Call Now: Don’t Let Us Become the Next Flohio
This weekend the New York Times published a story reporting that Ohio elections officials believe there are “critical flaws that could undermine the integrity of the 2008 general election.”
Now is the time to ensure election integrity in Tennessee for the 2008 election. In Dec 2006, the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) asked its professional staff to undertake a comprehensive examination of the election process in Tennessee. During 2007, the staff studied electronic voting equipment, and issued a series of three reports to the Commission. The staff report strongly recommends several urgent steps that the state should take, including adopting voting equipment that is based on voter-verifiable paper ballots.
At their Dec 12 meeting, because of your calls and emails, TACIR voted unanimously to have the final staff report, “Trust but Verify” printed and distributed to the legislature and the public, signaling their agreement with this report.
Meanwhile, the Legislative Study Committee has been waiting for the TACIR recommendations to help in their deliberations. The committee meets tomorrow Tuesday, December 18 to examine the TACIR report and discuss the bill we want to see passed: The Voter Confidence Act of 2007 (SB 1363 HB 1256).
Please pick up the phone now and call the members of the Study Committee (contact info is below and at Votesafetn.org). Speak to the staff assistant or leave a voice mail message asking them to
1) Accept the TACIR staff report, “Trust but Verify”.
2) Recommend passage of The Tennessee Voter Confidence Act - HB 1256; SB 1363 (a bill that mandates voter-verified paper ballots and mandatory audits in time for the November 2008 election).
Ask your friends and family to do the same. Then send them an email. A call and an email would be good but you can choose one or the other.
Also, make plans to attend this very important meeting tomorrow at 1:30 PM in Room 29 of Legislative Plaza.
Study Committee Members
Senator Tim Burchett – 615-741-1766 (Knoxville) District 7
senator.tim.burchett@legislature.state.tn.us, COMMITTEE CHAIR
Senator Joe Haynes – 615-741-6679 (Goodlettsville) District 20 – SPONSOR OF SB 1363
senator.joe.haynes@legislature.state.tn.us
Senator Roy Herron — 615-741-4576 (Dresden) District 24
senator.roy.herron@legislature.state.tn.us
Senator Mark Norris – 615-741-1967 (Collierville) District 32
senator.mark.norris@legislature.state.tn.us
Senator Tim Burchett – 615-741-1766 (Knoxville) District 7
senator.tim.burchett@legislature.state.tn.us
Senator (Ms.) Jamie Woodson – 615-741-1648 (Knoxville) District 6
senator.jamie.woodson@legislature.state.tn.us
The six Representatives:
Rep. Larry Turner – 615-741-6954 (Memphis) District 85
rep.larry.turner@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Joe McCord – 615-741-5481 (Maryville) District 8
rep.joe.mccord@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Gary Moore – 615-741-4317 (Joelton) District 50 – SPONSOR OF HB 1256
rep.gary.moore@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. John Litz – 615-741-6877 (Morristown) District 10
rep.john.litz@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Jimmy Eldrige – 615-741-7475 (Jackson) District 73
rep.jimmy.eldrige@legislature.state.tn.us
Rep. Susan Lynn — 615-741-7462 (Lebanon) District 57 (Sponsor of a similar bill)
rep.susan.lynn@legislature.state.tn.us
This post was written by Mary Mancini
This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Voting, Voting Irregularities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.