Resolution Advocating a Voter-Verified Paper Trail in Our Voting Machines

WHEREAS in October 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), to help states throughout the country replace antiquated and unreliable punch card and butterfly ballot voting systems

WHEREAS HAVA is having the unintended consequence of fueling a rush by states including New York State to purchase computer-voting systems that suffer serious flaws in that voters and election officials have no way of knowing whether the computers are counting votes properly

WHEREAS voting should not be an act of blind faith, but an act of record.

WHEREAS a recount requires that there be a reliable record to check and without an actual paper record that each voter can confidentially inspect, faulty or hacked computer systems will simple spit out the same faulty or hacked result

AND WHEREAS the current law does nothing to protect the integrity of our elections against computer malfunction, computer hackers, or any other potential irregularities as indicated by computer error in elections in 2002. where brand new computer voting systems used in Florida lost over 100,000 votes due to a software error and other irregularities were reported in New Jersey, Missouri, Georgia, Texas, and at least 10 other states

BE IT RESOLVED that we want every vote in every election to be accurately counted in time for the 2004 federal election:

By: requiring all voting systems to produce a voter-verified paper record for use in manual audits and recounts. This requirement means that the DRE (direct recording electronic voting machines) would print a receipt that each voter would verify as accurate and deposit into a lockbox for later use in a recount.

By: Banning the use of undisclosed software and wireless communications devices in voting systems.

By: requiring that all voting systems meet these requirements in time for the general election in November 2004

By requiring that electronic voting systems be provided for persons with disabilities by January 1, 2006 which is one year earlier that currently required by HAVA.

AND BY requiring mandatory surprise recounts in 0.5% of domestic jurisdictions and 0.5% of overseas jurisdictions.

WE HEREBY request that these provisions be amended to the New York State HAVA in a timely manner so that New York State would have until December 2003 to request additional funds to meet this requirement.

This resolution is requested of our U.S. Senators, our U.S. Congressman, our State Senator, Assemblyman and our Governor as well as Sheldon Silver and Senator Bruno.