Verified Voting

EXPIRED: North Carolina Public Confidence in Elections Bills (H238/S223)

{Please don't reply to this EXPIRED alert because we already had a victory!}

A paperless e-voting machine in North Carolina voters irretrievably lost 4,400+ votes in November's election. This and other all too frequent e-voting machine malfunctions make it clear that NC voters deserve much better voting technology security and reliability... and leaders in the state legislature agree.

In February 2005, Representatives Insko and Preston introduced HB 238, the Public Confidence in Elections bill which calls for voter-verified paper ballots statewide, as well as other provisions to improve the reliability and verifiability of North Carolina's elections. Senators Kinnaird and Allran introduced an identical companion bill in the Senate, SB 223.

But these bills need YOUR immediate support for passage. There are those in the state who still think paperless e-voting is "good enough" and unless you stand up to be heard on this legislation, North Carolina's elections don't stand a chance.

VerifiedVoting.org joins North Carolina Verified Voting in asking you to contact your state legislators and urge them in the strongest possible terms to pass HB 238 and SB 223 before any more votes are lost.

September 02, 2010

Subject:

Dear Lawmaker: Please pass the "Public Confidence in Elections" bill (HB 238 in the House, SB 223 in the Senate) as quickly as possible. This bill would require that all North Carolina voting systems produce a voter-verified paper ballot. This measure will prevent election disasters like in Carteret County (November 2004), where over 4,400 votes were irretrievably lost, costing us in resources and loss of voter confidence alike. It will also prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted on unreliable, unverifiable voting equipment. Computer scientists made it clear to the Legislative Committee on Electronic Voting that any electronic voting machine can fail without warning. Therefore every vote must be backed up by a voter-verified paper ballot (VVPB), so voters can inspect individual permanent records of their ballots before they are cast and so meaningful recounts may be conducted. North Carolina's electronic voting equipment and software must be open to scrutiny and randomized audits must be conducted on a regular basis to ensure election equipment is working as it should. Please take this necessary step to protect future elections and restore voter confidence. Do everything in your power to ensure that the "Public Confidence in Elections" Act (HB 238 and SB 223) passes as soon as possible. Thank you for protecting North Carolina's democracy.
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