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Mack Cosponsors Legislation to Create Paper Trail for Ballots

Date: Feb. 7, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Elections


Mack Cosponsors Legislation to Create Paper Trail for Ballots

Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) has cosponsored bipartisan legislation that will require voting machines to produce paper records in federal elections so voters can verify that their votes were recorded properly. Introduced by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), H.R. 811, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007, will amend the Help America Vote Act to make elections more transparent and accessible for voters.

Mack said:

"Our country is founded on the idea of one person, one vote. While I have confidence in electronic voting, there's simply no reason not to have a paper record that accompanies a person's electronic vote to ensure that each and every vote is counted accurately. This bipartisan legislation will help ensure the public's confidence in our nation's election process."

Specifically, H.R. 811 will:

• Require a paper ballot for every vote cast. This paper record will allow voters to verify their vote and can be used as the ballot of record in the event of a recount;

• Require routine random audits of paper ballots;

• Allow for the inspection of voting system software;

• Prohibit conflicts of interest between manufacturers and testing companies that certify their equipment;

• Increase accessibility for disabled voters;

• And authorize $300 million in grants to states and local governments to update their voting equipment in order to meet the new requirements.

http://mack.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.View&ContentRecord_id=264&CommitteeType_id=0&Issue_id=0&CFID=25727070&CFTOKEN=72207692

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