Dated: Texas Rep. Lon Burnam submits bill for Hand Counted Paper Ballots in Texas!

[kster]

by Vickie Karp and Karen Renick (Posted by Joan Brunwasser)

MEDIA ADVISORY Contacts: Karen Renick, 512/496-7408
March 10, 2007 Vickie Karp, 512/775-3737

Texas Rep. Lon Burnam submits bill
for Hand Counted Paper Ballots in Texas!

Who: Rep. Lon Burnam, District 90, Tarrant County (Fort Worth), Texas

What: Submission of HB 3894, The Texas Hand Counted Paper Ballot Bill of 2007

When: Friday, March 9, 2007

Where: State Capitol, Austin, Texas

Why: With the acknowledgement and validation from computer experts, government reports and university studies nationwide that electronic voting systems, including optical scan counters, are vulnerable to easy hacking and manipulation without detection, the need for drastic change in our voting systems has become evident. Well-intentioned legislators at both the federal and state levels have presented the costly "solution" of adding printers to electronic voting machines for a "voter verifiable paper audit trail".

Rep. Burnam, House District 90, recognizes that adding printers to fraudulent voting systems will simply mask further fraud, while giving the public a false sense of security that the problem has been solved. He also recognizes that the bill will help all counties throughout the state save tremendous amounts of taxpayer money by eliminating the budget-breaking costs of machine maintenance, storage and replacement, as well as, the costs of training, programming, yearly software license fees, support services, and transportation.

Rep. Burnam therefore filed the Texas Hand-Counted Paper Ballot Bill of 2007, H.B. 3894, to eliminate the use of any voting machine whatsoever in the state of Texas and to allow all Texas voters to cast their vote on a paper ballot that is hand counted by their fellow citizens at the precinct level. The bill allows the use of ballot-marking-only machines for the disabled to vote privately and independently for compliance with the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Non-electronic ballot-marking methods that also comply with HAVA, such as the Vote-PAD and the Equalivote, are also allowed under this bill.


http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_vickie_k_070311_texas_rep__lon_burna.htm

Rerun because it seems to be important right now...

[Stevepol]

1. Tremendous news even if it doesn't pass, and it's not likely to pass. K&R!

[Wilms]

2. Very good to hear.

More links at this link:
http://voterescue.org/VRNewsArticles/hb3894.htm

[sonias]

3. Friday, March 9, 2007 - This is old folks

That bill is dead. The Texas Legislative session was over in May 2007.

He may introduce another bill next session but that doesn't happen until 2009.

And unless Democrats take over the Texas House, any kind of reform legislation in the Texas House will never get out of committee.


Sonia

[Wilms]

4. Leave it to that OP.

I think it's a kind of sport.

[Bill Bored]

5. Thank you for saying it's dated this time. nt