Elections Committee Paper Trail Legislation Report April 30, 2005
by Stan Merriman

The following is a brief report on the presentation we made at the Wed. hearings on HB 166 before the State House Committee on Elections:

• Approx. 20 public statements were made; only about 2 opposed paper trail/ballots
• Groups presenting included the PPC, Texas Dem. Party, Behrman representing the HCDP, Dan Wallach, ACLU, Common Cause, People for Amer. Way, Libertarian Party and officials from County Clerks Assn. (opposed.) and Large Counties Assn. (opposed) and a couple of Republicans (supported), Dana ...Dem. Travis County Clerk (supported and uses Hart)
• Our supporting presentations meshed well in approaches, with no "bomb throwing".
• Opponents were limited to the officialdom of election administrators and counties; argument: even though Texas is already allocated $100 million from HAVA (FEDS) for voting systems, this could be an unfunded mandate smaller voting jurisdictions could not afford and....the Fed. legislation, which trumps ours, is still an unpredictable "moving target"
• Of 7 Committee members, of which two are Dems, only 3 or 4 were present any any one time during the presentations. Questions from them were limited suggesting that minds were pretty well made up.
• Result. No vote as yet to move to floor or not. This was expected.
• Likely outcome: 50-50 change it will move to the floor. General hostility of Republican. majority to improving electoral process suggests negative result but miracles do happen. Officialdom opposition hurts as these are mainly Republicans.