Political Quotes

“elections are the bedrock of our republic. Our capacity to function as a tripartite government of co-equal branches rests in the public's assurance that those of us entrusted to administer and legislate assumed our offices through free, fair and open elections. I laud Congressman Rush Holt and his efforts to ensure the integrity and accuracy of our voting system. However, today I must rise in opposition to H.R. 5036, the Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008. H.R. 5036 acknowledges that problems exist in our system of voting, and that without action now these problems will grow. For this reason the legislation has merit. While H.R. 5036 includes a provision to reimburse jurisdictions that convert their paperless voting system to one that includes a paper trail, it may also include optical scan technology. I have serious concerns with optical scan technology and its susceptibility to hacks and security breaches. Recent tests and research have demonstrated the ease with which a person can manipulate the configuration files to change votes. What's more, most of the equipment necessary to accomplish this can be purchased off-the-shelf at most technology stores. Indeed, our voting system needs improvement, but replacing one flawed technology with another will do little to garner public faith in the electoral process.”