AB 2097 was put on Suspense by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill will have a second hearing on Wednesday May 24th, when its fate will be determined by the Chair of the committee, Assemblymember Judy Chu. This crucial piece of legislation will require that all technical details, including the computer source code (written by software programmers) of computerized vote tabulating systems by publicly disclosed by June 30, 2007.
Contact the members of the Assembly Appropriations committee before the May 24th hearing and urge them to vote this bill out of committee and onto the Assembly Floor. Let the members of that committee know Californians want a reliable, verifiable, trustworthy, and affordable voting system.
Why the need for AB 2097? There has been very little testing of current electronic elections systems. Independent testers even with limited access have found serious flaws in the current systems. AB 2097 will allow the public more access to scrutinize elections software and machines. If passed, it will ensure California won't find itself in legal battles over elections fraud as seen in Ohio and Florida in past elections. This vital piece of legislation will save California from lengthy and expensive legal battles if the results of an election ever challenged.
AB 2097 is an important step in securing the validity of California Elections, and allowing the public more access and input of current and continuously evolving voting systems. Now is the time for people to Speak Out.
