Progressive Democrat Issue 70: NYC FOCUS: a little more time for voting rights

This action is being done in collaboration with the Brooklyn New Democratic Majority group and Democracy for NYC.

Last week I emphasized that our time to protect our voting rights in NYC was running out with an April 3rd hearing being critical. Well, the Governmental Operations Committee of the NY City Council will NOT hold a hearing on HAVA Compliance on April 3. So we have an opportunity to mobilize support for the tentatively rescheduled hearing, April 28.
NY State law requires the abandonment of our old lever machines. The two choices for replacements are “DREs” (Direct Recording Electronic touch-screen or pushbutton computerized voting machines), or “PBOS” (Paper Ballots, Optical Scanners, and accessible ballot-marking machines for voters with disabilities or minority languages). DRE machines are considerably more expensive and considerably less reliable. By contrast the PBOS machines are established technology, are cheaper to purchase and maintain and are far more reliable. Furthermore, the DRE machines require privatization of the election process. This is the most frightening aspect since the public cannot fully verify the validity of an election with such a privatized election.
Please make phone calls and emails today to build support for City Council Resolution 131, for paper ballots/optical scanners, PBOS, and against electronic voting, DRE, in NYC. Although technically a sense of the Council and strong media moment, it also serves as a potential tie-breaker for the purchasing decision.

Most importantly, the bill could impact the State Board of Election’s regulations and certification process, which until now has been willing to rubber stamp mere designs, without safeguards or testing. Once certified, the counties may have days to purchase.
Decision-makers have already been lobbied and lied to by the vendors into believing that everything they’ve ever wanted in a hassle-free, fantasy machine exists in touchscreen voting. Now is the critical time to build support for voting the PBOS resolution 131 out of committee, and for passage, before the deals are sealed. It’s up to us! The New York City Council Resolution 131 urges the Board of Elections to buy PBOS, not DRE computerized voting machines. Please contact your city council member and ask them to co-sponsor and push for passage. Include your name, address, and phone number.

You can contact your Council Member through this site.

Please call the council leadership
Message: Please sponsor Resolution 131, or ask why hesitating.
Speaker Christine Quinn, 212-788-7210
Majority Leader Joel Rivera, 212-788-6966
Deputy Majority Leader Bill deBlasio, 212-788-6969
Deputy Majority Leader Lewis Fidler, 212-788-7286
Majority Whip Leroy Comrie, 212-788-7084

Governmental Operations Committee
Message: Please sponsor Resolution 131, and vote it out of committee so the entire council can consider it.
Simcha Felder, Chairman, 718-853-2704
Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., 212-788-7069
Inez E. Dickens, 212-788-7397
Erik Martin Dilan, 212-788-7284
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., 212-788-7045
Larry B. Seabrook, 212-788-6873
Peter F. Vallone, Jr., 212-788-6963

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