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The amendment WILL NOT:
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increase the number of jurisdictions that have to update their equipment under HR 811,
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nor diminish HR 811's accessibility requirements for people with disabilities or language needs,
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nor increase the appropriations required for HR 811 or the costs incurred by the states,
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nor delay election results,
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nor increase the work of election directors. On the contrary, some New Mexico clerks even said that after they eliminated electronic ballots, they had the smoothest election ever.
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The amendment WILL: (skip to the most important)
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simplify poll worker training and enable people who aren't computer experts to work effectively at the polls. With over half a million poll workers in the field on election day, we can't require all of them to be computer experts,
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prevent ethnic profiling from being accomplished INSIDE the voting booth by machines that require a voter to choose their language,
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help prevent long lines at polling places,
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prevent another Sarasota. If something goes wrong in an election — and it will — we will be able to find out the cause of the problem,
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eliminate vote-flipping, where a voter's selection changes on the screen before their very eyes,
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allow elderly voters and others who are not computer savvy to vote in a way that makes sense to them and doesn't cause anxiety or embarrassment,
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reduce the need for vendor technicians to solve problems in the field on election day,
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simplify the testing and certification process managed by the EAC,
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reduce the operating costs of election offices across the country,
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allow implementation of HR 811 by 2008 because the necessary technology is already available, rather than not yet invented,
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... and the most important ones...
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allow every voter to verify the ballot that is counted, rather than merely verifying a screen or paper representation of their ballot, which may or may not match the one that counts,
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enable voters to know that their votes were recorded as they intended,
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increase voter confidence in election results by enabling meaningful observation of ballot handling and counting,
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allow audits on questionable elections to be conducted by ordinary citizens, rather than requiring formal studies by teams of computer technology experts,
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and restore simplicity to our elections.
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Last updated, March 19, 2007
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