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January 5, 2020
Dear Vote Protectors,
In our end of year letter, we reviewed key events of 2019 and told you that POVPhilly was planning a letter to the editor campaign.
Now is a good time to show how important this issue is to Philadelphians, because there are two legal actions in progress right now that could decertify the ExpressVote XL:
The Inquirer’s Opinion Page editor expressed interest in publishing letters on this subject. Let’s share why Philadelphians care about getting rid of the ExpressVote XL and/or getting hand-marked paper ballots!
Writing a letter is neither hard nor time consuming. The best letters are short, based on your own experiences or knowledge, and written from the heart. Here are some general guidelines:
- Give the letter a great opening sentence.
- Respond to Inquirer coverage when possible, but add to it rather than criticizing it. For example you can refer to Every Pa. county will have new voting machines — with paper trails — in 2020 (by Jonathan Lai on Jan 1), if it is relevant to your point.
- Speak from personal experience and share concrete examples. Did you use the new voting machines? Did you have a problem with them? Were you a poll worker who saw issues?
- Don't try to be an expert; letters are the voice of the people.
- State a clear opinion such as: hand-marked ballots would be better; the purchase of these machines should be investigated; the machines should be decertified; etc.
Looking for ideas? Skim through our Learn More page or our News Timeline!
Letters must be short. No more than 150 words, but 50 - 100 words is better. You must include your name, street address and phone number so the Inquirer can contact you before printing your letter. They will not publish your address and phone number, unless you want them to.
If you have any questions or want any help with your letter, email Meg Berlin <megberlin271@gmail.com>. Meg is coordinating the letter to the editor effort.
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ACTIONS FOR THIS UPDATE
- Write a letter-to-the-editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer with your thoughts on Philadelphia’s voting machines.
- Email your letter to the editor to inquirer.letters@inquirer.com and bcc: povphilly@gmail.com so we know what letters have been sent.
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We’re all in this together. Hang on and keep fighting for free, fair, and auditable elections.
Your friends at
Protect Our Vote Philly
Reply to this newsletter, comment on Facebook, or tweet to @POVPhilly. We’re always happy to hear your thoughts and ideas.
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About POVPhilly
Protect Our Vote Philly is a coalition working to bring accurate, accessible, and secure voting systems at a fair cost to Philadelphia. We believe the gold standard for election integrity is:
- hand-marked paper ballots
so we know our votes are cast as intended
- the best possible accessibility devices
so every voter can vote with maximum privacy and independence
- mandatory risk-limiting audits after every election
so we can be confident that every vote was counted as cast.
Protect Our Vote Philly is a watchdog over the Office of the City Commissioners, which operates elections in the City of Philadelphia. Because we believe Philadelphians have a right to the most secure voting system possible, we strongly oppose the system that the Commissioners selected, the ES&S ExpressVote XL, as well as the rushed and secretive process used to select it. The ExpressVote XL falls far short of the gold standard. It endangers our votes and wastes our resources. We are dedicated to stopping it.
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