We are deeply concerned about our recent election for the leader of our nation. Our concern goes far beyond who will be elected President of the U.S. and who will not. We are profoundly disturbed by the questionable process that will determine the outcome of that election.

The questions raised across the country about the voting process and administration of that process weigh deeply on the fundamental structure of our democracy. The bedrock upon which an enduring democracy stands is its peoples confidence in their electoral process. A citizens right to vote is the most basic right in our constitutional democracy. When the voting process becomes so questionable that the voter loses trust in that process, our democracy suffers grievous hurt.

Among the questions in our recent election are:
The almost 4,000 votes awarded to a candidate in Columbus, Ohio, reported by the AP, which was only noticeable because more votes were recorded in the precinct than there were registered voters.
Votes lost on a local initiative in Florida because the computer could only store limited votes.
Approximately 4,500 votes lost in one North Carolina county.
A glitch in San Francisco computers which caused many votes to be uncounted.
Florida's anomalous results where only districts with touch screen voting had disproportionately more votes for one candidate than expected. This analysis has since been duplicated by a UC professor and others.
AP reports in Florida and Ohio of voters who stated when using touchscreens, they selected one candidates name and anothers appeared on the screen.
Long lines in urban Ohio areas, to the point where voters left in frustration after 8 or so hours.
3,000 phantom votes were added by a Nebraska "vote tabulator".
22,000 North Carolina votes which later had to be added because the computer initially discarded them due to system overload.
21 voting machines in Broward County, Florida, malfunctioned, eliminating prior votes that had been cast on them.
Warren County, Ohio's, unjustified refusal to allow monitoring of vote counting based on a terrorist incident which turned out later to not exist.
Malfunctioning vote cassettes in Palm Beach, FL.
Boxes of absentee votes discovered after the election in a Broward County election office.


Whether an inquiry into the integrity of this recent election is ever made, whether any inequities are discovered, we remain with a process that is suspect. As long as the process is suspect, the foundation of our democracy lies on slippery silt.

We call on you, our Congressional representatives, to make as a top priority the reform of our nations voting process. This reform should include:

Strictly regulating E-voting. E-voting must always provide accuracy and accountability. Simply said, the voter must know his or her vote is accurately recorded, and a paper trail for audits or recounts exists.

Legislating non-partisan election administration. No voter should ever have to weigh the importance of his or her vote against a powerful block of votes delivered by an election administrator who has sworn allegiance to both the electorate and a candidate (see Ohio and Florida). No states honest votes should be hostage to a state whose voting process is corrupted by unscrupulous political operatives.

Legislating federal election standards. When voting the future of our country, every voter, every state must stand on level ground. Is interstate commerce more important than interstate democracy? A Floridian should not have to relearn the voting process guaranteed by the constitution should he or she become a Pennsylvanian. Every state, every county, every municipality, every precinct should conform to national voting standards.

For the sake of our nation, act with a haste born of our nations peril, a determination born of moral certitude, and a passion born of our common humanity. Make the reform of our nations electoral process priority number one. In future elections let no one, American or otherwise, question our electoral process.

On January 6th, we, the undersigned, petition you to challenge the electoral votes of Ohio and Florida and any other states where serious questions exist about their integrity of their voting process. Even if your challenges can not change the results, you must make a statement of your commitment to pursue a verification of this election and to seek meaning reform of the national voting process.

We further petition you to work for prompt and thorough reform of our nations voting process.