The Problem

In the wake of the 2000 election, many elected officials, as well as civil rights and other progressive organizations saw touchscreen voting machines as a solution to many election problems. No more "hanging chads", better access for disabled voters, and enhanced oppotunities for language minorities. While these benefits were clear, it quickly became apparent that electronic voting that did not provide an independent means of verification posed a threat that far outweighed the benefits. Electronic voting systems have proven to be plagued with security vulnerabilities, prone to malfunction, and extremely expensive to maintain.

Recognizing the potential of enormous ongoing profits that would result from the widespread use of touchscreen voting machines, the voting industry spent millions lobbying for federal legislation that provided states with incentives to purchase those machines. The voting industry has thoroughly infiltrated the institutions that influence the decision-making at every level of the election process. The woefully inadequate and vendor-funded testing and certification process has provided state and local election officials a false sense of security and encouraged jurisdictions across the country to purchase of flawed and expensive technology.

It has been understandably convenient for those election officials who staked their careers on touchscreen voting systems, and spent millions of taxpayer dollars on them, to dismiss citizens concerned about the security and reliability of electronic voting systems as "conspiracy theorists" and fear-mongerers. It has been a long struggle to correct this misperception, but it has been corrected. Election meltdowns in primaries across the country this year, added to the hundreds of incidences experienced in 2004, have forced the mainstream media and the general public to recognize the enormity of the problem.

While academic and governmental reports continue to support citizens' concerns about the merits of paperless touchscreen voting systems; including the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Research Service, The Brennan Center, the National Research Council, the recent Princeton University Report. Last year, the Carter-Baker Commission recommended voter verified paper records of every vote, mandatory random audits, and public disclosure of voting system software, and while many states have adopted these safeguard, we still have seen no action at the federal level to address this obvious crisis.

VoteTrustUSA represents the thousands of patriotic Americans that have devoted their lives, most without any compensation, to improving the election process and ensuring the integrity of their vote. VoteTrustUSA represents the primary stakeholder in our elections - voters.

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