[Nfbmt] [Action Alert] HB 428 Hearing Friday, February 15 at 8:00 AM

[d m gina]

Very good,
I don't write as well as you do,
Where I did vote, adding to the list of voters.

Original message:
> Here's what I posted to the Legislature's web message sysem for the
> House State Administration. Please note that we are not opposing this
> bill because it is a mail ballot, but because it makes no provisions
> for accessible voting.

> ****

> Madame Chair and Members of the Committee -

> The National Federation of the Blind of Montana opposes HB428 because
> it makes no provisions for accessible voting for blind and other
> Montanans with disabilities. Further, permitting that there need be
> only one drop off location creates additional accessibility issues for
> voters who do not drive due to disability, forcing us to rely on a
> third party to mark our ballots or not to vote at all.

> Having at long last secured the inalienable right to private and
> independent voting under HAVA, we want more of it, not less.  This
> bill strikes me as a re-tread from previous sessions, and yet is still
> only half-formed. Please vote "no."

> Respectfully,
> Dan Burke, President NFB MT


> ****


> On 2/14/13, Dan Burke <burke.dall at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Greetings,

>> I believe we should oppose this bill, HB428, described below, because
>> it doesn't make any provisions for accessible voting and could allow
>> counties to have only one drop for mail ballots.  In those communities
>> with little or no public transportation, that might mean that a blind
>> voter would not be able to go to the county courthouse easily to use
>> the AutoMark and vote privately.  And that is only if the AutoMark is
>> used, something not required by the bill.  Montana's Independent
>> Living Centers and Disability Rights Montana oppose this bill.

>> So, here's the drill once again:

>> HB428 oppose
>> hearing tomorrow, Feb 15
>> House State Administration Committee

>> You can make one call to the House State Administration Committee, or
>> send one message to the committee on the web form.  Be sure to
>> identify ourself as a member of the NFB of Montana.

>> By Telephone
>> The Legislative Information Desk
>> (406) 444-4800
>> 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to adjournment on Saturdays.

>> Online
>> You can leave a message via the online contact form for an entire
>> committee, just check the box for Committee and in this case select
>> H-State Administration

>> http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/63rd/legwebmessage.asp

>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Montana IL Action Alert on behalf of Travis Hoffman
>> <montana-il-action-alert at googlegroups.com>
>> Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:08:16 -0700
>> Subject: [Action Alert] HB 428 Hearing Friday, February 15 at 8:00 AM
>> To: Action Alert System <montana-il-action-alert at googlegroups.com>

>> Hello,

>> On Friday, February 15, 2013 at 8:00 AM the House State Administration
>> Committee will be holding a hearing on HB 428, a bill that would enact a
>> huge change in the way we vote and let counties decide to eliminate polling
>> places to instead implement mail ballot elections.

>> Montana's Centers for Independent Living are opposed to HB 428 because it
>> makes no accommodations for voters with disabilities.  In order for a mail
>> ballot system to work there must be adequate systems in place to ensure
>> accessibility for voters with disabilities and to ensure that voters with
>> disabilities are able to cast a private ballot.  This bill does not make
>> any
>> such assurances.

>> Even though it would bring about a radical change the way that these
>> elections are conducted by eliminating polling places, the HB 428 is only 2
>> pages long.  That is because the bill does not amend many of the current
>> mail ballot provisions to accommodate state and federal elections that
>> usually attract far more interest than municipal and smaller elections that
>> can currently be run by mail.

>> 1.   For people with disabilities who need accessible voting machines to
>> fill out a ballot, the elimination of polling places in favor of mail only
>> ballots could constitute a substantial obstacle to voting.

>> Some voters with sight impairments or mobility impairments that prevent the
>> use of a pencil or pen need to use the AutoMARK machine to complete their
>> ballot.  For them, mail ballots are no more convenient than voting at
>> polling places.  In fact, because there will no longer be polling places
>> which are all required by federal law (HAVA) to have an accessible voting
>> machine, finding an AutoMARK and filling out the ballot will be far more
>> difficult.  Practically, some of these voters will have to give up what
>> many
>> people take for granted -- a private ballot.

>> 2.   HB 428 requires just one "place of deposit" per county, which could be
>> just the county election office.

>> Current state law mail ballot provisions require only one "place of
>> deposit"
>> per county in mail ballot elections, which is a place where voters can
>> return their ballot if they do not want to send it by mail.

>> The place of deposit can be the county election office, even in
>> geographically large counties, which would require voters to drive great
>> distances to drop off a ballot or to use an AutoMARK machine to mark their
>> ballots.

>> People with disabilities are disproportionately of low income.  For low
>> income voters in these large counties, driving that distance to the county
>> seat or mailing our state and federal ballots which become longer with each
>> qualified initiative will both be more expensive options than the current
>> polling place elections where they only need to drive to the local polling
>> place.  Also, individuals who do not have their own transportation and who
>> cannot drive due to their disability will be at an even greater
>> disadvantage
>> due to the lack of transportation services throughout Montana, especially
>> in
>> rural areas.

>> OREGON/MT

>> The change from polling place elections to mail ballot elections has a
>> particularly negative impact on people with disabilities in Montana because
>> the only accessible voting technology available are AutoMARK machines,
>> which
>> were expensive to purchase and which must be programmed and monitored by
>> county staff or volunteer election judges.

>> Advocates in Oregon have had to work towards ensuring accessible mail
>> ballot
>> elections and more improvements need to be made, however, their accessible
>> voting technology is far more suited to mail ballot elections.  Oregon's
>> accessible voting technologies include audio/telephone balloting and
>> providing electronic versions of ballots so that people can use their own
>> accessible software on their computers to fill them out.

>> To view the Hearing Schedule for this bill, select the following Link.
>> http://laws.leg.mt.gov/legprd/LAW0208W$BLAC.QueryView?P_BILL_DFT_NO=LC1048&P
>> _BLAC_APPL_SEQ=18&p_sess=20131

>> Please contact members of the House State Administration Committee and urge
>> them to resist HB 428 as it makes no assurances for the accessibility of
>> voting for individuals with disabilities and could disenfranchise thousands
>> of voters throughout Montana.   If you will be in Helena on Friday,
>> February
>> 15 and would like to testify in person, the hearing for HB 428 will be in
>> room 455 of the capitol building.

>> House State Administration Committee Members:
>> Representative Pat Ingraham Chair
>> Representative Bryce Bennett
>> Representative Ted Washburn
>> Representative Liz Bangerter
>> Representative Joanne G Blyton
>> Representative Clarena Brockie
>> Representative Forrestina (Frosty) Calf Boss Ribs
>> Representative Pat Connell
>> Representative Bill Harris
>> Representative Greg Hertz
>> Representative David Howard
>> Representative Doug Kary
>> Representative Jesse O'Hara
>> Representative Jean Price
>> Representative Casey Schreiner
>> Representative Ray L Shaw
>> Representative Kathy Swanson
>> Representative Gordon Vance
>> Representative Franke Wilmer

>> Online contact form:
>> http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/63rd/legwebmessage.asp

>> Phone: 406-444-4800
>> TTY: 406-444-4462

>> Fax:
>> House: 406-444-482

>> Mail:
>> Representative (insert name)
>> Montana House of Representatives
>> PO Box 200400
>> Helena, MT 59620-0400

>> When submitting your testimony, please be sure to include your name and
>> address so that they know who you are and where you are from.


>> Travis Hoffman, BSW
>> Advocacy Coordinator
>> Summit Independent Living Center
>> 700 SW Higgins, Suite 101
>> Missoula, MT 59803
>> (406) 728-1630 - voice
>> (800) 398-9002 - toll free
>> (406) 829-3309 - fax
>> http://www.summitilc.org <http://www.summitilc.org/>
>> thoffman at summitilc.org
>> <applewebdata://E4554B1B-0899-450A-8669-5D8330C607F0/thoffman@summitilc.org>

>> Subscribe to the Montana IL Action Alert Email Listserv by visiting
>> http://www.summitilc.org <http://www.summitilc.org/>  and registering on
>> the
>> left hand side or, simply send an email to
>> montana-il-action-alert+subscribe at googlegroups.com.

>> Do you Twitter?  You can also now get Montana Independent Living Action
>> Alerts on Twitter by following http://www.twitter.com/mtilactnalrt.


>> --
>> --
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>> IL Action Alert" Email Listserv administered by Summit Independent
>> Living Center in Missoula, Montana.

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>> --
>> Dan Burke, President
>> The National Federation of the Blind of Montana

>> Visit us on Face Book at http://bit.ly/nfbmtfb
>> My Cell:  406.546.8546



> --
> Dan Burke, President
> The National Federation of the Blind of Montana

> Visit us on Face Book at http://bit.ly/nfbmtfb
> My Cell:  406.546.8546

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