| In your standard textbook democracy, having fail-safes in place to make sure voters have their say would be welcomed—and for a while, it looked like New Jersey Democratic rep Rush Holt had just the fail-safe. In January, his Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act was embraced by Democrat and Republican alike. But then the only administration to rouse widespread doubt in the veracity of its assumption of power stepped in, and now the act lies dead.
In 2003, Holt’s first run at traceable results called for a mandatory paper output on e-voting machines. It was met with strong opposition from Republicans, who said it would contravene states’ rights. The newly written act, however, was to be wholly optional, merely providing assistance to states that wished to have audit technology installed. “Everybody, Democrat and Republican, would prefer fewer disputed elections and better ways of resolving disputes,” Holt said.
Not everyone. The White House argued that the act was unnecessary in light of Bush’s Help America Vote Act, which has mainly just simplified voter intimidation and complicated the voting process. Suddenly, on April 15, once-warm Republicans turned against Holt’s proposal, though insisting their about-face is purely the result of Holt’s final projected costs.
by SCOTT SAXON |
