Given the Secretary of State's status as co-chair of the Arizona Bush-Cheney
re-election campaign, and the implication that the Dist 20 situation may indicate
that statewide election manipulations by state officials can not entirely be ruled out,
The Progressive Caucus
is on record calling for the Democratic Party to act aggressively to assure the voters of Arizona that the system for counting votes can be trusted.
Many people already feel that no other issue matters if election system reform cannot be accomplished.
ARIZONA ELECTIONS RESOLUTION
DNC: SET UP A NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE
CRITICAL Legislative Action:
Election System Integrity Bills for the Current Session
SB 1557 - CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATORS NOW
URGE THEM TO PASS THIS
This Senate Bill can be reconciled in the House vote with the reform agenda. Currently, Republican Senators, led
by Huppenthal, are trying to attach amendments to it that will essentially neutralize it, but we need it to pass
in whatever form it can pass, so the issue can stay alive. Sen. Karen Johnson is the sponsor, Sen. Paula Aboud
is working with their Senate colleagues. Lots of email or calling would help.
Sen. Albert Hale - Dist. 2
ahale@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-4323
Richard Miranda - Dist. 13
rmiranda@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-5911
Sen. Bill Brotherton - Dist. 14
bbrother@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-4485
Sen. Ken Cheuvront - Dist. 15
kcheuvro@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-5325
Linda Aguirre - Dist. 16
laguirre@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-3830
Harry E. Mitchell - Dist. 17
hmitchel@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-4124
Sen. Rebecca Rios - Dist. 23
rrios@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-5685
Sen. Robert Cannell - Dist. 24
rcannell@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-4139
Sen. Marsha Arzberger - Dist. 25
marzberg@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-4321
Sen. Jorge Luis Garcia - Dist. 27
jgarcia@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-4171
Sen. Paula Aboud - Dist. 28
paboud@azleg.com
(602) 926-5262
Sen. Victor Soltero - Dist. 29
vsoltero@azleg.state.az.us
(602) 926-5342
HB2635 - voting equipment, source code escrow
Rep Ted Downing (D)
This would require the Secretary of State to place machine source code in escrow
with an independent agent, overseen by a 3 person committee to investigate and
test vote recording and tabulations machines.
HB2638 - verifiable paper ballot
Rep Ted Downing (D) Dist 28, Steve Gallardo (D) Dist 13 (Former Maricopa County Assistant Elections Director), Phil Lopes (D) Dist 27
This would require the use of a paper ballot that the voter can verify to subsequently be counted by
vote tabulating equipment.
Background
The Secretary of State of Arizona, the top state official in charge of
assuring the integrity of voting systems, recently issued a surprise
"buy" of 11 million dollars worth of problematic Diebold voting machines on
New Year's Eve. Then, Secretary Brewer invited voting integrity activists
to her campaign opening announcement a few days later. Surprised
when they showed up to protest the Diebold buy, she berated them as "conspiracy
theorists and anarchists."
A few weeks earlier, when asked how she decided, in a way that hides the
ballot evidence from scrutiny, how to deal with the problematic recount of
the Nov 2005 Dist 20 election, Ms. Brewer referred to consulting "angels on my
shoulder."
Apparently Arizona is following the examples of Florida and Ohio,
where the top election officials were also chairs of the campaign to
elect Bush and committed Republicans. What do we have when we have
an election system run by people who are part of a culture of
corruption with delusions of angel-sanctioned righteousness that trumps
public accountability and the rule of law?
Maricopa County's Ballots
Almost 500 votes that weren't counted in the original District 20 election turned
up when
ballots cast in the 2004 Republican primary were run through machines
for an automated recount. This reversed the original election. The original
ballots have not been accessible for a hand recount and have been in an unsecure
warehouse since the election.
Sen. Jack Harper has been trying to get the original ballots inspected, and
other Republicans and Maricopa officials have been trying to keep them from being inspected.
Investigative Journalist John Dougherty on Maricopa County
Phoenix New Times' reporter just found out that the ballots from the 2004 election had been stored in an unsecure facility, and
summarizes the situation. 40minutes Charles Goyette Show, Air America Phoenix 1010am. 1-19-06
Suggestion: call or email your state senator and ask them to support Sen. Jack Harper's efforts to
get the Maricopa County recount mess out into the open so the lessons for the rest of the state can
be learned in time for the 2006 election.
Independent Research into Arizona Voting Integrity Factors
AUDIT AZ, a group of researchers and lawyers digging into election technology
and promoting public accountability for election administrators are unearthing significant issues
in Arizona with national implications. Arizona may have been a test bed for methology used
in Ohio and elsewhere.
Printable pdf version of AUDITAZ newsletters
Description of "Hack and Stack" Method of Manipulating Elections
Why Arizona Diebold Buy Must Be Stopped
Arizona Citizens for Election Reform
Voters Unite - a National Group
Voters Trust USA
Yahoo Group Discussion
THE IRAQ WAR
Many people in Arizona - Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike - have sons, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives
or cousins serving with the US military or are employed with US companies in Iraq.
We are all concerned, as American patriots, with the policies that sent Americans over there, and the outcome of the war.
We have lost confidence in the Administration's ability to be able tell the truth from self serving PR, and want to see
Congress and the legislature to assure us of greater accountability. We want the truth about the true cause for which the
Administration led the US into war in Iraq, and about abuses such as those involving taxpayer dollars spent in contracting
by Halliburton and the use of white phosphorous on civilians.
Resolution Calling for Withdrawal From Iraq
Resolution Demanding an Inquiry of Iraq War Abuses
