Hundreds Join EFF and Other Groups to Fight for Election Integrity

San Francisco - Hundreds of citizen lobbyists from across the nation will be in Washington, DC, this coming Thursday and Friday, working to help secure the future of safe, reliable electronic voting through the passage of HR 550 -- the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act. HR 550 would ensure a voter-verified paper record of every vote, establish mandatory random hand-counted audits, and prohibit the use of secret software and wireless communications in voting machines.

The "Lobby Days" were organized by the HR 550 "I Count" Coalition, which includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Common Cause, Verified Voting, Voters Unite, VoteTrustUSA, and Working Assets. The coalition will hold a lobbying training session for activists before they go to work on Thursday.

"HR 550 represents the best opportunity to solve a number of problems related to the use of electronic voting equipment," said EFF Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "By participating in this event, voters will get a chance to make their voices heard in Congress and demand transparency and accountability in elections."

HR 550 has made significant progress in the House of Representatives, largely through the grassroots efforts of voting activists. Lobby Days will help continue the momentum and show members of Congress that many of their constituents are passionate about voting integrity.

Lobby Days Schedule:

Thursday, April 6

Lobbying training session
9am to noon
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave. NW
Washington, DC

Meetings with members of Congress and staff
Noon to 6pm
Capitol Hill office buildings

Friday, April 7

Press conference
10am
Rayburn Terrace
(rain location: RHOB 2168)

Additional media availability
10am to 5pm
RHOB 2168

Additional lobbying visits
10am to 5pm
Capitol Hill office buildings

HR 550 "I Count" Coalition:
http://www.icountcoalition.org

EFF's Lobby Days Blog:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/cat_evoting_lobby_days.php

Contacts:

Matt Zimmerman
Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
mattz@eff.org

Derek Slater
Activist
Electronic Frontier Foundation
derek@eff.org

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