June 22, 2004.  At a Capitol Hill rally, Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) continued to advocate for the Voter Confidence and Accessibility Act, H.R. 2239, which would require voting systems to "produce a voter-verified paper record suitable for a manual audit equivalent or superior to that of a paper ballot box system."  Joining him were Reps. Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Robert Wexler (FL-19), Jan Schakowsky (IL-9), John Lewis (GA-5), and Jay Inslee (WA-1), all Democrats, as well as representatives of Common Cause, Rock the Vote, Democracy for America, and Verified Voting.  Holt's bill has garnered scant Republican support and is tied up in the Committee on House Administration, chaired by Rep. Bob Ney (OH-18).  In comments after the event, Holt said, "I don't know any member of Congress who isn't hearing about this at town meetings."  "If this were not bottled up it would pass," he stated.  Kaptur said that that Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a Republican, has pressured local officials in Ohio to adopt the Diebold touch screen system.  Wexler has gone to state and federal court to challenge the touch-screen voting systems used in 15 counties in Florida on the grounds that they do not comply with the state's requirement for manual recounts.  He warned of "the potential for chaos in Florida that dwarfs 2000."
	Rep. John Lewis (GA-5).
	Chellie Pingree, president of Common Cause.
	Pamela Smith, nationwide coordinator for VerifiedVoting.org and Verified Voting Foundation.

Copyright © 2004  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action.