National Election Data Archive Supports Election Reform

But Recommends Changes to Senate Election Reform Proposal

http://electionarchive.org/ucvInfo/release/ReleaseS1487Amendments.pdf

http://electionmathematics.org/em-legislation/S1487Amendments.pdf

Says Senate Election Reform Proposal Needs Changes to Increase Effectiveness

Salt Lake City, UT; 21 June 2007 -- The National Election Data Archive believes that America is at a crossroads. Kathy Dopp, Executive Director of the National Election Data Archive asks, "Do we move forward with serious voting reforms before November 2008 or leave U.S. voting systems vulnerable to error and fraud?"

The National Election Data Archive is an educational group of mathematicians and statisticians which promotes fair and accurate elections. To strengthen the provisions of proposed election reform legislation, the National Election Data Archive is recommending changes to the "Ballot Integrity Act of 2007" (S1487). The act's purpose is "to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require an individual, durable, voter-verified paper record under title III of such Act, and for other purposes." The act is sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein and its co-sponsors include three presidential candidates, Senators Clinton, Dodd, and Obama. It is currently being considered by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

The National Election Data Archive issued "21 Amendment Suggestions for the 'Ballot Integrity Act of 2007' (S1487)" plus an analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of election audit proposals to detect error or fraud in US House and Senate races. "21 Amendment Suggestions" recommends improvements to the election audit provisions of the "Ballot Integrity Act" (S1487) and urges public oversight and procedures that are necessary to verify the accuracy of election results. The National Election Data Archive also advocates removing unfunded mandates; reducing secrecy in the vote counting process and other changes to reduce the vulnerability of the electoral process to electronic error, failure, and hacking; while retaining states' rights to determine voting system standards.

Dopp explained why election reform legislation is urgently needed: "Federal election outcomes determine who controls budgets worth trillions of dollars and affect lives worldwide. There is a temptation to manipulate votes since winning is so valuable; and our mathematical analysis of election data suggests wide-spread vote fraud has occurred." Dopp proclaims "There are dozens of ways for undetected electronic vote count error to alter election outcomes and an absence of independent checks (audits) of vote count accuracy. Only one state currently performs independent audits of vote count accuracy for federal elections." She added, "We independently audit banks to make sure they are counting our money correctly. Shouldn't we be as careful with our votes?"

The "21 Amendment Suggestions for the Senate Ballot Integrity Act of 2007" is found at:
http://electionmathematics.org/em-legislation/S1487Amendments.pdf

And "Comparison of Proposed Federal Election Audits" is found at:
http://electionarchive.org/ucvAnalysis/US/paper-audits/ComparisonFederalElectionAuditProposals.pdf

The National Election Data Archive supports the election reform legislation proposed by Representative Rush Holt, D-NJ in the House, the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act" (HR811) which has 215 bi-partisan co-sponsors. However the organization is withholding support for the Senate version and recommending improvements.

The House version of election reform legislation, HR811, requires more substantial election audits, from 3%, to 10% in close races, whereas the Senate version requires a flat 2% audit. By analyzing election results from the 2002 and 2004 US House and Senate races, Dopp found that a 99% success-rate audit would better protect all federal races from vote fraud and yet require manual audits of fewer precincts overall than the House or Senate audit versions. According to Dopp's analysis HR811's audit would not have protected 4 and 8 U.S. House races from possible outcome-changing vote fraud in 2004 and 2002 respectively. On the other hand, S1487 requires an internal audit conducted by election officials of their own work and its 2% amounts would not have protected 4 US House races and 1 South Dakota Senate race in 2004, and 13 House races and 1 New Hampshire Senate race in 2002 from possible outcome-changing vote fraud.

Many groups in addition to the National Election Data Archive support the House version of election reform (HR811) including People For the American Way, Common Cause, Move On, The Service Employees International Union, The National Education Association, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, The Brennan Justice Center, The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Vote Trust USA, Verified Voting Americans United for Democracy, Integrity, and Transparency (AUDIT) - Arizona, True Vote Maryland, Georgians for Verified Voting, Presidential Candidate Governor Bill Richardson, and prominent voting technology experts Avi Rubin of John Hopkins University Department of Computer Science, Doug Kellner, Co-Chair New York State Board of Elections, and Ed Felten of Princeton University Department of Computer Science.

About the National Election Data Archive:

The National Election Data Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Utah Corporation, USCountVotes. The National Election Data Archive has been organized for educational and scientific purposes of promoting fair and accurate elections by promoting public access to election records and data; and developing technology and mathematical methods to detect any voter disenfranchisement or vote count inaccuracy. Such methods include independent manual vote count audits, exit poll discrepancy analysis, and the public release and scientific analysis of election data along with public release of election records necessary to verify the integrity of the data.

The National Election Data Archive believes that sufficient, timely, verifiable, independent election audits and public access to election records and detailed data are necessary to detect voter disenfranchisement and to evaluate the integrity and accuracy of the electoral process and election outcomes.

Press Contact:
Kathy Dopp, Executive Director, National Election Data Archive, kathy@electionarchive.org
435.658.4657 (office)
(nuked the mobile # by blogmaster)

Additional Information:

The Ballot Integrity Act of 2007
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.01487 :

A reliable, verifiable vote in 2008, Governor Bill Richardson
http://thehill.com/op-eds/a-reliable-verifiable-vote-in-2008-2007-06-19.html

HR 811: Separating Truth from Fiction in E-voting Reform, Electronic Frontier Foundation, June 13, 2007
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005308.php#005308

The Campaign for Secure Elections (HR811), Lawrence Norden, June 13, 2007
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lawrence-norden/the-campaign-for-secure-e_b_51986.html

The "Ballot Integrity Act" Sponsor is Feinstein, Dianne, D-CA,
http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Home

Co-sponsors

Boxer, Barbara D-CA, http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Home

Brown, Sherrod, D-OH, http://brown.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Clinton, Hillary Rodham D-NY, http://clinton.senate.gov/contact/

Dodd, Christopher J. D-CT, http://dodd.senate.gov/index.php?q=node/3130

Inouye, Daniel K. D-HI, http://inouye.senate.gov/

Kennedy, Edward M. D-MA, http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm

Leahy, Patrick J. D-VT, http://leahy.senate.gov/ senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov

Menendez, Robert D-NJ, http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

Obama, Barack D-IL, http://obama.senate.gov/contact/

Sanders, Bernard, I-VT, http://sanders.senate.gov/comments/

Senate Rules Committee Members who could make the recommended amendments while the S1487 is being considered in committee

Robert C. Byrd, D-WV, http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd_email.html

Daniel K. Inouye, D-HI, 202-224-3934 or http://inouye.senate.gov/

Christopher J. Dodd, D-CT, http://dodd.senate.gov/

Charles E. Schumer, D-NY, http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/contact/contact.html

Richard J. Durbin, D-IL, http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm

E. Benjamin Nelson, D-NE, http://bennelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Harry Reid, D-NV, http://reid.senate.gov/contact/

Patty Murray, D-WA, http://murray.senate.gov/contact/

Mark L. Pryor, D-AR, http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/

Ted Stevens, R-AK, http://stevens.senate.gov/public/

Mitch McConnell, R-KY, http://mcconnell.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Thad Cochran, R-MS, http://cochran.senate.gov/contact.htm

Trent Lott, R-MS, http://lott.senate.gov/public/

Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-TX, http://hutchison.senate.gov/contact.html

C. Saxby Chambliss, R- GA, http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm

Chuck Hagel, R-NE, http://hagel.senate.gov/

Lamar Alexander, R-TN, http://alexander.senate.gov/

Action Items
As a 501(c)(3) the National Election Data Archive may spend a limited fraction of its income on efforts to lobby for election reform legislation. Therefore, we will be depending on you, the voters, to take action such as:

1. Please call your Senators' legislative staffers who handle election reform legislation and mail, email, or fax copies of "21 Suggested Amendments" to their legislative staffers who handle election reform legislation, hopefully after speaking with them; or

2. Travel to Washington DC to speak with your Senators and with the Senators on the Rules Committee.

--
Kathy Dopp

The material expressed herein is the informed product of the author Kathy Dopp's fact-finding and investigative efforts. Dopp is a Mathematician, Expert in election audit mathematics and procedures; in exit poll discrepancy analysis; and can be reached at

P.O. Box 680192
Park City, UT 84068
phone 435-658-4657

http://utahcountvotes.org
http://kathydopp.com
http://electionmathematics.org
http://electionarchive.org

Election Audit Mathematics Bibliography
http://electionarchive.org/ucvAnalysis/US/paper-audits/KathyDoppAuditMathBibliography.pdf

Support Clean Elections in 2008
http://electionarchive.org/ucvAnalysis/US/SupportCleanElectionsIn2008.pdf

Important Facts About The Voter Confidence & Increased Accessibility Act (HR811)
http://electionarchive.org/ucvInfo/US/FactsAboutHR811.pdf

"Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day," wrote Thomas Jefferson in 1816