FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MANCHESTER – The Friends of Patrick Arnold PAC has launched a campaign website at Democracy for America’s DFA-Link.

Patrick Arnold, a resident of Manchester’s Ward 12, is running for State Representative to represent citizens of Manchester’s west side (Hillsborough Co., Dist. 17) in the State Legislature.

Jack Carroll, long-time member of the New Hampshire Fair Elections Committee will be assuming the role of official spokesperson, as Chair Nancy Tobi takes a hiatus and steps down from her leadership responsibilities with the Committee.

An electronic engineer, Jack has been instrumental in helping to craft and articulate committee positions regarding e-voting and other fair elections issues. He has been a leading voice and has often testified before the NH House for legislation to secure in statutory form many of our honored New Hampshire traditions for election integrity.

Last year, Jack co-authored testimony to the federal Election Assistance Commission regarding that agency's certification program for computerized voting systems.

Jack is a vocal supporter of transparent hand count voting systems, and has authored numerous opinion pieces on this subject as well as e-voting, and recently testified before the New Hampshire legislative sub-committee on e-voting.

We are honore

As a co-drafter of the Request By Voters letter to Congress ( wethepatriots.org ), I have been working with Nancy Tobi to find workable reform solutions that support citizen oversight of our elections and election integrity. Nancy has been an influential and leading national activist, who understands the importance of the partnership between citizens and election officials in creating meaningful election reform. Your contribution to this fundraising appeal will allow Ms. Tobi to meet with top state and local election officials from across the nation and promote our efforts in working with them to ensure election integrity for our nation. Ms. Tobi has a proven record of success in her home state of New Hampshire in drafting and getting passed positive election legislation. We need this now for the nation, and your contribution will help bring us closer to that goal. -Bev Harris, Black Box Voting

HB 192-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0458
03/05
HOUSE BILL 192-FN

AN ACT requiring vote counting by election officials at polling places using vote counting machines.

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Chase, Hills 2; Rep. B. Richardson, Ches 5; Rep. Hall, Hills 5; Rep. Clemons, Hills 24; Sen. Burling, Dist 5

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS

This bill requires that election officials count the votes for at least one office at each polling place using a vote counting machine.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0192.html

Hearing on this bill: TBD

DFNH FEC Position

We support this bill because we believe that democratic elections require solid checks and balances in order to ensure election integrity.

HB 186-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0337
03/01

HOUSE BILL 186-FN

AN ACT relative to random recounts.

SPONSORS: Rep. C. Chase, Hills 2; Rep. Clemons, Hills 24; Rep. Ryan, Merr 2; Rep. Morrison, Belk 2; Rep. B. Richardson, Ches 5; Sen. Burling, Dist 5; Sen. Cilley, Dist 6

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill requires the secretary of state to perform 3 recounts after each general election to verify the accuracy of electronic ballot counting machines.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0186.html

Hearing on this bill: TBD

DFNH FEC Position
We support this bill because we believe that democratic elections require solid checks and balances in order to ensure election integrity. We recommend that it be considered by a subcommittee.

HB 156 – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0858
03/01
HOUSE BILL 156

AN ACT relative to the membership of the ballot law commission

SPONSORS: Rep. Vaillancourt, Hills 15

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill establishes additional restrictions on who may be appointed to the ballot law commission.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0156.html

Hearing on this bill: TBD

DFNH FEC Position

We support this bill because we believe that there should be no conflict of interest or the potential for undue influence in the decisions made by the Ballot Law Commission.

In support of this legislation, we respectfully submit the following recommendations for amendments to strengthen the bill.

HB 141 – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0595
03/05
HOUSE BILL 141

AN ACT giving voters the option of bypassing voting machines.

SPONSORS: Rep. Hall, Hills 5; Rep. Harvey, Hills 21

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill requires that cities and towns using voting machines permit voters to bypass the voting machines and have their ballots counted by the election officials.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0141.html

Hearing on this bill: Tuesday Feb.6th 10:00 AM

DFNH FEC Position

We support this bill because we believe that democratic elections require full citizen oversight, which includes the method of vote counting. New Hampshire citizens have the right to reject the use of voting equipment if they feel this impairs or restricts their ability for citizen oversight of the election.

HB 138 – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0545
03/04

HOUSE BILL 138

AN ACT relative to disclosure of voting machine information.

SPONSORS: Rep. Pierce, Graf 9; Rep. C. Chase, Hills 2

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill requires public disclosure of certain information pertaining to voting machines.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0138.html

Hearing on this bill: Thursday Feb. 1st 10:30 AM

DFNH FEC Position

We support this bill because we believe that democratic elections require full citizen oversight over every aspect of the election process. We recommend that this bill be sent to a subcommittee for full study and analysis of the depth required to facilitate passage of the bill.

HB 136 – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0531
03/01

HOUSE BILL 136

AN ACT relative to approval of voting machines.

SPONSORS: Rep. Pierce, Graf 9; Rep. C. Chase, Hills 2

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill inserts an additional standard for approval of voting machines and devices by the ballot law commission.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0136.html

Hearing on this bill: Thursday Feb. 1st 10:00 AM

DFNH FEC Position

We support this bill because we believe the Ballot Law Commission must have clear guidance in approving voting machines.

The recommended language in this bill is taken from the expired rules of the Ballot Law Commission, which they had neither renewed prior to, nor applied in making, their March 10, 2006 decision to approve Diebold Accuvote Firmware V. 1.94 against the overwhelmingly majority wishes of approximately 75 citizens who came out on a rainy Friday morning to testify against the approval.

HB 128 – AS INTRODUCED
2007 SESSION
07-0422
03/05

HOUSE BILL 128
AN ACT establishing a committee to study ballot reform.

SPONSORS: Rep. Weed, Ches 3

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill establishes a committee to study ballot reform.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0128.html

Hearing on this bill: Tuesday Jan. 30 10:30 AM

DFNH FEC Position

We support this bill because we believe the matter of ballot design is a complex but significant issue affecting our ability to administer democratic elections.

In support of this legislation, we respectfully submit the following recommendations for amendments to strengthen the bill.

1. The composition of the study committee should be nonpartisan
2. The study committee should be expanded to include three citizens (also nonpartisan) to be appointed by the Secretary of State
3. The study committee should include a comprehensive study of ballot simplification to facilitate the administration of democratic elections.

HB 109 – AS INTRODUCED

2007 SESSION
07-0028
03/04

HOUSE BILL 109

AN ACT eliminating straight ticket voting.

SPONSORS: Rep. Vaillancourt, Hills 15; Rep. M. Smith, Straf 7; Rep. Messier, Hills 17; Rep. C. Chase, Hills 2; Rep. Wells, Rock 8; Sen. bnHassan, Dist 23; Sen. Barnes, Dist 17; Sen. Cilley, Dist 6; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 24

COMMITTEE: Election Law

ANALYSIS
This bill eliminates straight ticket voting.

Bill text here: http://gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0109.html

Hearing on this bill: TBD

DFNH FEC Position

We support passage of this bill because we believe it strengthens democratic elections.
1. Straight ticket voting encourages thoughtless democracy
2. Straight ticket ballots create an artificial subsidy of votes to candidates of major parties, allotting them unearned votes
3. Straight ticket ballots provide an open door to fraud, wherein ballots are easily swapped out because only one checkmark is necessary on a straight ticket vote

Newly proposed legislation would require hand count verification of at least one machine counted race on Election Night.

HOUSE BILL 192-FN

AN ACT requiring vote counting by election officials at polling places using vote counting machines.

read DFNH Fair Election Committee's testimony on this bill

DFNH FEC filmed veteran moderator Wally Fries of Danville, NH, last November, during their parallel hand count on Election Night.

Here is that video showing an election night parallel count in Danville November 2006. Right clickto download,

Democracy works with citizen oversight, checks and balances, and free and fair elections where the votes are sorted and counted in open meeting.

To this end, the DFNH Fair Elections Committee has secured the agreement of an undisclosed number of local election officials to conduct parallel hand counts on election night in machine count polling places. New Hampshire law appropriately defers to local control decisions, and so town and city moderators have the option of doing this if they so desire.

We have identified several places where the moderators have agreed to do this verification check of hand counted ballots against the Diebold optical scanner machine count.

We hope that other moderators will follow the lead of their colleagues and peers, and do the same, so that election integrity is assured in every NH polling place still using insecure, high-risk Diebold machines. In a sane world these machines would be outlawed, but since they are not (yet), We the People must do what we can for love of country.

So here is an alert to would-be tamperers with an eye to rigging NH elections:

WE ARE WATCHING. You have no idea which towns and which races will be counted by hand on election night. You might as well just back off New Hampshire. We are running clean elections here.