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GuvWurld.org |
Veterans back Voter Confidence Committee on reform
by Rebecca S. Bender, 3/7/2006
The local chapter of Veterans for Peace has added its name to the growing list of those asking the Humboldt County elections office to adopt a clear and verifiable election process.
In an open letter dated Feb. 2, VFP Humboldt Bay Chapter 56 endorses the tenets of the Voter Confidence Resolution and urges the elections department and local government officials to sign on as well.
“When paperless electronic voting was introduced, votes could not be recounted,” the letter stated. “Unverifiable votes ensure inconclusive outcomes that will never receive unanimous acceptance from the public.”
The group has endorsed the resolution twice before, and renewed its support last month as a reaffirmation of its commitment, VFP member Rob Hepburn said.
Its letter cites questions raised in an October 2005 Government Accountability Office report on the integrity of U.S. elections conditions, including previously voiced concerns regarding Diebold electronic voting machines. Based on those findings, it calls for an investigation into Humboldt County’s machines to determine “whether those responsible were complicit in this action or simply negligent.”
Hepburn said that the decision to endorse the resolution was easily made by consensus.
“Some of our members are very gung-ho on this subject,” he said.
The letter recommends investigating the installation of Diebold software and banning future involvements with Diebold, conducting public town hall meetings and encouraging local officials to work toward elections procedures and results that citizens can trust.
“We need to have the illegal Diebold machines seen for what they are,” VFP member Jim Sorter said in a news release. “We need paper ballots to have an election or else it is just a selection and our voices aren’t heard.”
The push to ensure confirmable election results has been spearheaded by a grassroots citizens’ organization, the Voter Confidence Committee, which focuses on public education, increasing citizens’ involvement in local politics and serving as an electoral watchdog.
VCC co-founder Dave Berman drafted an initial version of the resolution, the No Confidence Resolution, in 2004. It has since been revised into the more proactive Voter Confidence Resolution, and Berman has appeared regularly before city councils and the Board of Supervisors to speak for its endorsement.
In July of last year, the Arcata City Council voted 3-2 to back the resolution. No other local governments have taken up the issue yet.
The text of the Voter Confidence Resolution can be read at www.guvwurld.blogspot.com.