|
Factiva (R) Dow Jones & Reuters
------------------------------------------------------------------------
REP. WEXLER URGES SECRETARY OF STATE COBB TO MOVE EXPEDITIOUSLY ON
IMPLEMENTING PAPER TRAIL IN FLORIDA
INDFED0020060301e22s002c2
682 Words
28 February 2006
US Fed News
English
(c) Copyright 2006. Hindustan Times. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla. (19th CD), issued the
following press release:
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) sent the following letter to Florida's Secretary
of State Sue Cobb urging her to move expeditiously on implementing a paper
trail. On Friday, February 17, Secretary Cobb spoke in support of a uniform
standard for paper ballots, but said the power to require a paper trail
rests in the hands of the legislature. While Wexler applauds Secretary
Cobb's supportive comments, he does not agree with her assessment on how to
proceed. The Florida legislature has spoken on this issue, requiring a
manual recount in the event of a close election. Wexler believes that
Florida's election law is quite clear and now the onus is Secretary Cobb to
work with the 67 counties to ensure compliance. Currently, 52 counties in
Florida use optical scan machines that allow for a manual recount, while the
other 15 counties use touch-screen voting machines that have a paperless
system that cannot be recounted. In addition, Wexler is requesting that
Secretary Cobb look into allegations made by Black Box Voting last week
regarding the 2004 Presidential election results in Palm Beach County. Black
Box Voting founder Bev Harris said computers logged about 100,000 errors,
including memory failure. Wexler is concerned that without a paper trail it
is impossible to ensure that every vote is counted as fairly and accurately
as possible.
Over the past 3 years, Wexler has been fighting for a paper trail in
Florida. On December 7, Wexler appeared before the 11th Circuit Court of
Appeals, arguing that Florida is currently not in compliance with the Bush
v. Gore standard and the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The Appeals Court has not yet issued an opinion on Wexler's lawsuit.
February 28, 2006
Sue Cobb Secretary of State Florida Department of State R. A. Gray Building
500 S. Bronough Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250
Dear Secretary Cobb:
I would like to applaud you for your recent statements in support of a
uniform paper trail for voters throughout the state. I sincerely appreciate
your constructive approach in addressing this vital issue. Particularly in
light of last week's report compiled by the voter advocacy group Black Box
Voting that approximately 100,000 errors were recorded in the paperless DRE
machine in Palm Beach County for the November 2004 elections, I am sure we
can agree that the need for a uniform voting system in Florida is of the
utmost urgency. Without some form of independent verification of voter
intent, it is impossible to determine whether those machine errors had an
effect on the recorded vote in any given race.
While I applaud your responsiveness to the growing concerns about the
paperless voting systems, I disagree with your assessment that the power to
require a paper trail rests in the hands of the legislature. The legislature
has already spoken on this issue, requiring a manual recount in the event of
a close election. Florida's election law is clear on this issue; the onus is
now on your administration to work with the 67 counties to ensure
compliance.
If you believe that clarifying language would assist you in this process, I
stand ready to work with your office and the Florida legislature. I do not
believe, however, that these changes should be used to delay the important
work that needs to be done to bring a paper ballot to the 15 counties
without the ability to conduct a true manual recount. As you know, the
Divisions of Elections in your office is in the process of certifying a
printer attachment for some of the DRE machines already in use in many
Florida counties. I hope your office will move expeditiously forward with
this process.
Thank you again for your supportive comments endorsing a paper trail for all
Florida's voters.
With warm regards,
Robert Wexler
HTS nknk 060301-346134 NKUMAR
Lale Mamaux, 202/225-3001.
|