Open source voting bill stalls in CA assembly

I'm passing on an email that I received from Open Voting Consortium . (Normally, I like to only post things I have written. I will always let you know if I post something I didn't write. This is one of those times.)

Dear Friends of Open Voting:

FUD -- Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.  If you can't win an argument honestly, you can always try scaring people.  For the moment, the election vendors and duplicitous election officials have won a victory over open voting.  Our open voting bill, California Assembly Bill AB 2097 was put on suspense by the Appropriations committee this morning.  In a brief hearing, Jackie Goldberg presented the bill to the committee.  I also testified.  There will be a hearing in about 2 weeks (May 24 or 25).  If we can't get it off suspense then, the bill is dead.

How did this happen?  Vendors have scared legislators and staff into thinking if the bill passes, they (i.e., Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia, et al) will leave the state.  Now, some of us would think that's a good thing.  But the Appropriations Committee has an analysis heavily influenced by vendors and the Secretary of State.  That analysis says, if enacted, our bill could cost the state a lot of money because the voting equipment they just purchased would become unusable.  Of course, this is false for several reasons.  For one thing, the vendors are bluffing.  For another thing, even if they did leave, it will not be that expensive to replace them, and will be cheaper in the long run because vendors won't be milking the government forever for software license fees (the bill says if replacement software is to be created, it will be open source -- free software!).

Do we give up?  NO!!

What can you do?  No matter where you live, write to the Appropriations Committee and urge them to support AB 2097.  Even if you're outside the US, write to them.  Remember the words of Jan Kärrman of Sweden, a senior research engineer at Uppsala University -- from our press release 2 years ago [1] -- he said, "the role of the U.S. internationally makes it important, outside the U.S. as well, that fair elections are being held there."  It's important for everyone on Planet Earth that America counts the vote correctly.  Right now, we don't know.  We don't know because there are too many secret processes going on.  We have to have blind faith in officials.  Of the multitude of officials that run things, how many deserve our blind faith? 

Show us how the machines work.  That's what our bill demands.  Why would anyone be opposed to that?

If you live in California, besides writing to the Appropriations Committee, there is another thing you can do.  Talk to your county officials (write, phone, fax, go in person to meetings, etc. -- whatever you have time for).  DEMAND that the election vendor(s) for your county state whether or not they will comply with the disclosure requirements of AB 2097 should it pass.  If a contract is still under consideration, DEMAND that disclosure compliance be a part of the agreement.  If no new contracts are under consideration, DEMAND that the vendor state in writing that they WILL COMPLY with disclosure requirements should AB 2097 or a similar law be enacted.

Right now, vendors are getting away with murder by spreading FUD about what will happen should AB 2097 pass.  Don't let them do it.  It's time to CALL THEIR BLUFF.  If they really are planning to leave, fine.  Put it in writing.  Otherwise, they need to stop playing this reckless game. 

Vendors are continuing to abuse their trade secret status.  Don't let them get away with it!  Write, phone, fax, email, today.

If you only have time to contact one person, make it the chair of the Appropriations Committee, Judy Chu.  Her email address is assemblymember.chu@asm.ca.gov 
Capitol Address: P.O. Box 942849. Room 2114,  Sacramento, CA 94249-0049, Phone: (916) 319-2049, Fax: (916)319-2149

I like to write personalized letters that explain what it means to me, in my community.  If you only have time to say you support the bill, then do that -- one sentence. 

Here' a page that lists all the Appropriations Committee members:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=43

Speak out California (http://speakoutca.org/ ) will probably be providing a form letter, but don't wait for that.  Let your elected officials know soon and often!

Thank you again for your continuing support!  With your help, we can beat our opposition.

Alan Dechert
http://openvoting.org
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[1] http://archive.openvotingconsortium.org/ad/ovc-mar22-pressrelease.pdf