Local government organizations oppose Voter Confidence bill
Saying it is “fraught with problems,” several national local government organizations, such as the Washington-based National Association of Counties (NACo), are trying to block passage of the proposed Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act. The act would require the use of voting machines that provide voter-verified paper records in time for the 2008 presidential election.
Proponents of legislation under consideration in the House, H.R. 811, say it is necessary to ensure the validity of election results. NACo and other opponents say H.R. 811’s sponsors didn’t get enough input from state and local officials.
Most states already use such machines, NACo and the other groups contend in a Sept. 18 letter to Congress. “H.R. 811 would preempt [state] laws, requiring states to replace equipment they purchased to comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 — even if [that equipment] already offers a voter-verified paper trail — with technology that does not exist yet,” the letter states. “As a result, it imposes an unfunded federal mandate of unknown proportions.”
Jackson County, Mich., Commissioner and NACo board member Gail Mahoney, in testimony before the House Administration Committee in March, said H.R. 811, if passed, would damage public confidence in the nations’ elections because it would wreak havoc on the 2008 elections. A transcript of Mahoney’s testimony, and more information on the opposition to the Voter’s Confidence Act, are available at www.naco.org.