rep holt has new election proposal

["Margit Johansson" <margitjo@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/techdaily/

Rep. Holt To Offer New Election Reform Proposal
by Michael Martinez <mailto:mmartinez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

    The House Democrat behind a stalled election overhaul bill is
drafting an alternative proposal aimed at preventing chaos from
occurring at the polls next year.
    Rush Holt of New Jersey is prepared to offer an "opt in" measure to
give states an opportunity to upgrade their e-voting systems in time for
the presidential election. The details of the plan are still being
finalized.
    Holt is the author of a bill, H.R. 811, that would mandate the
nationwide adoption of e-voting machines that produce paper trails. He
has introduced similar bills multiple times, none of which have reached
the House floor.
    The House Administration Committee approved the current legislation
in the spring. But the bill has been stalled as supporters work to
settle disputes about funding and whether to force the adoption of
machines that are less accessible for disabled voters.
    Holt's new proposal would authorize federal reimbursement for
states that decide they want to offer paper-based options to voters next
fall, as well as conduct audits. His staff discussed the proposal with
Democratic leaders this month, and he said in a recent telephone
interview that he intends to formally introduce it soon.
    According to Holt, there is still enough time for states to have
new, secure systems in place before next November. He said there are
plenty of examples of states that have needed less than a year to
complete comprehensive upgrades.
    "States can have this up and running in a matter of months," he
said.
    More than 200 of Holt's colleagues have sponsored H.R. 811. The
Rules Committee considered the proposal briefly in September, but there
has been no effort to bring it to the floor since then. "I think it
would pass on the floor if it were given a vote," Holt said.
    Despite the relative silence on Capitol Hill during the past
several months, some states have remained active on the e-voting front.
The Election Assistance Commission also is making progress on the next
iteration of nonbinding, nationwide guidelines for voting systems.
    Florida, which suffered electoral meltdowns in 2000 and 2006, is
moving forward with a plan to abandon touch-screen voting machines
altogether. A 
U.S. House election conducted in Florida's 13th District
last year was challenged in court and before Congress by a Democratic
candidate who blamed her loss on e-voting glitches.
    An investigation by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen,
meanwhile, has grabbed nationwide headlines during the past six months
for identifying major security flaws in common e-voting platforms.
    Holt said he has not given up on H.R. 811, but he is worried that
Congress will not move fast enough to prevent controversies in future
elections that he claims may be completely avoidable. "I must say I'm a
little surprised and disappointed by the shortness of our memory," he
said.
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