Poll Monitoring

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Of the many controversies surrounding the 2000 presidential election, one of the most alarming was that some registered voters found many obstacles to casting their ballots. With new procedures and technologies for voting, we must ensure the reliability, access, security, and integrity of polling systems by understanding regulations and standards and by keeping officials and candidates accountable.

• In 2004, People for the American Way is working to increase voter education and to train volunteers for on-site poll monitoring in over 20 states. In each state, they have published Voter Bill of Rights and will provide a hotline for people having questions or problems with voting. To read about their work or to volunteer, go to www.ElectionProtection.org .
• The Federal Elections Commission provides information, by state, about the administrative structures of state election commissions, including who is qualified to monitor the polls on Election Day.
• The FEC also provides specific information on voting machine standards .

Voting Security

In 2002, Congress passed the Help American Vote Act (HAVA). HAVA allocated $3.86 billion for states to replace old voting machines with new ones. While touch screen computer voting provides accessibility for people with disabilities and other amenities previously unavailable, electronic voting systems have raised many concerns, from both computer scientists and advocates, about the possibility of election fraud. Advocates are calling for a paper trail to ensure reliability of electronic voting. Pending Congressional legislation, The "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act" (HR2239/S1980), introduced by Rep. Rush Holt in the House and Sen. Bob Graham in the US Senate would resolve much of the debate around voter technology and implementation of HAVA.

• General Assembly Action for Immediate Witness on Electronic Voting!
• TrueMajority’s “Computer Ate My Vote” campaign is about protecting the integrity of America’s elections.
• VerifiedVoting.org champions transparent, reliable, and publicly verifiable elections in the United States.
• Unitarian Universalists for Verified Voting has taken the lead on helping UUs take action in response to the General Assembly passing an Action for Immediate Witness on Electronic Voting.
• Teresa Hommel, founder of Where's the Paper.org, is Chair of the Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist Task Force on Help America Vote Act (HAVA). She is available to provide a workshop that includes demonstration of computer voting, the issues involved and how you can act! Contact Sarah Craft, Voting Project Coordinato, voting@uua.org , by email or at 202-296-4672 x22 to arrange a workshop.

Contact Sarah Craft, UUA Voting Project Coordinator, voting@uua.org , with questions, resources, concerns, news, reports, and ideas about your congregation’s current or potential voting project.

Sign up for the UUA’s Voter-News E-mail List for weekly updates on voter resources and a chance to share your congregation’s activities and successes.

Unitarian Universalist Association
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