Commentary

The Hill
August 2, 2007
Op-Ed

The 2008 primary season wont kick off until next January, but were ready to offer one surefire prediction for Election Day 2008. If our elected officials dont move quickly, millions of Americans will make their choice for the next president on unreliable electronic voting machines without any paper record of their vote. Regardless of your political leanings, thats a troubling thought.

By Michael Waldman
The Huffington Post
July 10, 2007

As progressives prepare for the political season, we might rue the “one that got away.” There’s a rare chance to reform voting laws to expand the electorate and strengthen democracy, not just next year but for the next decade. But election reform in 2008 must start in 2007—and time is slipping by.

(As published in Talking Points Memo)

Seven years after Florida’s hanging chad debacle, three years after voting irregularities in Ohio, and six months after 18,000 votes disappeared in a House race in Sarasota, Congress is finally moving to fix the country’s electronic voting systems. Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) has introduced legislation to mandate improvements to ensure that our voting machines are secure and accurate, and the bill is on the fast-track in the House. It may come to a vote next week.

This is a significant breakthrough.