Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ), who's worked for several years to get a bill passed in Congress ensuring that voters can verify their votes on paper, and that those paper ballots are counted in mandatory audits and recounts. Today, HR 811, The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007, is getting close to passage.

A number of advocates who you think would cheer this development have turned instead to attacking it. Some of them are simply opposed to the federal government mandating how state elections should be run. Others are disappointed that the bill doesn't immediately outlaw DREs for the 2008 election. (What it does do is mandate that by November, 2008, every voter will have the chance to verify his or her vote on a paper ballot, and it ensures that every state will use that paper ballot in mandatory random audits. Without passage of HR 811, some 35 million voters will have to vote on paperless machines, and very few states will conduct audits.)

Yesterday, several of our interns attended a hearing in the Senate about an important voting rights issue; I've asked them to share their observations here. - Kirstin

Yesterday the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a subcommittee hearing to examine S. 453, to prohibit deceptive practices in federal elections. The sponsor of 'Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007,' Senator Obama (D-IL), offered testimony in addition to Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Feingold (D-WI). These three proponents addressed the "shameful amount" of "despicable" deceptive acts that plague campaigns and elections, specifically targeting minorities, and the need for strong penalties to prevent this form of voter intimidation, fraud and deception. Currently, there is no statute on the books that makes it a crime to offer misinformation as a means to alter a voter's conduct and such trickery exists as a dirty yet effective political tactic.

Witnesses testified before the committee, and some of them gave first-hand accounts of voter intimidation and suppression. Maryland County Executive Jack Johnson and Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler both endorsed this legislation because "the health of our democratic system depends on our ability to ensure that all citizens entitled to vote may do so."

Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher, once accused of hiring political supporters for state jobs and indicted for conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination, won the GOP primary for a second term Tuesday. Fletcher had a little more than 50 percent of the votes, compared to 2003 when 75 percent of Republicans supported him. Wonder why...

We've been updating you on Ernie Fletcher since the 16-month long investigation into his hiring practices and the first calls for his resignation started. After preemptively pardoning everyone in his administration who might be charged for hiring state employees based on their political affiliation, being arraigned, and more ethical violations, Fletcher managed to struck a deal with Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo. The criminal charges against Fletcher were dismissed, on which Stumbo later stated that it was `highly, highly unlikely that the governor would ever stand trial'. Nevertheless, a grand jury report released last November alleged the governor had approved a "widespread and coordinated plan" to skirt state hiring laws.

"Ethically challenged" Fletcher will run against Democrat Steve Beshear in the general election.

After many years around Congress and more hearings than I can count, I know how rare it is to walk out of a hearing feeling inspired and invigorated.

That's what happened today in the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee's hearing on the DC Voting Rights Act (S 1257).  It was the usual setup - two four-person panels, elected officals first, then the advocates and experts.  Nice to see Republicans supporting the bill - Sen. Hatch, Viet Dinh (author of Patriot Act), Rep. Tom Davis, the father of this bill.  Mayor Fenty testified and Wade Henderson of LCCR, one of the finest people you'll meet, who told his own DC story.

Eleanor Holmes Norton and Jack Kemp were the inspiration.  Norton spoke at eloquently about the Framers of the Constitution, telling the committee they never intended to disenfranchise DC - that the Framers knew how to disenfranchise people (blacks and women) but didn't do it to DC.  She told the story, in a cracking voice, of her great-grandfather walking off the plantation as a slave and coming to settle in DC, where her family has lived ever since.

Jack Kemp, just as emotional, pointed his finger at the ranking Republican, Susan Collins, and challenged her to break from the politically destructive path the Republican Party has gone down the past few decades: from Nixon's refusal to call Martin Luther King's wife while King was in jail in GA, to Barry Goldwater's vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  He lambasted the White House staffers who are talking about a veto and promised to make a strong argument to President Bush to sign the bill.

This bill has momentum and is headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC, 20500 - who's resident does have a voting representative in Congress.

The Real ID Act was signed in 2005 by President Bush, in order to "increase the security and to diminish the risks of terrorism in the post-9/11 era." It requires all states to give mountains of information to the federal government about the public to create a unified national ID.   

Many civil liberties organizations oppose Real ID and ask the states not to implement it or give data about their citizens to Washington, D.C.

Real ID creates major concerns over privacy. Indeed, Real ID would allow the federal government to know where you are at any moment: when you took a plane, when you came back home... And employees from the state, at all levels, would have access to this centralized information.  It gets worse: the production of this ID would be committed to private firms that could use information for commercial goals.

There have been some recent good pieces on the connection between the U.S. Attorney firings and the manufactured fear of voter fraud at the polls.

In yesterday's Washington Post, Michael Waldman and Justin Levitt of the Brennan Center for Justice wrote:

See also the Brennan Center's new Web site, truthaboutfraud.org, debunking the myth of rampant voter fraud.

Yesterday's LA Times had an OpEd, "Bush's long history of tilting Justice" by Joe Rich, who I mentioned in my earlier post on this subject. Rich had this to say:

Back in November, Denver voters got quite the slap in the face on Election Day. Lines were up to three hours long, election judges weren't properly trained, software malfunctioned, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. As a result, in January, we held a special election to eliminate the Denver Election Commission and replace them with one elected Clerk and Recorder who can be held accountable to the public. Voters were obviously telling the Commission they weren't doing a good job.

So, as we head into a May 1st Municipal election in Denver, voters are being slapped in the face...again. The Election Commission has deactivated 117,038 Denver voters because they didn't vote in November and January. These voters were sent a postcard telling them they are inactive and asking them if they would like to reactivate themselves. Of the 117,000 cards sent out, only 11,000 people have responded. Unless these people request a ballot, they will not receive one in the mail.

To read the full editorial in the Denver Post, click here.

We will continue to pressure the DEC to contact these "inactive" voters again, and to launch an aggressive campaign to inform Denverites that there is an election coming up.

Last day to register to vote is Monday, April 2nd.

While the scandal surrounding the U.S. Attorney firings has prompted us to again ask activists to join the call for an Independent Ethics Commission for Congress (click here to find out more), I wanted to point out a few sources that have been discussing the "Voter Fraud" connection with some interesting angles.

At the Campaign Legal Center, a post by Gerry Hebert, former DOJ offical, contained this: