October 10, 2005
Call to Action: Paper Records for Every Election
(from the Democracy for Maryland site)
This is a critical time to make our voices heard AND TO MAKE CERTAIN THE ISSUE OF VERIFIABLE VOTING IS ADDRESSED APPROPRIATELY IN THE 2006 LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT BEGINS IN JANUARY.The leadership of the MD General Assembly is setting the agenda for the upcoming session in Annapolis right now. Please reach out to EVERYONE YOU KNOW and request the following:
1) Write a brief one paragraph letter and/or e-mail THIS WEEK (doing both is best) to your state delegates and senators, asking them not only to SUPPORT a voter-verified, auditable, paper record for all elections, but also to actively urge the leaders in the House and Senate to move legislation forward EARLY in this next session, guaranteeing this process. (To find your delegates and senator, http://www.mdelect.net/ OR google their names.)
2) VITAL FOLLOW-UP: Call and/or visit your elected officials within the next 2 weeks and make sure they know how much you care about this issue. Ask them for a copy of the letter they sent to the leadership, urging support for this paper record.
3) Send your own letters and/or e-mail directly to the leadership:
HOUSE:
Speaker Mike Busch
michael.busch@house.state.md.us,
(410) 841-3800, (301) 858-3800
Delegate Sheila Hixson (committee chair) sheila_hixson@house.state.md.us,
(301)-858-3469
SENATE:
President Mike Miller
thomas.v.mike.miller@senate.state.md.us,
(410) 841-3700, (301) 858-3700
Senator Paula Hollinger (committee chair)
paula.colodny.hollinger@senate.state.md.us,
(410) 841-3131, (301) 858-3131
4) If you would like me to compile these letters, which I would LOVE TO DO, please send a copy of your letter to angirapp@aol.com. I would like to see just how many letters and phone calls we can generate on this issue this week. Please get friends, family, co-workers, and activists in other groups to do the same. I have offered a brief sample letter at the bottom, but it's critical that we each write our own unique letters. The key message is: We need a voter-verifiable and auditable paper record for all elections. We need PAPER. We need to be able to do recounts based on paper documents that the voter verified when casting his/her vote.
I hope to present these letters to the legislators who have been working so hard to protect our votes. They need to know we are out there working with them. Finally, if you are actively associated with the Democratic party (i.e. precinct chair, central committee member, etc.), please mention that in your letter.
Thanks so much!
Gina Angiola
angirapp@aol.com
Sample letter:
Dear Delegate (or Senator) ________,
As your constituent, I am urging you to take a leading role in advancing legislation which will guarantee voters that each of their votes is recorded and counted accurately. A voter-verifiable and auditable PAPER record is the only acceptable solution. I am asking you to support legislation to ensure that our voting system can and will be audited, and that our votes can be recounted by hand using a paper record that was reviewed by the voter prior to casting the official ballot. In addition, I am requesting that you write letters to the leaders of the General Assembly, urging them to make this a top-priority issue for the next legislative session.
Respectfully,
____________
**************************
Dear _________ (customize greeting for each of the leaders),
As a concerned Maryland voter, I am urging you to take a leading role in advancing legislation which will guarantee voters that each of their votes is recorded and counted accurately. A voter-verifiable and auditable PAPER record is the only acceptable solution. I am asking you to support legislation to ensure that our voting system can and will be audited, and that our votes can be recounted by hand using a paper record that was reviewed by the voter prior to casting the official ballot. Please make this a top-priority issue for the 2006 legislative session.
Respectfully,
Posted by Melissa at October 10, 2005 08:12 PM