Yesterday, in the House of Representatives, a vote was taken to ensure that in the case of voting machine failure your vote would be counted and not lost in the ethos. The bill, H.R. 5803, provides grants (something that Michele Bachmann has previously stated she supports) to states with electronic voting machines. The grants would allow them to create a system of backup paper ballots in the unfortunate circumstance that a machine fails and data is not able to be recovered.To direct the Election Assistance Commission to establish a program to make grants to participating States and units of local government which will administer the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2008 for carrying out a program to make backup paper ballots available in the case of the failure of a voting system or voting equipment in the election or some other emergency situation, and for other purposes.
One would think that election security and election fairness would be at the top of the priority list for both political parties. However, for Michele Bachmann and the majority of the Republican Party it appears as though this is not the case. Bachmann and her Republican colleagues oppose providing grants to ensure that your vote as well as the votes of everyone using electronic voting machines are backed up and thereby verifiable. I sent the folllowing email to her office for comment:
Dear Mr. Miller,
I was wondering if Representative Bachmann could provide me with a comment as to why she chose to oppose H.R. 5803. She has previously supported the idea of grants over earmarks but seems to be voting against bills that provide grants. Also, paper ballots would ensure that all votes are counted. What about a backup paper ballot is Representative Bachmann opposed to?
Thank You
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As always, I will wait patiently for a response but will not hold my breath as many of my questions to my representative go unanswered.
Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann & St. Cloud Times
Cross Posted on Dump Bachmann & St. Cloud Times
