UPDATE ON ELECTION PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR VIRGINIA: CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!

SCSV Election Protection Program for Virginia

BREAKING UPDATE:  Charlottesville City will now also offer optical scan paper ballots to voters who otherwise would have been subjected to long lines at the polls.  Read the story here.

UPDATE ON VA:  The 2007 law barring the purchase of new touchscreens is starting to have its effect:  Fairfax County and Arlington City will now provide voters with the option of voting on touchscreens or paper ballots (optical scan).  Due to the large projected turnout, touchscreens couldn't handle all the voters, but a precinct only needs one optical scan machine and if it breaks down, voting is not interupted.

BREAKING NEWS: General Assembly Passes SB35!!!!  The Governor is expected to sign this legislation.  SB35 is the first step towards having real recounts in Virginia.  Up to this point, election officials can only retabulate what the voting machine print out says and can never actually count real ballots.  With touchscreens there is no real ballots to count, but with optical scan (and since the state is moving slowly towards optical scan) we can actually recount the ballots and get closer to more accurate election results.

In 2007, Virginia passed HB2707 and SB840 which banned the future purchase of any touchscreens after July 1, 2007, regardless of whether or not they have VVPAT.  As the machines breakdown or as the localities chose, the state will move to 100% paper ballot based optical scan.

The Governor attempted to delay this ban until July 1, 2008 in order to allow localities to stockpile touchscreens so they would have back-ups to replace those which breakdown due to poor condition and design.  The House of Delegates rejected this Governor's amendment in a highly contested vote of 49-49. Certain election officials and others who don't believe in transparent and accurate elections tried desperately to pass this amendment by providing false, illogical, and misleading statements to confuse lawmakers.  Fortunately, the House of Delegates was able to see through the smokescreen and made sure the ban went into effect as soon as possible.

In the General Assembly session of 2006, two bills were put forward, passed a few committees, and then were killed for the year.  The State Board of Elections continues to be hostile towards any form of security or verification of the votes, leaving Virginia's elections vulnerable to all sorts of tampering and malfunction.

The General Assembly goes back into session in January of 2009 and we have to be ready.  Please sign up for action alerts, so you can help fight to protect our sacred Democracy in the Commonwealth.