Election Defense Alliance has filed an amicus brief in support of the State of New York and against federal takeover of its elections. The Department of Justice would like to force the state to buy computerized voting equipment in order to meet compliance standards for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
But EDA's position is clear: Hand Counting Paper Ballots is HAVA compliant.
Not only that, properly run HCPB meets the standards for democratic elections.
There is no need for New York or any state to sell out our democracy - no, to GIVE IT AWAY - to the corporate e-voting industrialists and their collaborators who are stealing our democratic birthright with their secret vote counting computerized technologies.
The feds may have passed HAVA, but we the people don't have to buy its bill of goods. The safest, most secure and reliable method of HAVA-compliant vote counting is to hand count our paper ballots.
I have asked a direct question to those others supporting a corporate, computerized solution. I have asked how you justify today, after everything we know and have learned to understand, advocating for privatized, corporate controlled secret vote counting.
There is no answer for this.
There are those in the movement who now feel weak-kneed about the EDA position for hand counting. But they would do well to remember that our position is, in fact, the ONLY legally compliant, democratic solution on the table.
Those who are afraid HCPB will "bring chaos" should take a moment to examine inside themselves where they even got that thought and that specific vocabulary. Because the truth is, "HCPB will bring electoral chaos" is typical propaganda, and if this is in your mind, you have somehow unwittingly assimilated it. Question your own assumptions. If you doubt what I am saying, watch the video of the NH Ballot Law Commission approving Diebold optical scanners last year. You will hear the exact phrase you are repeating: "if we don't approve the machines, we will have electoral chaos!"
You can see that video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ysheRLXuhA
Electoral chaos has been brought to us already by the privatization of our elections, by corporate controlled secret vote counting. We will NOT advocate for more of that.
Nancy
