7 Steps You Can Take Now
Congress is in chaos over the Holt bill, HR 811. It was even called “Microsoft 811″ yesterday by Alcee Hastings, a Floridian on the Rules Committee which refused to advance the bill.
Courtesy of activist Bob Bancroft from VotersUnite.org here are 7 steps you can take in the wake of this blowup:
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Action Plan: 7 Easy Steps to Keep the Signal Loud & Clear
(1) Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Chair, House Rules Committee
(202) 225-3615, Fax (202) 225-7822
Applaud Rep. Slaughter’s courageous stand against the serious flaws in the Holt bill. Ask her to insist on a good bill. Urge her to resist any pressure from House leadership to move a badly compromised bill forward.
(2) Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Member, House Rules Committee
(202) 225-1313, Fax (202) 225-1171
Applaud Rep. Hastings’ powerful stand on behalf of We the People. Let him know that he has your full support as he continues to insist on complete transparency and disclosure in our elections.
(3) David Dreier (R-CA), Ranking Minority Member, House Rules Committee
(202) 225-2305, Fax (202) 225-7018
Ask Rep. Dreier to begin to play a constructive role, on behalf of his party, in this important debate. Remind him of the compelling results of CA’s own Top-to-Bottom review. He knows these machines are not fit for use in our elections. We all know it. Ask him to help transfer that knowledge into law.
(4) Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Leader
202.225.3130 (Leader’s office), (202) 225-4131 (Personal office), Fax (202) 225-4300
Tell Rep. Hoyer that he must cease his continued attempts to force expensive, unfit, unwanted technology upon us. With the help of People For the American Way, he has managed to steer this bill even further off course. The reaction of his own party, and the subsequent exploitation of this by House Republicans, is a direct result of Hoyer’s bad judgment. Help him get his priorities straight!
(5) Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Speaker of the House
(202) 225-0100 (Speaker’s office), (202) 225-4965 (Personal office)
Tell Speaker Pelosi that her leadership is needed on this issue. Explain to her that the Majority Leader has been unduly influenced by lobbyists like Jim Dickson, and that he is attempting to force a bill that neither the American people, nor even ranking members of her own party, desire. Ask Speaker Pelosi to intervene, and help deliver a clean bill that will restore the public confidence in our elections.
(6) Susan Davis (D-CA)
(202) 225-2040, Fax (202) 225-2948
Thank Rep. Davis for her brave amendment to curtail DREs. Let her know that she is on the right track, and that she has the support of many, including grassroots watchdog groups, large advocacy groups such as MoveOn.org, and major periodicals such as The New York Times. Ask her to consider revising her amendment to require an outright ban on DRE voting, along with full disclosure and transparency in our elections.
(7) John Boehner (R-OH), Minority Leader
(202) 225-4000 (Leader’s office), Fax (202) 225-5117 (Leader’s), (202) 225-6205 (Personal office)
Ask Rep. Boehner to do something more constructive than simply poking fun at Democrats who disagree with each other. Remind him that Rep. Slaughter took the right stand, and should not be chastised for it. Tell Rep. Boehner that he should work with his party to offer a clean bill that addresses the following core requirements: (1) full transparency and disclosure, (2) full deference to States rights, (3) an end to the failed experiment of electronic voting. Tell him that you are counting on him to set aside the partisan politics, and work with all interested parties to address the badly eroded public confidence in our elections.
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Yesterday I made the calls I was asking you to make. It took less than a minute for each one and the note-taker at the Congressional office was accommodating in each case. Surely you can find one or more of these calls appealing to you. The calls to Davis and Hastings should be especially fun to make. As soon as I push the Publish button for this post, I’ll start my own calling, so if you get a busy signal, that’s probably me tying up the line. Let freedom RING!