Additionally, the complex and broad reaching - limitless, in fact - mandates of the bill will turn our trusted NH election system on its head. Unlike the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which provided a state plan process so states could interpret the law's requirements, and which provided a "safe harbor" mechanism, wherein states could comply and be protected from lawsuits, HR 811 simply lays out broad and deep requirements with no state plan process, no safe harbor, leaving interpretation of the bill's requirements to be thrown to the courts.
If you need to be reminded of how the courts handle interpretation of democratic election processes, just remember Florida 2000.
So unlike HAVA, where we could comply with the law, but not change the way we vote in NH, under HR 811 everything will change.
Forever.
Because the only way for our state to avoid lawsuits and to prove we are in compliance with the bill from date of its passage to forever, will be to follow the federal voting system standards developed by the Election Assistance Commission. This is a white house agency - the president's four cronies - who sit around designing high tech voting systems for the nation. They have now started dabbling in paper ballot system design and control as well.
Voting systems designed by the Commission meet every possible contingency and requirement for disability access and multilingual interpretation. The president's friends, who Holt would have controlling the nation's voting systems, have not yet produced a price tag for their moon shuttle voting system designs, but conservative estimates easily place an EAC-designed voting system at a minimum of $20-30K per machine.
If you need to be reminded of how the courts handle interpretation of democratic election processes, just remember Florida 2000.
So unlike HAVA, where we could comply with the law, but not change the way we vote in NH, under HR 811 everything will change.
Forever.
Because the only way for our state to avoid lawsuits and to prove we are in compliance with the bill from date of its passage to forever, will be to follow the federal voting system standards developed by the Election Assistance Commission. This is a white house agency - the president's four cronies - who sit around designing high tech voting systems for the nation. They have now started dabbling in paper ballot system design and control as well.
For every polling place, every town and city ward, in New Hampshire.
Even Dixville Notch, with its 19 or so voters.
And that is just phase one of their program. In another 2-3 years phase two kicks in, and we'll have to purchase all new systems to be in compliance.
Is the sky falling? I'll let you decide.
Ready to call your rep?
http://www.nh.gov/government/nhcong.html
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