Making Every Vote Count: By Bill Richardson

[kpete]

On March 2, 2006, Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico will sign legislation requiring a statewide system of voter verifiable paper ballots. The bill signing can be viewed via a live webcast, beginning at 11 a.m. MST, 1 p.m. EST. .........


Making Every Vote Count
Bill Richardson
March 02, 2006

The hallmark of American democracy is one person, one vote.

The reason refugees and immigrants, students and professionals from around the world continue to flock toward our shores is because we fundamentally believe in the worth of each person. We believe “all men and all women are created equal.” We believe that regardless of gender, race, class or creed—all voices deserve respect; all voices deserve to be heard. And when it comes to elections, all votes deserve to be counted.

But is our democracy, is our hallmark principle of one person, one vote, on solid ground?

Recent elections would suggest that democracy, the greatest system of government in the world, can be broken. As the world witnessed in 2000, the sanctity of the ballot box and the integrity of our government are vulnerable. The people of the United States lost faith in the electoral process, and the covenant between citizens and elected officials deteriorated. Those national officials scrambled to pass legislation to restore voter confidence, but in 2004, inaccurate exit polls raised further doubts about electronic voting machines without a verifiable paper record.

In New Mexico, a coalition of concerned citizens demanded action. Working together with these citizens and the state legislature, I signed several laws which guarantee that every ballot is counted. New Mexico improved and standardized training for poll workers. We established statewide standards for provisional ballots to ensure that voters in low-income areas will not disenfranchised. We made absentee voting fair, simple and uniform.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/03/02/making_every_vote_count.php

[wisteria]

1. Now he cares when he wants to run for President!

When questions came up about the 2004 elections and a recount was requested, he fought the request and basically called it ridiculous- what a jerk!

[nmliberal]

3. Wrong-it was not Bill....

It was the NM Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and her Election Bureau Director Denise Lamb (who was president of National Association of State Election Bureaus) who told Bill there was no problem with the Electronic Voting Machines. They are both Democrats and there was no reason to suspect them of wanting to give bad info to Bill and it is their job to provide Bill with good info. Just to let you know the rest of the story.

Here in NM, we fought Rebecca V-G and finally won, but I hate to see Bill blamed when he was supposed to be advised by the people he was advised by (hate that dangling proposition!)-

[Warpy]

2. Don't buy this for a second, he STONEWALLED a recount in 2004

when it became clear that 17,000 New Mexicans had their votes simply deleted from the national race (while kept in the local race for judge, go figure). He has refused to call for an audit of those ES&S machines. He has been an enemy of the people of NM and their right to vote. He has caved on this because there is a big, fat lawsuit cranking its way though the courts, and he's scared.

[davidwparker]

4. Yes, that's how I remember it too. My thought at the time was it

would be bad for the Clinton's if Kerry won. Billary would have to wait 8 more years.