or at least, wrote back on topic. I assume this is a "Voting Issues" form letter but maybe more pressure can be applied:
From: senator_levin@levin.senate.gov
Subject: Re: Your Concerns
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:03:33 -0500
Dear XXXXXXXXXX:
Thank you for contacting me about the 2004 Presidential election and election reform. I appreciate hearing your views on this matter.
Allegations of voter suppression and election fraud as well as questions about the reliability of our voting systems are serious concerns. As the 2004 election results are certified and evaluated, we must work to address any issues that may arise. We must ensure that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to vote and that every vote is counted.
According to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, in the 2000 presidential election 2.5 million votes out of 101 million were not counted. In other words, many Americans made the effort to participate in our democratic system, yet their votes did not count. This is simply unacceptable.
In 2002, I supported the Help America Vote Act (HAVA, P.L.107-252), which is a major step toward correcting many of the inadequacies of our election system. This law established a set of standards to correct voting errors and to ensure accessibility for the disabled. It also encourages states, along with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to set uniform benchmarks and reporting requirements for voting system performance. In addition, HAVA ensures that the most effective voting equipment is available to states by funding research and pilot
programs, performing studies on voting technology, and providing explicit voter guidelines and certification programs.
HAVA authorized funds for each state to purchase new voting systems that comply with HAVA's standards. In Michigan, the Secretary of State convened a HAVA Advisory Committe to review the available systems and Michigan's needs for future elections. In 2003, Michigan's Secretary of State announced that she selected an optical scan voting system for Michigan. The optical scan voting system requires voters to place a markin a designated spot on the ballot next to the name of the candidate receiving the vote. When the votes are counted these marks are read by
an optical scanner. The optical scan voting system creates and preserves a paper trail of each vote, thereby greatly enhancing the security and accuracy of election results.
In February 2004, the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University released an analysis of electronic voting systems (
http://avirubin.com/vote.pdf). This and other reports found major flawsin certain direct record electronic (DRE) software programs, often referred to as touch-screen voting systems, which were used in several states. If left uncorrected, these flaws could intentionally enable unscrupulous persons to modify existing votes or to cast multiple votes by using a counterfeit voting card. Because of the fundamental importance of fair and accurate elections to our democracy, I support providing additional funds for HAVA programs to ensure that all voting systems and procedures, including DRE systems, are secure, accurate, recountable, and accessible.
HAVA also establishes provisional voting systems to ensure that no registered voter is turned away from voting booths, allows every blind and disabled person to cast a vote privately and independently, and utilizesstatewide voter registration lists and verification systems for voters who register by mail to permit only eligible voters to vote. This law also established a new federal agency, the Election Assistance Commission, which is a bipartisan group of commissioners who have no rulemaking authority but issue voluntary guidelines for voting systems and their requirements.
This commission also carries out the grant programs, provides for the certification and testing of voting systems and studies election issues.
Unfortunately, President Bush and the Congressional majority provided insufficient federal funding for HAVA programs prior to the 2004 election, which prompted great concern. The Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L.108-199) allocated $500 million to improve our electoral system, only half the amount authorized for FY04.
While HAVA has gone a long way toward reforming our electoral system, more needs to be done. I am hopeful that during the next Congress we will be able to work together on a bipartisan basis to address these concernsand to restore the public's faith in the electoral process. The goal of ensuring that every vote counts is essential to ensuring democracy. American voters deserve an electoral process that is both secure and accurate, and I will continue to work to ensure that every citizen is afforded that right.
Thank you again for writing.
Sincerely,
Carl Levin