ESSENTIAL REFERENCE DOCS & ARTICLES ELSEWHERE...

• Current text of Holt's HR 811 as reported out of Committee (Current co-sponsors)
• Essential Recommended Revisions to HR811
• REPORT: "Promise of Accessible Voting Still Unfulfilled" - authored by Demos/VoterAction.org and disabilities/computer expert Noel H. Runyan, Versions: WORD | PDF | large-print | braille
• THE TROUBLE WITH TOUCH SCREENS:
  • What's Wrong with DRE/Touch-Screens? And Why the Urgent Need to Amend HR 811 to Assure They are Banned!
  • HTML Version (includes links, grafs)...
  • 2-Page PDF Version...
  • Why DRE/Touchscreens with "Paper Trails" Cannot Ensure Accurate, Verified Elections
  • Handy bullet-point list (see bottom of linked article)
• "False Choices in the Debate on Voting Technology" - by Brad Friedman at AlterNet
• Brad Friedman Debates Common Cause's Susannah Goodman on HR 811 - Text-transcript, audio...
• RECOMMENDED: Village Independent Democrats of New York City passed this wonderful resolution calling for amendments to HR811 [PDF], March 8, 2007 - A great template for similar resolutions in your state or locality! Share it with legislators et al!
• BLIND AND DISABLED VOTER ADVOCATES, GROUPS STATEMENT CALLING FOR 'IMMEDIATE BAN' OF DRE VOTING SYSTEMS!
  - Letter & Updated list of signatories here...
• "An Opposing View on the Progressive Voting Machines Debate" - by Brad Friedman at AlterNet
• VotersUnite.org's "Amend HR811" Resources Page -- a tremendous list of easy to read and use documents, graphics and talking points on all matters relating to needed changes for HR811.

ACTION CAMPAIGNS...

• TAKE ACTION: Over 40 Election Integrity Groups Demand a Paper Ballot for Every Vote Cast - Send this Open Letter to Your Congress Members
• TAKE ACTION: PDA's Campaign Calling on Congress to Ban DRE/Touch-Screen Voting Systems
• TAKE ACTION: Call Congress! Demand They Ban Electronic Ballots Now!

KEY BRAD BLOG ARTICLES...
(in chronological order)

2/6/07: Rep. Holt's New Election Reform Legislation Filed Today in U.S. House
As Ever, With Election Reform Legislation the Devil is in the Details...So Learn the Details BEFORE Supporting or Rejecting This Bill!

2/6/07: Why the Holt Election Reform Bill Must be Amended to Guarantee a Real Paper Ballot
Guest Blogger and Constitutional Attorney John Bonifaz on Concerns About Holt's 'Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007' (HR 811)
Guest Blogged by John Bonifaz

2/14/07: Holt Election Reform Bill Continues to be Supported by Democrats and Their Public Advocacy Groups, While Being Criticized by the Election Integrity Community
Flawed Bill Continues to Fast-Track While Supporters Ignore the Concerns of Those Who Know the Issue Best
HR811 On Schedule to Become 'HAVA 2' Unless Radically Amended, Improved...

2/20/07: The False Dichotomies Being Used by Democrats and Their Public-Advocacy Group Supporters to Prop Up the Failings of the Holt Election Reform Bill
Misrepresentation of the 'Opposition,' Fear of Failure, and a Bizarre, Unsubstantiated 'Civil Rights' Argument All Employed to Avoid Legitimate Debate on the Dangers of the Pending Legislation...

2/21/07: EXCLUSIVE: REP. MAXINE WATERS ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO WITHDRAW CO-SPONSORSHIP OF HOLT ELECTION REFORM BILL!
Calls for a Return to Paper Ballots During Commemorative MLK, Jr., Keynote Address in Santa Cruz!
California Congresswoman is First of Bill's 192 Co-Sponsors to Pull Support Amid Heavy Criticism of Legislation by Election Integrity Advocates...

2/22/07: AUDIO - Brad on Air America's 'Politically Direct with David Bender'
Discussing the Holt Bill, Waters Withdrawing & the "False Dichotomies" Used by Dem Supporters of the Bill...

2/26/07: REPORT: Undervote Rate Plummets 85% in New Mexico's Native American Precincts after Statewide Switch from Touch-Screen Voting to Paper Ballots
Comparison of Voting Data from 2004 to 2006 Shows Hispanic Undervote Plunged 69% as the 'Civil Rights' Case for DREs Continues to Fall Apart
ALSO: New Concerns Emerge About Racial Profiling vis a vis Touch-Screen Voting Systems...

2/28/07: 'False Choices in the Debate on Voting Technology'
AlterNet Runs a Freshened-Up Version of BRAD BLOG's Story From Last Week

3/1/07: Brad, Common Cause Debate Rush Holt Election Reform Bill on 'Peter B. Collins Show'
Common Cause Election Issue Rep Relies on Same Old Discredited Talking Point Chestnuts to Avoid Calling for Ban of DRE/Touch-Screen Voting Machines
Link to Complete Text-Transcript, Audio...

3/3/07: EXCLUSIVE: JOHN EDWARDS SAYS 'YES' TO BAN ON TOUCH-SCREEN (DRE) VOTING MACHINES!
Presidential Candidate Becomes First to Join Growing Movement When Queried About Issue at Campaign Event in California
Edwards Becomes Second Politician in a Week to Announce Support for the Election Integrity Movement After Being Asked About it at Public Event

3/9/07: AVI RUBIN: 'After Four Years of Study, I Now Believe that a DRE (touch-screen) with a VVPAT (paper-trail) is Not a Reasonable Voting System'
Johns Hopkins Professor, E-Voting Security Expert Goes on Record Against Electronic Ballots at Congressional Hearings on Election Integrity...

3/14/07: BLIND AND DISABLED VOTER ADVOCATES, GROUPS CALL FOR 'IMMEDIATE BAN' OF DRE VOTING SYSTEMS!
Two Different Statements from Civil Rights Leaders Call for Discontinuation of Insecure, Unverifiable, Disenfranchising DRE/Touch-Screen Voting Technology
Both Destroy Myth of Need to Sacrifice Verifed Ballots for Accessibility...

3/19/07: A Challenge to Opponents of a Ban on Electronic Ballots
Seeking Just One Democracy-Serving Reason to Keep DREs Allowable Under the Holt Bill
Any takers?...
Guest Blogged by Ellen Theisen of VotersUnite.Org

3/19/07: Steve Rosenfeld Critical of Our Call for a DRE-Ban in Article Published Today at AlterNet
Says 'Voting Machine Purists Should Not Let The Perfect be the Enemy of the Good'
We Disagree With Both the Premise and the Conclusion...

3/21/07: Brad Friedman (BRAD BLOG) v. Ralph Neas (PFAW) on Amending the Holt Election Reform Bill to Ban DRE Touch-Screen Voting Systems
As Heard on 'Ring of Fire' with RFK Jr. & Mike Papantonio: I Support Banning DREs, Neas Opposes Such a Ban, and Speaks in Support of DREs
Papantonio: 'Brad, my bet is on you on this one' --- Audio & Transcripts Now Posted
FULL AUDIO & TRANSCRIPT HERE

3/23/07: Alternet Runs Our 'Brad v. PFAW' Article
ALSO: A Clarification of Why I Wrote the Story in the First Place About the Alarming Position, Advocating for DRE Use, by People for the American Way...

4/1/07: Hackin' Harri Hursti a Hit in Riverside County, California
One-on-One Debriefing with the Finnish Computer Security Expert and Hacker of Diebold's Op-Scan and DRE Systems Reveals His Believe That Op-Scan is Most Secure, Transparent, while DREs Should No Longer Be Used in American Elections...

4/6/07: Democrats and Their Public Advocacy Group Supporters Continue to Fiddle on Election Reform as Democracy Burns
Even While the Republican Governor of Florida (of all people and places) Restores Felon Voting Rights, Calls for a Ban on Touch-Screen DRE Voting, and Otherwise Succeeds in Shaming the Democrats...

4/9/07: People for the American Way (PFAW) is Misleading Americans on the Holt Election Reform Bill
...And Mischaracterizing my Position on 'Paper Trails' on their Website's 'Democracy Campaign FAQ'
AN OPEN LETTER DEMANDING RETRACTION AND CORRECTION OF MY POSITION AND THE FACTS ABOUT ELECTION REFORM AND DANGEROUS DRE VOTING SYSTEMS...

4/11/07: PFAW Silence Day 3: Still Misleading, Using My Name to Support Their Agenda, Refusing to Respond to Request for Correction, Cease and Desist
AUDIO FILES: Public Service Announcements Calling on Action Against PFAW, a Ban on DREs...

5/4/07: FLORIDA MOVES TO PAPER BALLOTS!
A Huge Victory (Finally!) for Voters in the Sunshine State!
Will the Democrats in the U.S. Congress finally begin to realize their mistake in allowing for DRE touch-screen voting machines now that the Republican Governor of Florida has led the Republican Florida legislature to do the right thing and move to all paper ballots?

5/8/07: Holt Election Reform Bill Passes Out of Committee, People for the American (PFAW) Still Misleading Public About It
Advocacy Group's Press Release Disingenuously Continues to Forward Unsupportable Notion that Bill Would Have Prevented Sarasota's FL-13 Election Meltdown
Legislation Still to Allow for Uncounted and Uncountable Electronic Ballots on Touch-Screen Voting Systems...

6/4/07: The PFAW/Holt Bill Hoax: What Congress Member Would Vote Against the Banning of Illegal, Invisible Unverified Electronic Ballots?
The Holt Election Reform Propaganda Machine Has Said a Ban on DRE Touch-Screen Voting Machines Couldn't Pass in Congress, But Has Yet to Name a Single Supporter Who Would Vote Against Such a Ban
Looking for a Single Name Here...Anybody?...

6/10/07: Rush Holt's HR 811 Does More Harm than Good
A Leading Election Integrity Advocate Speaks Out Against 7 Serious Failures in the Latest Holt Election Reform Bill...
Guest blogged by Ellen Theisen, Co-Director of VotersUnite.Org

6/11/07: Kucinich to Withdraw Co-Sponsorship of Holt Election Reform Bill
Announces Plans to 'Continue Oversight Hearings on Election Integrity' and Re-Introduce Legislation Calling for Hand-Counted Paper Ballots in Presidential Elections...

6/18/07: Holt Election Bill Supporters Rage in Favor of the Machine
The Pro-HR811 Crowd Unleash All Manner of Personal Attacks Against Those Who Dare Oppose Thier Beloved Legislation as Written...

7/2/07: 'Thriller' Audio: Brad Debates Larry Norden of Brennan Center for Justice on Holt Election Reform Bill
Peter B. Collins Show Hosts Extremely Lively Discussion on Pros and Cons of Controversial House Bill's Allowance for Use of Dangerous DRE Touch-Screen Voting Systems
ALSO: CA SoS Debra Bowen Refuses to Support HR 811, Concerned About Putting 'Paper Trails Into Statute'...

7/9/07: Kucinich Reiterates Dropped Support of Holt Election Reform Bill
As a New Effort is Mounted by Election Integrity Advocates to Contact Congress Members Concerning the Drive to Ban DRE Touch-Screen Voting Systems Once and For All...

7/11/07: People for the American Way (PFAW) Continues Dishonest Lobbying Campaign for Holt Election Bill
Take Action to Counter Their Unapologetically Deceptive, Anti-Democracy Efforts to Misinform Nancy Pelosi!

7/17/07: Kucinich Circulates 'Dear Colleague' Letter Asking Pelosi To Slow Progress Of Holt's Election Reform Bill
Says 'Many Constituencies Important to the Democratic Caucus Express Frustration with HR 811'
Bill 'Falls Short of Intended Goals', Ohio Congressman, Presidential Candidate Writes in Letter...
Guess Blogged by John Gideon, VotersUnite.Org

7/19/07: NY TIMES: Holt's Election Reform Bill (HR 811) Going Back for a Re-Write

7/20/07: On the Last Throes and/or Last-Minute Compromise of the Holt Election Reform Bill

7/21/07: Holt Bill Death Watch: Jim Dickson Bullies His Way Through Congress Again
As The New York Times Fails to Report on the Payola He and His Group Have Received from the Voting Machine Companies...

7/29/07: California Finds DRE Touch-Screen Voting Systems Easily Hackable, as House Dems and PFAW Strike Deal to Use Them in American Elections Anyway

7/30/07: Hoyer-Holt HR811 'Compromise' to Pushed Forward - Secretly - in House
With People for the American Way (PFAW) Serving as Broker, Press Agent...

8/8/07: Holt Still Lying to Voters About His Election Reform Bill in Wake of Bowen's CA Decisions
Tells AlterNet That His Legislation Would Require Paper Ballots, But It Doesn't...

9/4/07: MoveOn.org Misleads Members in Support of Holt Election Reform Bill Even as Holt Distances Himself from Own Bill
'It's No Longer my Bill', Says Congressman of Software Giant's Successful Removal of One of the Bill's Once-Postive Provisions
Call it 'Microsoft 811' Writes an Election Integrity Advocate...

9/5/07: EXCLUSIVE: AMENDMENT TO BAN/RESTRICT TOUCH-SCREEN DRES MAY BE BROUGHT TO HOLT BILL!
The BRAD BLOG Has Confirmed That Congresswoman Susan Davis Will Introduce Such an Amendment This Afternoon --- If Allowed --- as Rush Holt's Controversial HR 811 Goes to Rules Committee Before Introduction on House Floor
UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES: Amendment Now Endorsed by MoveOn, Verified Voting, VoteTrustUSA; Source Says Holt on Defensive in Committee Hearing...

9/5/07: NJ Judge Issues Another Blow To Voting Machine Vendors, Rep. Rush Holt
Gives the State Eight Days To Find An Alternative To Touch-Screen Voting Machines
Ruling in Holt's Home State Disallows the Very Voting Machines His Federal Bill Would Institutionalize!

9/5/07: Rep. Susan Davis: DRE Voting Machines Are the '800 Pound Gorilla in the Room'
The California Congresswoman Hopes Her Attempt to Amend the Rush Holt Election Reform Bill 'Sparks Debate' on the Issue of Banning Touch-Screen Voting Systems
Says 'Wealth of Data So Strong, Congress Would be Remiss If We Do Not Allow a Debate'...

9/5/07: NY Times Calls For Ban on Touch-Screen Voting (Finally!)
Says 'Electronic Voting Has Been an Abysmal Failure', Calls on Congress to Add DRE Ban to Rush Holt's Election Reform Bill...

9/7/07: Holt Election Reform Bill in Meltdown...Again
Republicans 'Chortle' as House Democrats Wrangle in an Attempt to Bring Real Election Reform to a Crumbling System of Democracy...

9/17/07: Democratic Leadership Still 'Out of Touch' Concerning DRE Voting Machines, Holt Election Reform Bill
Rep. Hinchey 'Deeply Disappointed', Calls Unwillingness to Debate Issue a 'Shame'
AlterNet Covers Latest Political Landscape Surrounding HR 811...

11/2/07: BILL TO BAN DRE (TOUCH-SCREEN) VOTING MACHINES FINALLY INTRODUCED IN SENATE!
Nelson and Co-Sponsor Whitehouse Rewrite Originally Introduced Bill to Do Away with Discredited Systems by 2012 and 'Any Subsequent Year'

12/28/07: Holt Takes Another Stab at Election Reform
Simplified Legislation Offers Money to Jurisdictions Who Wish to Move to Paper Ballots, Optional Audits...

2/3/08: CBS Evening News Features the Shameless Rep. Rush Holt, Continuing His Shameless Campaign in Support of Touch-Screen Voting...