The Facts

“We don’t care who you vote for, only that your vote is properly counted.”

1. Existing law considers an electronic touchscreen to be a ballot, along with the traditional definition of a marked “card” or piece of paper. (Elections Code 301(e)).
2. Supporters of the Tangible Ballot Initiative believe that it is a mistake to consider an “electronic touchscreen” to be a “ballot.” The reason for this is that the voter’s choice is not permanently recorded on an electronic touchscreen “ballot,” and it is permanently recorded on a tangible paper ballot.
3. We believe an electronic touchscreen should not be legally considered a “ballot” because:
   • Computer “glitches” are known to happen.
   • Computer hacking is a well practiced art form, and it is inevitable that persons will attempt to hack into electronic voting machines.
   • We have had close elections in recent years where there have been controversies regarding the vote count.
4. We can only have true confidence in verifying the vote count if the proof of the vote is tangible. Tangible ballots are the best proof of how people actually voted.
5. The purported alternative safeguards for auditing electronic touchscreen votes are not secure. The “paper trail” created from electronic touch screen voting is not the official “ballot,” according to California Elections Code §301. Any discrepancies, anomalies, or hacking activity which takes place at the electronic voting stage will be passed through to the paper trail created after the fact.
6. This is a non-partisan movement of persons who believe strongly in democracy, that each person’s vote should count. “We don’t care who you vote for, just that your vote is properly counted.”
7. We welcome your contributions to this important cause, whether monetary, and/or by effort or services or other means of support.

Download Library

A Modern Defense of Democracy

A detailed essay on why democracy remains the best choice today.
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E-Voting machines face decertification

A great article by nationally recognized voting-rights activist Tom Courbat on what's wrong with voting machines.
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Top-to-Bottom Review of Voting Machines

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen performed a top-to-bottom review of voting machines used in California.
Read about it here >

Register to Vote!

If you are eligible to vote but have not yet registered, you can follow these links to do so:
Application to register to vote in California >
Online guide to voter registration in California >