About Missourians for Honest Elections

Missourians for Honest Elections (MoHE) has been in existence as an alliance of small local groups of election integrity activists since early 2005. We believe that local action is the key to changing the electoral system, and are devoted to grassroots organizing. Voting, which began, even in this country, as a privilege, has evolved into a human right, and must be nurtured and protected by the citizenry. In recent times, the increasing economic gap between the haves and the have-nots has eroded public trust in government with increasingly lower participation in the processes of this democratic republic.

The stated goals of most every election authority are to increase voter turnout. The law passed in 2002, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which was supposed to make the polls more efficient and accessible, instead set the process back. The common enemy is the technology, which has not yet matured enough to do the job adequately. In fact, the incidents of malfunctions and tabulating errors scattered across the country have led many to suspect malfeasance  and fraud.

Because the Congress and State Legislative Bodies are so open to lobbying from corporations, it seems commonplace these days for the average citizen's voice to bounce off a closed door. We have always counted on one place as the antidote for the deaf political ears: the ballot box. Ways must be found to make certain that elections are open to close scrutiny and held under strict rules that guard the integrity of every individual vote cast.

Here in Missouri we have been fortunate that the necessity for a paper trail was recognized early . However, as in most every state, HAVA was interpreted as making electronic voting arbitrary. The vendors are the only ones who have truly benefitted from the legislation. They have made a lot of promises which they have been unable to keep.

We seem now to be embarking on a fresh start. The story is being told in greater depth and frequency by the news media. People who have dismissed it as a nonsequitor will gradually begin to open their ears again. We must move forward with new optimism. And this is best accomplished by thinking globally and acting locally.

If you are ready and willing to join us, you can begin by joining our yahoo group at www.openvotingSTL@yahoogroups.com . We can keep you informed of the current news and you can join in the discussion. We have some events planned, and you will be the first to know about them.

updated July 3, 2006

Patricia Berg

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