Progressive Democrat Issue 63: VOTING RIGHTS

HAVA DEADLINES MUST BE EXTENDED TO ALLOW STATES TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS

From The People's Email Network:

A number of states are under alot of pressure to buy insecure and expensive electonic voting systems because of deadlines in the HAVA (Help America Vote Act).

A bill has been introduced in the House (HR 4666) to give the states more time to make wise decisions on systems which have not even been adequately tested and qualified yet. Otherwise they will lose federal funding due them under HAVA.

TAKE ACTION!

No board of elections should be forced to make decisions before certification of all available voting systems is completed. Manufacturers should not risk quality defects by rushing machines out the door. We the people should not be rushed into bad decisions. Our vote and its integrity are more important than an arbitrary deadline. To stop the impending HAVA train wreck, we urge you to support HR 4666, introduced by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) on January 31 to extend the deadline for HAVA compliance past the 2006 primary season without penalty. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. This bill and its eventual companion in the Senate must be fast-tracked so that as many counties as possible can benefit from the extended deadline. The only way that will happen is if members of Congress hear from their constituents that passage of HR 4666 must be a priority.

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this message to everyone else you know.

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Remember, if our elections are not fair and open, our democracy is dead. Fight for all our voting rights.