Action Alert: Urge Senators to Pass Verified Voting in 2009

(We have a lot of close elections in Iowa and need confidence that our machines are counting votes accurately. - promoted by desmoinesdem)

 

Your help is needed to keep Iowa moving toward verified voting. House File 682, the work of a task force of citizens, election officials, and lawmakers, would require Iowa to conduct hand-counted audits of election results. HF 682 passed the House unanimously on Monday evening, but the Senate is not moving the bill forward.

Audits are done by comparing a hand-tally of paper ballots to the machine tally, in a number of precincts selected at random. If the results don't match, further checking can be done. Unlike recounts, audits happen every time as a check and balance on the system — not just when a particular contest is at stake. It's not difficult to do; in November 2008, audits were done in 22 states and the District of Columbia. And for good reason: computer scientists who know our voting systems, including Iowa's Douglas Jones, view audits as no less important than voter-verified paper ballots. 

You can use Verified Voting's Action Center and send a message:

 http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/199/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26937

Thanks for your help!

Sean Flaherty

About the Author(s)

Sean Flaherty

  • do you have any idea why

    the Senate is not moving the bill forward? Are they concerned about the expense?

    • It's definitely not expense

      The fiscal note on the bill states: “House File 682 is estimated to cost counties between $11,000 and $21,000 every two years beginning in FY 2011. The Bill will not have a significant fiscal impact on State expenditures.”

      http://www3.legis.state.ia.us/…

      • the counties are always lobbying

        heavily against anything that would cost them anything extra (same with local governments).

        I would like to know why this bill isn’t moving in the Senate and who is standing in the way.

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