From Colby Sledge, brand spanking-new communications director for the Senate Democratic Caucus:
Tennessee Senate Democrats fought Republican legislation Tuesday that will delay secure elections and burden local governments.
Senate Republicans voted lockstep to pass legislation delaying the implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act until the 2012 elections. Under prior law, more secure voting machines and ballot procedures were to be used in the 2010 elections.
Tennessee currently uses the most insecure voting machines available, as determined by a New York University study.
“Citizens should know that when they go to vote, their vote is going to count,” said Sen. Roy Herron, D-Dresden. “There have been too many cases of fraud and computer problems with our current system.
“Today, we took a huge step backward.”
Herron introduced an amendment to the bill that would have helped counties purchase secure voting machines. The costs would have been covered by federal funds already set aside for improving ballot security and voter confidence under the Help America Vote Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002.
The amendment to help local taxpayers and voters was tabled 18-12 by Senate Republicans on a party-line vote.
“We tried to protect the taxpayer by taking the burden off counties, but Republicans voted it down,” said Sen. Eric Stewart, D-Belvidere.
The requirements will now go into effect for the 2012 elections, when, as the law is currently written, county governments will have to foot any costs not covered by the designated federal funds.
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