August 8, 2007

Debra Bowen

BuzzFlash met Debra Bowen on a panel we were both on at a conference in California in 2006. She was running for California Secretary of State on a platform that prominently questioned the security of many electronic voting machines and the use of proprietary software to count the votes.

Bowen won her campaign, and last week announced that many voting machines could not be used in the next California election, unless they were modified. As a result, Bowen took a dramatic step to ensure that votes would be accurately counted in America's largest state.

For some, including BuzzFlash, we would prefer companies not be allowed to provide voting machines if they use privatized software that is not transparent and overseen by bipartisan public officials. But Bowen has taken an extremely significant first step in reining in the dangerous privatization of voting in our nation. In doing that, she fulfilled a campaign promise.

As the BuzzFlash nominator for Bowen noted: "By decertifying the [some] electronic voting machines in California prior to the primaries, she has given back the vote to the citizens. In spite of pressure from politicians, businesses and probably the locals who have to start from scratch, she did the right thing since there has been no way to guarantee that voting machines constructed by GOP friendly companies cannot be hacked or tampered with. Two national elections have already been stolen because of GOP voter fraud (Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004). She is making the first major pushback on behalf of the American people."

For standing up for transparency in voting as a fundamental assurance of democracy, Debra Bowen has earned this week's BuzzFlash Wings of Justice Award.

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Nominated by Johanna McKenna of Longmeadow, MA

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