NH resists Holt Bill; we should too?

[Evan Daniel Ravitz <evan@xxxxxxxx>]

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2145.shtml

 Congress about to "just say yes" to permanent secret vote counting
By Nancy Tobi
Online Journal Guest Writer


Jul 2, 2007, 01:46

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Centralized control of voting is a form of tyranny, pure and simple. 
Joseph Stalin is said to have explained why: "Those who cast the votes 
decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."

Meet the new boss

Congress is about to pass an election "reform" bill, HR811 (the Holt 
Bill). The bill will enshrine secret computerized vote counting, 
controlled by the White House.

The Holt bill would tempt the likes of the late Mayor Daley of Chicago 
and vote villain Boss Tweed of New York City's Tammany Hall.

How will our modern vote villains resist?

A "yes" vote on the Holt bill allows the federal government to erect 
an impenetrable wall between American voters and their votes. It will 
lock in secret vote-counting technology owned by corporations. The 
public will be shut out for good.

That's why our New Hampshire Secretary State, the New Hampshire City 
and Town Clerks Association, and the Democracy for New Hampshire 
(DFNH) Fair Elections Committee all oppose the bill.

They're not alone.

National organizations for the chief voting officials in all 50 
states, state legislators, and the nation's counties all oppose the 
Holt bill. There are more than 100 national and regional voting rights 
groups who oppose the bill as well.

So, why is Congressman Paul Hodes (D-NH) a cosponsor of the Holt bill? 
And, why is Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter (D-NH) undecided on the 
issue?

Lobbyists like Common Cause are promoting HR811 to "get it straight by 
2008." But HR811 is primarily drafted for a 2010 effective date. It 
will never protect our 2008 elections.

Grassroots activists have drafted a simple bill that really can make a 
difference for 2008. They need a congressional sponsor but have yet to 
find any takers.

Congress is stuck on HR811, dangerous flaws and all.

"Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA), passed in 2002, created the Election 
Assistance Commission. This shadow White House agency -- four 
presidential appointees -- wields total control over voting system 
standards. They design the computerized voting machines, and even the 
paper ballots, used in our nation's elections.

HR811 cements voting system control in the hands of the president, 
shifting the balance of power in elections from the citizenry to the 
Elections Assistance Commission.

This is a complete reversal of the founders' vision of dispersed 
power.

American revolutionaries rose in opposition to centralized power and 
wrote our Constitution to ensure dispersed power, checks and balances, 
and respect for the citizenry. The founders knew they needed to limit 
human inclinations to abuse power when a very few are given control 
over the many.

HR811 makes the Elections Assistance Commission a permanent fixture in 
government: one president appointing four commissioners with absolute 
control of our elections.

The American people need to think carefully about this.

HR811 gives the commissioners broad reaching powers. They will be the 
"deciders" on selecting precincts for election audits. They will 
control and own all information related to our voting systems, 
election results, and audits. They will define all standards and 
e-voting equipment. The states, our state, will have to report to the 
commission to have our election results certified. And our elections 
will become more complex and computerized, assuring citizens less and 
less access to the process.

The money trail

It's always instructive to follow the money in hard fought political 
battles, as New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner recently 
reminded us.

One of the strongest champions of HR811 is an organization called 
VoteTrustUSA. This "grassroots" organization has ties to one of the 
nation's largest "data consolidation" companies, ChoicePoint. Remember 
them? They helped Katherine Harris purge the Florida 2000 voter 
registration rolls. Nearly 100,000 registered American voters were 
denied their right to vote for what journalist Greg Palast called the 
crime of "voting while black." Palast claims the denied vote -- and 
not hanging chads -- is what really cost Gore that election.

Last summer the Atlanta Progressive News reported that the wife of 
ChoicePoint's CEO Doug Curling has contributed money to VTUSA. Doug 
Curling confirmed to Bev Harris of Black Box Voting that his wife 
Donna is a VTUSA donor "and probably a board member." Donna Curling 
also had participated in leadership groups under an assumed name. She 
remains involved with this grassroots group, which now has a full-time 
Washington lobbyist working for passage of the Holt bill.

Why would a grassroots election reform organization have these ties to 
ChoicePoint?

Absolute power: The marriage of federal and corporate power

A corporation like ChoicePoint, combined with the commission, would 
have one-stop shopping control over our elections. The commission 
controls the voting systems and all information relating to elections 
everywhere in the country.

All the data consolidation company needs to do is overlay their vast 
demographic and other election data maps over a map of our nation, put 
together their game plan, and they'll own every election.

They succeeded in Florida. HR811, the Holt Bill, gives them the 
nation.

Nancy Tobi is the author of numerous articles on election integrity, 
including "The Gifts of HAVA: Time to Ask for a Refund," "What's Wrong 
with the Holt Bill,"and "We're Counting the Votes: An Election 
Preparedness Kit." She is Legislative Coordinator of Election Defense 
Alliance, co-founder of Democracy for New Hampshire and Chair of the 
New Hampshire Fair Elections Committee. Her writings may be found at 
http://www.electiondefensealliance.org and 
www.democracyfornewhampshire.com.

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