Wexler: Commission Must Follow the Law

(Washington, DC) Rep. Wexler issued the following statement in response to actions taken today by the Palm Beach County Commission and statements made by individual Commissioners suggesting that Palm Beach County may not abide by Florida’s newly passed paper trail law:

“The Palm Beach County Commission must follow the law and deliver a paper trail to our voters. To do anything else will unacceptably threaten the voting rights of the citizens of Palm Beach County, will defy a state law that is overwhelmingly supported by our voters, and will expose our great County to further humiliation over our voting systems.

“The fact is that on February 3, 2004 – long before Florida committed even one dollar to enacting a paper trail – this Commission unanimously endorsed a paper trail and committed to fund over three million dollars to pay for it. This money should be used in conjunction with the state money to fund the new optical scan machines.

“Rather than investigating how to defy state law, the correct focus for the Commission and the Supervisor of Elections is to look at the most economically feasible way to implement the new paper trail law. The County now needs to live up to its own promise and finally deliver to our voters a guarantee that all votes will be cast and counted” Wexler said.

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Congressman Wexler is Chairman of the Europe Subcommittee and a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Judiciary Committee; and he also sits on the Financial Services Committee.

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