| Truth, Lies, & Politics When is a coincidence too much of a coincidence to be one? |
| For the Politics Open Letter to Election Assistance Commission December 4, 2008 |
Fiction Stops Here |
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Chair Rosemary E. Rodriguez Election Assistance Commission 1225 New York Avenue, N.W. - Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 Sent via e-mail to HAVAinfo@eac.gov Dear Madam Chairwoman: Thank you for your time and for offering me the opportunity to comment on voting system performance for the EAC's December 8th public meeting. All computers, paper and people will inevitably fail at some point. Until we understand this and consider that our election laws can and should be the failsafe step of every election, independent of voting methods, we cannot guarantee the integrity of any election. Election laws must be upgraded to be on par with technology, to recognize voting anomalies and statistically improbable results, and to define and enforce immediate corrective action. As an example, Florida ping-pongs from one faulty solution to the next without addressing that most basic problem. What should we do when the election fails for whatever reason? Bad ballot design, programming error, defective touchscreens, fraud… In the end, the type of failure doesn’t matter as long as we have a procedure to catch the failure, regroup, correct and if necessary rescind and do over. Florida’s election laws already contain some, “if this happens, do that.” But we’ve proven it’s not enough. In the event of an election fault, the country waits for the courts to decide the people’s choice, while the political party in power ultimately controls the win. Our 2000 debacle resulted from Florida’s failure to maintain the voting equipment properly and inferior card stock. However it was the failure of Florida's election laws that permitted the chaos that followed. In 2006, it was the failure of Florida's election laws that permitted Sarasota’s election with statistically improbable results to stand. While no one even questioned 2006’ s 89K missing votes statewide in the Attorney General’s race. Same high undervote, same machines. Had Florida's election laws been more comprehensive, the 2000 and 2006 elections would have been automatically rescinded in the questionable counties. As Americans we can individually and independently choose to vote for our future… or not. Our vote is our power to be heard, to take an active part in our own destiny. When that right is taken from us by negligence, error, incompetence or an accident of technology, it is an insult to this country and those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. None of us, not red, not blue, not independent, not indifferent should accept this chipping away at democracy. Sincerely, Lani Massey Brown Former election systems manager www.BallotsOfStraw.com |
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