Next Wed. (Jan. 26) the House State Government Operations and Accountability Committee will be holding a public hearing in Olympia at 1:30 in House Hearing Room D to hear testimony regarding House Bill (HB)-1025. A copy of this bill can be found here: http://www.leg.wa.gov/pub/billinfo/2005-06/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1025.htm

This bill is totally unsatisfactory and, in fact, removes the promises of a voter verified paper ballot before 1 Jan. 2006. We had promises from the Secretary of State and both houses of the legislature last year and those promises are about to be broken. Now, a few "techie" representatives from both parties have written HB-1025 which moves the date for a possible paper ballot back to 1 Jan. 2007. However, the bill also gives the option of using more software to take the place of the promised paper ballot. So we will now be asked to accept touch-screen voting machines with more software on them. More software; less transparency; more "smoke and mirrors".

HB-1025 also has a restricted audit requirement that nearly makes the possible paper ballot worthless. This legislation is not acceptable. There will, hopefully, be better legislation written in the Senate. I have been talking to members of the Senate about this. We must get the House bill killed or changed and we need your help.

Please forward this to anyone who can call their state representative. Ask them to tell their representative that HB-1025 is not acceptable. Ask them to tell their representative that only a voter verified paper ballot required on or before 1 Jan. 2006 is acceptable. Ask them to tell their representative that more software is not an acceptable replacement for a voter verified paper ballot. And, ask them to insist on more stringent audit requirements using the paper ballot.

Please ask people to call the committee chairwoman, Kathy Haigh and tell her. Ask them to call their representatives. Ask them to call the writers of the bill, Rep. Morris and Nixon. If they know people in Rep. Morris or Nixon's districts (San Juans and Western Whatcom County for Rep. Morris and Carnation/Duval area for Nixon) contact those voters and ask them to contact those representatives.

Also, anyone who can go to Olympia next Wed. should attend this meeting. It is at 1:30PM in House Hearing Room D.

Haigh, Kathy	(360) 786-7966	Committee Chair
Morris, Jeff	(360) 786-7970	Bill co-sponsor
Nixon, Toby	(360) 786-7878	Bill co-sponsor
Shabro, Jan	(360) 786-7866	Committee member
Sump, Bob	(360) 786-7908	Committee member
Miloscia, Mark	(360) 786-7898	Committee member
McDermott, Joe	(360) 786-7952	Committee member
Hunt, Sam	(360) 786-7992	Committee member
Green, Tami	(360) 786-7958	Committee member
Clements, Jim	(360) 786-7856	Committee member

Thanks,

~ the VotersUnite.Org team