Feds HAVA Key to Mauro-Culver Split

A new federal bill could resolve the tension between two of Iowa’s top Democrats–the Governor and the Secretary of State. Today’s Register reports
that Mauro wants to get all our votes on paper ballots, but Culver is
content to buy “paper trails” for the tempermental touchscreens that
now infect the state’s polling places.

It’s a question of money (big surprise!). The good stuff that Mauro
wants costs $10 million. Culver is content to waste $2 million on the
widely cussed paper trail printers.

They should put their egos aside for a minute and agree on one
thing: to call on our state’s Congressmen to support the brand new HR
5036. That new bill
by New Jersey’s Rush Holt pays for replacement equipment when states
wise up and dump their DRE touchscreens. It is not a mandatory bill, so
there is only one point of contention: Do we have the money in the
federal budget to mop up the mess HAVA made of voting machines all over
the nation. States that are loving their mess don’t have to do a thing.
States that are ready to wash up can have the soap paid for by the
Congress that caused this problem in the first place.

None of Iowa’s Congressmen have signed on to this bill yet. I called
Latham’s office in Fort Dodge this morning. Can you do your part?

Boswell in Des Moines (toll free) (888) 432-1984
Braley in Davenport: (563) 323-5988 or more choices
Latham in Ames: 515-232-2885 or tom.latham@mail.house.gov
Loebsack: email or in Cedar Rapids 319-363-2288
King on the web or in Sioux City call 712.224.4692