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observe audits, says VerifiedVoting.org
Friends,
We're now on the other side of Election Day -- can you believe it?
But the election is not over yet -- the vote-counting continues, and
so must our efforts to protect democracy! We need you, RIGHT NOW, to
find out if and when manual audits are occurring in your area, and if
they are, to go and observe the auditing process.
As many of you know firsthand, people in various parts of the country
worked very hard over the last few years to achieve an important
safety net for our democracy: voter-verified paper records (VVPR's)
and routine manual audits. VVPR's provide for recovery of voter
intent - and, thus, for accurate elections - in the case of machine
failure. Manual auditing of the VVPR's serves as a diagnostic tool
that can be used to pinpoint and uncover hidden problems, ensuring
that our elections, no matter how smooth they may seem on the
outside, accurately reflect the will of the people.
Please check to see whether audits might be happening in your area.
If so, we urge you to IMMEDIATELY take the following steps:
1. Call the elections department in your county, township, or voting
jurisdiction TODAY to find out when and where the audit will be
conducted. Please be aware that the audits will begin VERY soon in
most places, which means that you MUST call NOW.
2. Make sure you know the requirements to observe in your area, if any.
3. Participate in observing a portion or all of the audit process.
Don't worry if you can't observe the whole process - any observation
that you're able to conduct will be useful.
4. Complete Verified Voting's Audit Observation Questionnaire.
There are two separate questionnaires -- one for manual audits of
votes cast on a specific percentage of machines or percent/number of
votes, the other for manual audits of a specific percentage of
precincts -- depending on the state in which you live. Please keep
reading for information on your area!
5. Submit your completed questionnaire to Verified Voting, so that
we can compare auditing practices in different areas. The
information that you submit will be made publicly available, minus
any personally identifiable information. You can submit your
completed questionnaire online at http://
www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6409, or you can fax
it to us at 940-403-2255, or mail the hard copy to Verified Voting,
1550 Bryant St., Suite 855, San Francisco, CA 94103.
Out of the twenty-eight states that now have a VVPR requirement
statewide, thirteen have an audit requirement (see http://
verifiedvoting.org/audits). KY and PA also have an audit
requirement, even though there's no VVPR law -- and some additional
states do them voluntarily.
If you live in CO, CT, NM, NY, WA, or PA:
Fill out the machine questionnaire, which can be downloaded here:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/AuditQ-Machine.pdf
If you live in AK, AZ, CA, HI, IL, KY, MN, NC, or WV:
Fill out the precinct questionnaire, which can be downloaded here:
http://www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/downloads/AuditQ -Precinct.pdf
A few additional notes on various states:
AZ - If you live here, due to the way the law is written, you may
need to push to make sure the audit actually happens. AZ may need
actual participants to carry out the audit, not just observers.
CO - Be a part of history! The audits here will be the first ever
under the new statewide requirement.
MN - If you plan to observe in this state, please contact us at
observer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, so that we can put you in touch with the
group that is coordinating an observation effort there.
NM - This state's audit law doesn't take effect until 2007, but it
would be a good idea for the Secretary of State to conduct one
anyway. Consider orchestrating a letter-writing campaign to the
Secretary of State to make it happen. People there have already been
writing to the editors of local newspapers.
NV - There is no audit requirement here, but audits have been
conducted for the past few years. Call your elections department for
more information.
PA - Audits here are of a specific percent/number of votes (as
opposed to a specific percentage of randomly selected machines or
precincts).
VT - This state doesn't have an audit requirement, but might conduct
one. Call your elections department to find out if it's happening.
Your observation of audits can help to:
- Pinpoint specific machine-related or vote-counting problems.
- Ensure that audits are being conducted in the way that they are
supposed to be by law in your area, and if not, ensure documentation
of errors that occur in the process.
- Determine the best methods for conducting audits in the future
(e.g., is it better to randomly select machines? precincts? etc.).
Effective manual audits entail hand-counting a significant number of
the paper ballots and comparing those totals to the machine counts in
order to make sure the system is counting properly. Manual audits
can help us tell whether the machinery of our democracy is working
properly. Your participation will make a difference! Make that call
now to find out where and when to GOTO - Get Out To Observe!
All the best,
Courtenay
Courtenay Strickland Bhatia
President, Verified Voting
415-487-2255 work
415-235-0126 cell
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/
Every vote must count as cast.