“I believe the [election integrity movement] has gotten larger. It's become more mainstream and people are paying more attention to them. They are an entity that's at the table and has a voice that is listened to.”

The comment above was made by a state senator in Colorado, but the same could be said of TrueVote’s efforts in Maryland. We have been listened to. We have made significant progress. But our work is not done.

The passage of a paper-based voting system in Maryland took us five years. The Maryland change is mirrored across the country where the U.S. will see less reliance on touch-screen systems and less paperless voting in 2008 and 2010.

But, our work is not done in Maryland or nationally.

In Maryland, the primary focus of TrueVoteMD is going to be getting legislation enacted that will require a random audit to test the optical scan count on Election Day. Under the new Maryland law we will have paper ballots marked by the voters and optical scan machines that count the vote. Electronic voting systems have produced result-changing errors through problems with hardware, software, and procedures./1 All machines can make mistakes, sometimes significant ones, the only way to be sure the optical scan count is right is to audit the result and make that a routine part of election procedure. TrueVote is working with allies nationally and locally to develop a mandatory audit system that is effective an ensuring that election results are accurate.

Nationally, more work is needed. While election integrity is making progress on a piecemeal basis in states and counties across the U.S., at a national level reform has been held up by the influence of the corporations that make voting machines and by elections administrators who resist any change. We need to build a national grass roots movement, modeled after the state-level movements, so that we can overcome resistance to reform. Through TrueVote.US we will be doing our part to build this movement.

Thank you for your support in Maryland and nationally; we will continue to call on you to advance our democracy as you are an essential ingredient to our progress.

1. For example, in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in the June 2006 primary election for County Recorder, the original optical scan count showed challenger Oscar Duran defeating the incumbent, John Sciortino. A hand count showed that Sciortino actually had won handily; the scanners had been misprogrammed. In Napa County, California, after the March 2004 primary, the 1% manual tally discovered that the optical scanners had been miscalibrated and were failing to detect the dye-based ink commonly used in gel pens. The ensuing recount recovered almost 6700 votes (but no outcomes changed).

On Tuesday, April 15, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would help ensure election integrity in time for the November 2008 election.

Please CLICK HERE to send the letter below to your member of Congress IMMEDIATELY.  The U.S. House of Representatives needs to show overwhelming bi-partisan support for this bill so the Senate will quickly act and President Bush will sign the bill.

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Dear  [insert your legislator's name] :

I am writing to urge you to support H.R. 5036 when it is voted on this Tuesday. The Emergency Election Assistance for Secure Elections Act – the “EASY” bill is needed to secure the November 2008 elections.  Broad support in the House will ensure passage by the Senate and approval by the president in time for the November election rapid.

H.R. 5036 will provide stays with funding for paper-based voting and audits of the vote count.  The bill will assure election integrity nationally by making sure that votes are counted in a transparent and auditable way.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

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Thank you for taking the time to help bring election integrity to elections in the United States. 

Counting the vote right in a way people can trust is the foundation of legitimate democracy.

Dear Majority Leader Hoyer:

I am writing to urge you to bring H.R. 5036 to a vote as soon as possible. The Emergency Election Assistance for Secure Elections Act – the “EASY” bill is needed to secure the November 2008 elections.  This bill has been approved by the Government Operation Committee and the next step is a vote by the full House, before it goes to the Senate.

In order for this bill to take effect in time for the November election rapid action is needed by the House of Representatives.

As you may know, Maryland approved the transition to paper-based voting last year and this year approved the funding needed for the transition.  Now we need to assure election integrity nationally to make sure that votes are counted in a transparent and auditable way. This is the purpose of the EASY bill.

Your leadership is essential – right now. As the Majority Leader you are charged with managing the House Floor and scheduling legislation for consideration, as well as helping to unify the Caucus and deliver the Democratic message.  This is exactly what is needed now.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.