----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Warren" To: "Jim Warren" Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2004 5:01 PM Subject: action item for those concerned about unrecountable voting systems

> Can anything be more fundamental to a democracy and a representative > republic, than the integrity of its elections processes?! > > The American Civil Liberties Union have been reviewing the issue of > electronic voting systems -- and the choice between unauditable, > unverifiable, unrecountable paperless systems ... versus the > alternative systems that are available that DO produce a > VOTER-verified, auditable, recountable paper ballots. > > Unauditable paperless systems have already been (wisely!) outlawed in > California, and more and more examples of their failure, > unreliability and unaccountability surface with every new major > election where they are used. > > Thus, I was amazed -- and APPALLED! -- to hear that some key ACLU > insiders are apparently -- ardently! -- FAVORING the unauditable, > unrecountable paperless systems! > > What's worse, apparently their decision is near at hand: > >From: Barry Steinhardt > >Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2004 18:30:14 -0400 > >... > >We are now in the process of developing that "final" policy and hope to > >have it done relatively soon. That policy will be adopted by our oard -- > >not the staff -- and will be the end product of a process that will consider > >a wide range of points of view and information. > > > If you have ANY interest in the INTEGRITY of the nation's elections > systems -- whether you are an ACLU member (or opponent!), or not -- > you might consider firing-off your candid views about this to it's > President (Nadine Strossen ), staff > (http://www.aclu.org/about/Aboutlist.cfm?c7 ) and state affiliates > (http://www.aclu.org/about/Aboutlist.cfm?c8 ) . > > --jim > Jim Warren; jwarren@well.com, public-policy advocate & technology writer > [Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Cal.James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award; > Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1992, its first year); > Playboy Foundation Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award (1994); > founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; blah blah blah] > > > Oh ... and even more bizarre -- the national League of Women Voters > also supports paperless electronic voting systems, that offer NO > ability to produce or use reliable [paper] voter-verified original > records for audits and recounts. > > It's almost as though these people are actually so naive as to > believe that computers NEVER make mistakes mistakes mistakes mistakes > mistakes ... ! >
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