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We've already covered this.
 
Nearly a century
now gone...
Since women stood with
Raw, aching knuckles
throbbing, swollen ankles
long sweltering days,
freezing cold and icy rain.
Speaking truth in embroidery
that fluttered on a bitter wind.
Suffering torture
at the hands of hypocrites,
Suffering ridicule
at the hands of men,
who preferred them
to just birth babies. 
They risked it all
and stood nonetheless.
 
We've already covered this.
 
Fifty years more
and here is Selma
and Rosa and Martin and
Oh!
How they walked
and walked and walked and walked.
Left those buses empty
and useless as a womb
that can only abort.
And they walked
their feet speaking truth
and made men of power
angry so angry,
as they turned
the other cheek
for another glancing blow.
But they risked it all
and walked nonetheless.
 
We've already covered this.
 
Another half-century gone
and here is Madness
come 'round again, this time
with invisible votes and slick machines,
a diabolical diamond
scintillating
with a million evil facets
designed to confound.
DREs and TSXs and VVPATs
(Oh my!)
Electronics and glitches
and interpreters and code
And a whole lotta
smokescreen
and dirty money
Oh God of Technology
and no one responsible
in this house of mirrors,
every finger pointing 
in circles at another.
 
So continues
this American Struggle
that is 
the very heartbeat of our nation.
And so continues
the hope and the fight
and the labor pains
for the dream
that was.
And shall be again.
For we walk,
and stand,
and follow
in mighty footsteps. 
 
One voice.
One vote.
 
We've already covered this.
 
--Pamela Haengel, May 6, 2006

Pamela Haengel, President
Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay
www.VIATampaBay.org

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Pennsylvania Experts & Elelection Officials
Sign National Letter to Obama
"Yes, "We Need to Fix That,"
But Electronic Voting and Internet Voting is Not the Answer

December 7, 2012 -- Several prominent Pennsylvania computer scientists and election officials have joined a broad national coalition of experts, including congressional representatives, elections officers and cyber-security experts, to sign a letter this week urging the president and Congress to reject any calls for Internet voting and to move to voter-marked paper ballots counted by modern optical scanners.

The letter states that paper ballot based equipment has proven to be effective at avoiding the problems that resulted in long lines in many states and can be meaningfully audited or recounted.

"Approximately 85% of Pennsylvania voters in 50 of our largest counties do not have the basic protection of a voter-marked paper ballot to back up and protect their vote," said VotePA's Executive Director, Marybeth Kuznik, who signed the letter. "The computerized voting machines Pennsylvania purchased under the Help America Vote Act in 2006 will enter their eighth (8th) year of use in 2013. Yes, budgets are tight, but if federal, state, and county officials do not start to plan for replacement now, we will face real problems as these aging voting machines start to fail in the not-too-distant future."    

[MORE]

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President Obama Speaks
on Voting Problems
in Election Night Speech
"We Need to Fix That!"

November 7, 2012 -- As millions watched live, newly-reelected President Barack Obama acknowledged problems with America's voting process during his election night victory speech last evening.

Mr. Obama thanked everyone who voted in this great election whether they were new to the voting process or spent hours and hours waiting in line to make their voice heard, as many voters did this year.

"Oh and by the way, we need to fix that," he said of the long waits and other election problems.

The President's remarks were incredibly important to Election Integrity as this was the first time in recent memory (if at all) that a sitting President acknowledged election problems publicly in a nationally-televised speech.

[MORE on Election Day]

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When You #GoVote Be Ready to #VideoTheVote!

November 1, 2012 -- VotePA is a partner organization of Video the Vote... Pennsylvania is a swing state and a hot spot for election problems, so please sign up and be ready to help document whatever you see on Tuesday... Election Day! http://videothevote.org/

 

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Reliance on Voting Machine Batteries Ill-advised in Wake of Superstorm

October 30, 2012 -- With millions of customers in multiple states out of electricity following Superstorm Sandy, how will electronic voting machines operate in the event some polling places in Pennsylvania and other states do not have power restored in time for next Tuesday's Presidential Election?

VotePA today announced a warning that, should this become a problem next week, the answer is not to rely on batteries to run voting machines for all or even a substantial part of Election Day.

"Officials in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and other states affected by Sandy, including our PA Governor Tom Corbett, have been quoted in the press as saying that batteries could potentially run their equipment through the day," said VotePA Executive Director Marybeth Kuznik. "We believe that depending on aging batteries to allow voting for any extended length of time would be incredibly foolish during an important national and statewide election."                    [MORE HERE]

 

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Be On The Lookout For Voter ID Trucks & Other False Ads!

October 29, 2012 -- Observers in Pittsburgh today reported Pennsylvania State Trucks driving around displaying advertisements that falsely state voters will be required to show Photo ID in the November 6 election!

IF YOU SEE SUCH TRUCKS OR OTHER ADS, anywhere in the state, please TAKE A PHOTO or video to document it, and send to VotePA!

PER COMMONWEALTH & STATE SUPREME COURT RULINGS, PHOTO ID WILL NOT BE REQUIRED IN THIS ELECTION!

What Does it Mean for Pennsylvania, if a Candidate or his Family Owns Part of a Voting Machine Company?

October 26, 2012 -- as the Presidential campaign winds on, reports have surfaced that members of candidate Mitt Romney's family, through their investment firms, hold ownership in America's third-largest voting machine company, Hart / Intercivic. Machines from this company are used in elections in many key swing states including Ohio and Pennsylvania. The story first surfaced in Ohio's Free Press and has since broken through into mainstream publications including Forbes, the Atlantic, Salon.com, The Washington Post, The Nation, and The Huffington Post.

People are understandably concerned when a candidate and/or his family owns an interest in the voting machines that will be counting his own votes, just as they were concerned when Secretaries of State J. Kenneth Blackwell in Ohio 2004, and Katherine Harris in Florida 2000, were state campaign chairs for one of the Presidential candidates. Even if there is no actual impropriety going on, the appearance of a conflict of interest is these cases is not in the best interest of democracy.              

[MORE HERE, including discussion of how many PA counties use Hart / Intercivic]

VotePA is NOT the Pennsylvania Department of State
We are NOT responsible for the state's ongoing advertising about Voter ID

VotePA is an organization of
Voters for Open & Transparent Elections in PA

And we believe that taxpayer dollars being spent on PA's Voter ID law
should be used toward correcting more urgent threats to our elections
like replacement of our aging, paperless voting machines!

Why are we posting this? On October 4, 2012 Rachel Maddow had a great segment on her msnbc show about the PA Department of State's confusing information regarding Voter ID not being required at the November 6 election.

But the PA Department of State website, votespa.com is apparently similar enough to our name VotePA that confusion occurred. At 10:47 PM, less thqn a half hour after the above segment aired, a nasty message was left on our Executive Director's personal voicemail from a blocked phone number.

[Video of msnbc segment , recording of call, and MORE HERE]

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WATCH YOUR VOTING MACHINE
ALL Voting Machines in PA Were Re-Examined in Spring 2012
Results of Exam Have Been Quietly Released, and they are NOT Good
Watch this space for more info soon

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2011

MORE ABOUT THE 2011 VENANGO COUNTY VOTING SYSTEM FORENSICS

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IN MEMORIAM -- MERLE SMITH KUZNIK
Pollworker, Voting Rights Hero Who Supported & Inspired VotePA

Merle Smith Kuznik, 93, died August 12 2011 at Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg PA following a tragic accident at home a week earlier. She was the beloved mother of our founder and director, Marybeth Kuznik. Merle led an active life that was an inspiration to those who knew her. A retired elementary teacher, Merle especially cared about the right of every citizen to participate in our democracy by voting. With nearly 30 years as a precinct Judge of Elections, at the time of her death Merle was still working at her poll in Penn Township every election day. Merle was an instrumental member and strong supporter of VotePA. On July 4 of this year Merle participated with VotePA in the voting rights rally in Franklin, Venango County (photo at left.)    [MORE]

Please contribute to VotePA in memory of MERLE SMITH KUZNIK

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VIVA, VENANGO!
Courageous Election Board Fighting Local Politicians' Opposition to Forensic Fxamination
of Paperless iVotronic Voting System

PAPER BALLOTS TO BE USED IN NOVEMBER!!

UPDATE, August 4 -- At its meeting tonight, the Venango County Election Board voted to use PAPER BALLOTS for the November 2011 Election! .
Three American heroes on Venango County's Election Board have been doing their job to protect our votes in Pennsylvania. After learning of serious problems reported by voters attempting to use the county's paperless touchscreen voting machines during the May 17 Primary, the Election Board directed that their entire ES&S iVotronic voting system be subjected to a forensic examination by a team of expert computer scientists, who have volunteered their services to the county for free. This forensic examination will be the first of its kind ever in any of the fifty Pennsylvania counties still using paperless Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines.	ELECTION BOARD HEROES Venango County Election Board members (L to R) Martha Breene, Craig Adams, and Eleanora Miller
But even though the exam will be free, for some reason a faction of local politicians seems to be opposed anyone taking a hard look at the iVotronic machines. [MORE]
CITIZENS RALLY IN SUPPORT OF VOTERS RIGHTS & VENANGO COUNTY ELECTION BOARD July 4, 2011 ­ Citizens from at least different three political parties united today in a rally for voters' rights in front of the beautiful Venango County Courthouse in Franklin, PA. The Independence Day event was in support of the Venango County Election Board, which has been facing stiff opposition from local politicians and media as they plan to conduct a forensic examination of the county's paperless iVotronic touchscreen voting machines in the wake of problems reported during the May Primary. [MORE] Venango County Election Board Petitions for New Solicitor - MORE Venango Election Board Meeting: Who's Watching the Hen House while iVotronic Voting Machines Await Forensic Exam in Wet Storage Room? - MORE Venango County Election Board Authorizes Forensic Fxamination of Paperless iVotronic Voting System - MORE

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2011 PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARY ELECTION

Primary Election news reports HERE.

Thank you to all who called VotePA's Pennsylvania Voting Machine Hotline, 717-884-VOTE. We will do our best over the coming days and weeks to follow up on problems reported.

Congratulations, Stephanie Singer

Although we are a nonpartispan organization, VotePA has long urged our supporters to work for better elections through the politcal party of their choice, and to run for office whenever and wherever they believe they will be able to make a difference.

Stephanie Singer of Philadelphia is doing just that. Running a focused campaign on an election reform platform, in the May 17 Primary Stephanie defeated Marge Tartaglione, a politically powerful incumbent with a history of election transparency problems, and she has won a nomination for the office of City Commissioner.

Here is what Sam Katz, of Philadelphia Magazine said about Stephanie:

"The emergence of Stephanie Singer has enormous implications. She will be one of three city commissioners, replacing Mrs. Tartaglione. She is the first PhD to sit in that office. Generally speaking, that hasn't been a job requirement. As a former candidate with a laser-like determination, I must say Singer's focus and discipline impress me. She is a comer. If Al Schmidt, one of two Republicans nominated for this office and a leader of the anti-Republican machine faction, also wins in November, these two could align and change the entire culture of the Philadelphia electoral process. This could be truly historic and something to watch."

More about Stephanie and her Primary win HERE.

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ATTENTION, GOVERNOR CORBETT

The voting systems Pennsylvania purchased in 2006 under the Help America Vote Act have finished five full years of use. They are computers, and they are aging rapidly, especially the paperless touchscreen and pushbutton voting machines now used in 50 of our largest counties. As the voting machines age, it is likely that more and more problems will happen with them. By the end of your 2011-2015 term, they will be near (or perhaps even way beyond) the end of their useful lives.

No money will be saved by using worn-out voting machines that create problems in our elections. Before that happens, we call upon you to do the most economical thing, the most open and transparent thing, and the thing that will protect Pennsylvania's democracy: we call upon your administration to plan now for the replacement Pennsylvania's aging Direct Recording Electronic voting machines with modern optical scan systems that protect every vote with a paper ballot.

Optical scan voting is the most cost-effective, accessible, and secure voting system available today. It is already used by over 60% of American voters.

Our Pennsylvania voters all deserve the protections of a voter marked paper ballot, too.