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Electronic Voting (2808) Voting Integrity (2581) Election-Voting Issues (2003) Voting Technology (1808) Voting Machines (1386) Voting Laws Federal HAVA (1194) Election Reform (1063) Voting Reform (981) Vote Theft (823) Election Theft (699) Election Reform HR 550 (234)
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Centralized control of voting is a form of tyranny, pure and simple. Joseph Stalin is said to have explained why: "Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything." Meet the New Boss Congress is about to pass an election "reform" bill, HR811 (the Holt Bill). The bill will enshrine secret computerized vote counting, controlled by the White House. The Holt bill would tempt the likes of the late Mayor Daley of Chicago and vote villain Boss Tweed of New York City's Tammany Hall. How will our modern vote villains resist? A "yes" vote on the Holt bill allows the federal government to erect an impenetrable wall between American voters and their votes. It will lock in secret vote-counting technology owned by corporations. The public will be shut out for good. That's why our NH Secretary State, the NH City and Town Clerks Association, and the DFNH Fair Elections Committee all oppose the bill. They're not alone. National organizations for the chief voting officials in all 50 states, state legislators, and the nation's counties all oppose the Holt bill. There are more than 100 national and regional voting rights groups who oppose the bill as well. So, why is Congressman Paul Hodes (D-NH) a cosponsor of the Holt bill? And, why is Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter (D-NH) undecided on the issue? Lobbyists like Common Cause are promoting HR811 to "get it straight by 2008". But HR811 is primarily drafted for a 2010 effective date. It will never protect our 2008 elections. Grassroots activists have drafted a simple bill that really can make a difference for 2008. They need a Congressional sponsor but have yet to find any takers. Congress is stuck on HR811, dangerous flaws and all. "Power Corrupts. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" The Help America Vote Act, passed in 2002, created the Election Assistance Commission. This shadow White House agency, four presidential appointees, wields total control over voting system standards. They design the computerized voting machines, and even the paper ballots, used in our nation's elections. HR811 cements voting system control in the hands of the president, shifting the balance of power in elections from the citizenry to The Commission. This is a complete reversal of the founders' vision of dispersed power.
Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people: Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers Nancy Tobi is cofounder, former Chair, website editor for Democracy for New Hampshire (DFNH), and Chair of the NH Fair Elections Committee. Nancy is the author of numerous articles on election integrity, including "The Gifts of HAVA: Time to Ask for a Refund," "What's Wrong with the Holt Bill," "We're Counting the Votes: An Election Preparedness Kit," and "Hands-on Elections: An Information Handbook for Running Real Elections, Using Real Paper Ballots, Counted by Real People". Her article about election reform fallacies is included in the April 2008 book "Losers Take All" edited by Mark Crispin Miller. Nancy believes in the principles embodied in our Constitution, and that groups like Election Defense Alliance and DFNH can play a unique role by empowering ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
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