Saturday, April 29, 2006

*** Update on SB1557 ***

Senate Bill 1557 (SB1557) is going through some amendments in the House. Republican Representative Jonathan Paton has made some amendments that are a good compromise between what all sides of the issue wanted. The end result appears that a decent bill could be passed, that will help secure election integrity. You can read the amendments by clicking here.

Negotiations between elections directors President Brad Nelson, (Pima), Director Karen Osborne (Maricopa), Senator Karen Johnson (R) and Representative Ted Downing (D) and many other elections, legislative, and citizen leaders have been underway to amend SB1557 in a manner that represents all of the interested concerns. This is a bipartisan compromise in the interest of public confidence in our elections systems in Arizona.

We need letters and email to all the legislators in support of the negotiated bill amendments. Please contact your legislators and let them know you support the Paton amendments and the passage of SB1557 in amended form.

The amendments and bill would result in several changes including:

• A reduction in voter wait time
• 2% random sample of the precincts and hand counts by parties with volunteers
• Durable paper ballot
• Defined "triggers" to expansion of a hand count
  

You can contact your Senators here and your Representatives here.

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