Raising money, awareness for voting integrity

 

By Gary Weckselblatt, Bucks County Courier Times/Intelligencer, March 8, 2009

Lori Rosolowsky wants casting a ballot to work the same way as withdrawing money from an ATM.

Push a few buttons, get a receipt, a statement is sent to your residence and the bank has a record of the transaction.

Everyone's happy.

But not everyone's happy with the way votes are now recorded.

"The bottom line," Rosolowsky said, "the only verifiable method of voting that's currently available is paper ballots."

That's been the position of the Coalition for Voting Integrity, a local group whose volunteers have fought for the use of paper ballots to ensure the legitimacy of an individual's vote.

The have asked Bucks County Commissioners to replace Danaher electronic voting machines with systems - such as optical scanners - that let voters fill out paper ballots and verify them at the time of the vote.

More than 100 people showed up for the nonprofit group's fundraiser in Doylestown on Saturday at the home of Chris and Maureen Serpico.

"We're here to raise awareness and to raise money," Rosolowsky said. "You can't raise awareness without money."

Rosolowsky, of Buckingham, is co-host of the weekly radio show "Voice of the Voters," that can be heard Wednesday's from 8 to 9 p.m. on the internet at www.voiceofthevoters.com.

"It's a very important program," said Madeline Rawley, an ardent voting integrity activist.

Rawley, who often attends commissioners meetings, has told every politician who'll listen that although the machines are easy to use, they are flawed in their inability to conduct a paper recount.

"It's not Democrat, it's not Republican," said Ruth Matheny, a co-founder of the group. "It's putting the vote in our hands.

"Electronic machines could be perfect, but we don't have proof because there's no way to check," she said.

Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy and Republican state Sen. Chuck McIlhinney voiced support for the group at the fundraiser.

"A lot of people don't have confidence in the current system and we're trying to find solutions to make it better," Murphy said.

McIlhinney told the crowd that "if there's not faith in the vote the whole system unravels."

The Bucks County senator said he is uncomfortable with terms like "cyberland and algorhythms" in the election process.

"I don't think that's the way to go. I'm not saying it's happening, but there's too much potential for altering votes," McIlhinney said.

He said he agrees with the group's "concept of having accountability in the election process."

Said Rosolowsky, "If you don't get the vote right what do you have? Look at what's happening now (in Washington). Who made the decisions to get us where we are now? Who should be in control, the citizens."

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