Topic: DRE

A new hero enters Tennessee’s history books

By Bernie Ellis | June 21, 2009 |

Every Tennessee school child learns early on that our state has been blessed with heros throughout its history. Davy Crockett at the Alamo, Alvin York in the trenches of World War I Europe – we continue to revere the honorable people who sprang from our hills and hollows with the in-borne courage to do the next right thing when they were called on to do so. There are three other heros – two long-gone now and one who is still very much alive – who helped expand our franchise and, in the process, helped save our democracy. The two deceased heros were Harry Burn and Ben West. The third hero, the one who still walks among us, is Senator Tim Burchett of Knoxville.

Harry Burn was a first-term Republican state representative from McMinn county, the youngest Tennessee state legislator serving in 1920 when women’s suffrage hung in the balance in our state. Back then, only one state was needed to ratify the Nineteenth amendment to the US Constitution, an amendment that would give women the right to vote. Like many legislators at the time, Representative Burn was under extreme pressure from sexist politicians back home to oppose the amendment, to keep women “in their place”. Some even believed that Rep. Burn was a safe bet to vote against suffrage, since he wore a red rose on his lapel, a color then (and now) that represented exclusion and disenfranchisement. But as the pivotal vote approached, «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Commentary | 2 Comments

Your Email action is needed now to ensure verifiable voting in 2008 elections

February 11, 2008 |

The most important message to send to TN lawmakers is: We must have paper ballots in time for the 2008 Presidential election!

The house state & local government committee rolled our bill (HB 1256) from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12 – this coming Tuesday. It will be heard at 10:30 in Room 16 at Legislative Plaza.

The senate state & local government committee will be hearing our bill (SB 1363) that same day at noon in Room 12.

We expect (but aren’t sure) that both bills will pass out of the committees. The next stop is the Finance, Ways & Means committee where the members will consider how the bill would be funded. This is where we anticipate the most difficulty.

However, there are reasons to be hopeful «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | 2 Comments

Fate of Electronic Voting Debated: Your Testimony Urgently Needed!

By Debbie Boen | July 24, 2007 |

Citizens have until 5:00 PM Tuesday, July 24th, to fax / email their testimony to the Senate Rules Committee on S1487, Senator Diane Feinstein’s weak election reform bill, which threatens to eliminate the ban on paperless electronic voting contained in Rep Rush Holt’s bill, HR 811. Georgia election officials oppose HR 811 because it threatens our system of paperless electronic voting in Georgia; Defenders of Democracy supports HR 811 for the same reason. Take These Actions NOW

1. Submit your public testimony to Senator Feinstein for the Wednesday, July 25th, Rules and Administration Committee Hearing on S 1487. Testimony MUST be received by Tuesday 5PM and it will be included in official record. Send email to: .gov or fax to: Sue Wright 202 224 5400. State BEFORE your comments that you are providing testimony or comments for submission into the record of S1487 hearings. Include your name, organization, address, and other pertinent contact information, and be sure that it is submitted by 5 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Politics | 1 Comment »

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