Cadem Resolution: Supporting Open Source Software for Electronic Voting Machines

Resolution Number SAC07.12

WHEREAS, public confidence in the integrity of the election system in the United States is declining; and voting machines and the computers that add vote totals are being run with computer programs or software that can substantially change vote totals in subtle ways that are difficult to detect; and

WHEREAS, we the people have the right to know exactly how votes are processed, to have transparent elections, and to have computer scientists analyze open source code for malicious code which could be used to manipulate elections; and

WHEREAS, proprietary computer software denies us this right to know, inner workings of the computerized vote counting hardware are secret;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the California Democratic Party calls upon the California Secretary of State, and all California state legislators to support, pass, and implement legislation requiring that all technology used in processing our votes shall be publicly disclosed; and that such technology shall end secrecy in vote tabulation, produce a paper ballot as the official record of the vote, be scientifically verifiable, multi-lingual, and handicapped-accessible, and be designed to accommodate non-traditional voting schemata when required by county registrars; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution should be distributed to the California Democratic State and Federal delegation as well as the State's Democratic State Constitutional Officers.

Drafted by Thomas Gangale
Chair, Issues and Legislation Committee, Sonoma County Democratic Party

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Adopted by the Executive Board
Of the California Democratic Party
At Its Executive Board Meeting
Radisson Hotel, Sacramento
July 15, 2007