passed, at some point in our
future just one goofy president could install very inappropriate people to
specify how elections will be run. But the way it is now, all 50 states would
have to get goofy at once, and Black Box Voting believes that’s a good, stable
safeguard. In fact, the only appropriate use of federal legislation over
elections, we believe, is in the area of protecting civil rights – not federal
meddling with local mechanics and procedures.

The peril of EAC usurping state powers over elections:
"Centralized executive power"
www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/3657

Thank you for your patience with receiving these two faxes from Black Box
Voting.

Bev Harris – Director – Black Box Voting

[stillcool]

1. thanks....

done.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. this is to kill federal legislation on voting integrity

If I understand Correctly, Ms Harris says federal legislation for voting rights is ok
with her, but she opposes federal legislation to bring verified voting to all 50 states.

Some of my states election directors reported getting her fax, but said they put it
in the round file.

I am for amending HR 811, not killing it.

Maryland's stupid state senate (Ds) just killed their VVPB bill,
Virginia is on the verge of killing their bill for a moratorium against DRES,
Florida's govt DID NOT appropriate funding to purchase optical scan for the 13 DRE counties,
South Carolina has no legislation and 100% iVotronic touchscreens.

I believe that the bill can be amended to work.

We are now in a situation similar to when Hillary Clinton's Health Care bill
was killed by "activists" who wanted Universal Health Care.

I do not wish to wait 10 more years for obstinate states to get rid of their DRES.

[ChrisdemW]

4. thats not how I read the letter

it seems like it is mostly about giving power to the presidents men. is your amendment to chenge the part about the EAC or to keep that in there? you say you beleive the bill can be amended to work so I want to know does it work for you to put the power under the president? I dont trust that. but I think they should make the civil rights stronger.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

5. take a look at this, a direct quote

I hear you.

Take a look here, in the middle of a paragraph. Here is a direct quote:

" In fact, the only appropriate use of federal legislation over
elections, we believe, is in the area of protecting civil rights – not federal
meddling with local mechanics and procedures."

By the way, we have election officials in North Carolina who want to see all 50 states
have protection similiar to ours. 77 of our 100 counties have optical scan.

Then we have George "God" Gilbert, Director of Guilford County Elections, famous for his absolute opposition to paper.

He opposes federal legislation, he tried to keep our state legislation from passing.

Gilbert was called by the GOP members to testify to the Congressional Subcommittee
against HR 811.

He is a member of the Election Center.

[OnTheOtherHand]

8. the EAC isn't exactly "the president's men"

It's designed to be bipartisan (congressional leaders from both parties recommend nominees), and the members are ratified by the Senate. It has very limited power, now and under HR 811. Of all the threats to democracy in the United States, the supposed creeping power of the EAC is not on my top-100 list. It's somewhere below "The EPA could destroy our property rights on the pretext that it was protecting a rare kind of mosquito!"

Ragging on the EAC is fine; I just don't understand why some people are trying to make it sound as scary as heck.

[Melissa G]

7. I'm focusing on the ' include in Congressional record part'

I'm not here to defend Bev's letter.
I'm not here arguing her points either.
However, there are valid concerns about the Federal government controlling too many facets of the way elections are run. ( visions of whoever is in power having it oh, so easy to play Karl Rove in the White House/Ralston pic)

I'd like to amend Holt as well but not by institutionalizing another inadvertent rerun version of HAVA.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. The point of Bev's letter is to oppose any federal legislation

read the quote, she opposes federal legislation for verified voting.

She is ok with federal legislation for voters rights, but thats not her line of activism.

You know what, I don't see her proposing any solution except this:

Tough shit Maryland, Georgia, Florida (yep no money budgeted for VVPB), South Carolina,
Virginia and others who are locked in by cronies like Linda Lamone.

Maybe Bev should donate to each of these states activists groups, as surely they are
all exhausted, financially and mentally in fighting an unmoving bureaucracy.

Bev faxed her letter to the election directors in my state, and some were pissed.

They are proud of our paper ballot law, and frankly, they want other states to have
paper too.

But passing such a law would really cut down on the e-voting activist business.

Some of us want to "go out of business". Note, I don't accept or solicit donations.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. ODD BEDFELLOWS

Hmmm... some odd bed-fellows.

Who is against HR 811? Well, we know that the voting machine lobby is:

Text

New: Voting Machine Companies to Congress - ALL YOUR VOTES BELONG TO US

The Voting Machine Lobby reacts to amendments to the Help America Vote Act:
In the Vendor Lobby's letter to congress, it becomes clear:
Amendments to HAVA will hurt voting machine companies,
the audits will provide an inconvenient truth, and
the ban on toilet paper ballot will stick us with lots of unsold inventory.
Vendors are not ready to give up their private control of our elections.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_joyce_mc_070329_new_3a_voting_machine_.htm

[Melissa G]

6. My Bad. I accidentally posted this thread as a free standing post..

It was supposed to be a response on this thread where a sample letter was requested.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3189139&mesg_id=3189139
My actual point is WHATEVER you think about Holt, if you want it included in the Congressional record you Need to EXPLICITLY Say the faxes or emails should please be included in the Congressional Record.

I probably should have just deleted this thread but I tried to salvage it to call attention to the fact that this needed to be done Today and I did not have much time at that instant to do it.

It sounds as if the post may have gotten a couple of faxes more that might not have gotten in so maybe, it was not all in vain.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. Bev Harris says: "the only appropriate use of federal legislation over"

DIRECT QUOTE, READ IT AND YOU DECIDE WHAT IT MEANS TO THOSE STATES THAT CANT GET
LEGISLATION PASSED, OR THEIR LEGISLATURE REFUSES TO FUND PAPER BALLOT BASED EQUIPMENT:

In fact, the only appropriate use of federal legislation over
elections, we believe, is in the area of protecting civil rights – not federal
meddling with local mechanics and procedures.

The peril of EAC usurping state powers over elections:
"Centralized executive power"
www.democracyfornewhampshire.com/node/view/3657

Thank you for your patience with receiving these two faxes from Black Box
Voting.

Bev Harris – Director – Black Box Voting