Writing on behalf of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Sen. Clinton is drumming up support for her Count Every Vote Act -- a bill that would require every electronic voting machine to provide a verified paper ballot for each vote cast.
The bill also would set uniform standards for provisional ballots; and according to Sen. Clinton, it also requires "uniform access to voting machines so residents of minority communities will not have to wait hours to cast their ballots while other precincts in the same state are voting in minutes."
"Our right to vote is our strongest defense against the right-wing abuse of power," Sen. Clinton -- a possible presidential contender -- said in the letter.
"That's why I am asking you to join me as a 'citizen co-sponsor' of the Count Every Vote Act, a bill that will restore the integrity of our system and strengthen our democracy."
Those who wish to become "citizen co-sponsors" of Sen. Clinton's bill must enter their first and last names, email address, and zip code. Citizen co-sponsorship thus helps politicians develop potentially helpful databases of supporters who might later be persuaded to donate to campaigns.
Sen. Clinton says the Republican majority does not want to address the voting reform issue; and she notes that a similar bill she co-sponsored last year never made it out of committee.
"So this year I am working to build public support," she said.
Over the weekend, Sen. Clinton and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) held a town hall meeting in Cleveland to "hear from people who experienced first-hand the problems addressed by this bill."
Sen. John F. Kerry is also on the "town hall meeting" circuit once again, traveling across the country this week to seek support for his child health care legislation.
Both Kerry and Clinton are expected to make a run for the next Democratic presidential nomination, and promoting pet legislation is one way of getting them out among voters long before they formally declare their intentions.
See Earlier Story:
John Kerry Running Again (2 May 2005)
