Every Vote Must Be Counted in 2004!
Does your vote really matter? Well, this year, as in 2000, it might depend on where you live.
You may recall how Miami-Dade County, Florida, was part of ground zero for the voting fiasco that passed for an election in 2000. To prevent future voting issues, officials in Miami-Dade instituted electronic voting without a paper trail. That's right, electronic voting with no way to recount votes. And months after the first use of these machines in 2002, a computer crash erased detailed records of the election results, casting grave doubts on this new technology.
Many of the speakers at this year's Democratic National Convention in Boston have issued said that every vote will count this year but how can we be sure? What is the Kerry campaign and the Democratic Party doing to ensure that 2000 is not repeated in Florida or elsewhere in the country?
As concerned citizens and voters, we call on John Kerry, John Edwards, and the Democratic Party to draft a comprehensive plan of action to ensure that every vote is counted in 2004. We expect a public statement and a draft plan by the end of August to ensure adequate time to implement this plan.
To the Kerry Campaign and The Democratic Party:
We are concerned citizens and voters. We remember the election travesty of 2000, and we want to ensure that every vote truly counts in 2004.
We call on John Kerry, John Edwards, and the Democratic Party to develop a comprehensive plan of action to make sure that the events of Florida in 2000 are not repeated this year.
Specifically, this plan of action must address:
** Electronic voting machines without a paper trail: Miami-Dade county, one of the contested counties in Florida in 2000, implemented electronic voting without a paper trail in 2002. A computer crash in 2003 erased detailed records of this election, leaving no way to recount or verify contested results.
** Disenfranchisement of African-American voters: Tens of thousands of African-American voters were erroneously listed as felons in Florida in 2000. Election officials knew that widespread errors existed, yet did nothing to correct the voter rolls.
We expect a public statement and a draft plan by the end of August to ensure adequate time to implement this plan.
Sincerely,
The undersigned
