July 1, 2005

For Immediate Release
Dateline Houston July 1, 2005
Contact:  Larry P. English, 615-837-1211
 

Concerned citizens, academics, researchers, election officials, computer scientists, and process observers from throughout the United States gathered in Houston, TX June 29 to conduct a nonpartisan Election Assessment Hearing.  A Panel of five chaired by Information Quality expert Larry P. English, President of Information Impact International, Inc. of Brentwood, Tennessee, heard testimony and reviewed statistical studies from experts who had spent tens of thousands of hours documenting and analyzing election problems.  Green Party 2004 Presidential candidate David Cobb testified that studies show “at least 40 percent do not have confidence in the election.”  Evidence was brought forth on voting result irregularities, voter suppression, ballot access, voting technology failures, lost votes, vote counts not reconcilable to voter sign-in sheets and election administration issues. 

Dr. Robert Pastor, Executive Director of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, co-chaired by President Jimmy Carter and Secretary of State James A Baker, III, that assembled in Houston, July 30, addressed the Election Assessment Hearing audience and invited the Panel to submit their findings to the Commission.  “We all begin from the same point of departure.  We begin from a deep concern about the electoral process.  It began in 2000 and has not been fully restored,” Dr. Pastor told the Hearing attendees.  “I view this [Election Assessment] hearing as a wonderful testimony as the American people’s desire to improve their election processes….America has shown that from complacence it has gotten into some real problems.”

Unique to the Election Assessment Hearing is the examination of the data from a fact-based quality management perspective, listening to the voice of stakeholders in this process—the voters—along with experts in scientific, statistical, election process, and computer science.  “If we are to create real and sustainable election process reform, we must use sound quality management principles to improve and control all processes in the electoral system,” according to English.  “Toyota uses quality principles to eliminate defects in its automobiles, and NASA uses quality principles in complex systems to send rovers to Mars and control them to capture and transmit data from 48 or so million miles away.  We surely can use quality principles to improve our election processes to assure every US citizen their sacred right to vote is protected and to guarantee they are able to have their vote cast as they intended, counted accurately, and verified in a way that proves their vote was counted as they intended in any election challenge or recount,” English said.

The Election Assessment Hearing Panel will conduct a thorough examination of this body of information and produce a comprehensive report of findings, potential root causes, and recommended improvements and next steps.  This information will be submitted to the Commission on Federal Election Reform and other election reform stakeholders.

The Election Assessment Hearing was sponsored by Kip Humphrey of 51 Capital March and organized by Humphrey and Seth Johnson, Open Book Software.
 

For further information, please contact:

Election Assessment Hearing Panel
Larry P. English
615-837-1211
Larry.English@infoimpact.com
www.electionassessment.org