For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 8, 2007                                         pdf version
Contact: Luther Weeks, 860-918-2115 or Luther@CTVotersCount.org

Coalition Organizing Citizens To Observe Post-Election Audits

Four groups dedicated to the democratic process will recruit, train, and coordinate
citizens to observe post-election audits during Thanksgiving period.

Hartford, Connecticut -- Today the Connecticut Citizen Audit Coalition announced a program to organize citizens to observe the post-election audits following the November election.   The coalition members are the League of Women Voters of Connecticut, Common Cause Connecticut, the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, and CTVotersCount. 

Public Act 07-194 passed by the Connecticut Legislature in June, mandates public audits of randomly selected districts and races in each primary and election.  It is expected that forty to fifty towns will have districts selected for audits which must occur between Nov 21^st and Nov 26^th.

Each participant will agree to be available for one day and participate in one audit in a town near their residence.  A Citizen’s Audit Kit, training via phone, and scheduling will be provided by the coalition.  Feedback will be summarized and published to provide input to improve the process in future elections. Voters interested in participating can get further information and sign up at www.CTElectionAudit.org or by calling 860-918-2115. 

Cheryl Dunson, Vice President Public Issues of the League of Women voters of Connecticut said “The League is proud to join with other ‘good government’ groups to ensure that verifiable post-election audits become an essential component of Connecticut ’s election procedures.  Independent, non-partisan observation of random audits helps in promoting voter confidence in the integrity of Connecticut ’s elections, pinpointing any specific problems in the audit process, and recommending general improvements to audit procedures.”

"Connecticut had its first major experience with the new voting machines. Now it's time to see how well they did," said Andy Sauer, Executive Director of Connecticut Common Cause. "The people of Connecticut want to make sure their vote counted, especially as the state heads into one of the biggest elections we'll see in a long time in 2008."

“Post-election audits are an important part of assessing the integrity of the voting process and generating voter confidence.  Voters participating in the observation of the post-election audit will gain an enhanced understanding of the system and gain satisfaction from participating in democracy. We expect that Election officials will gain an enhanced feeling of public appreciation for their role in preserving democracy” said Luther Weeks of CTVotersCount.