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Resolutions

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Immigration

Health Care

Minimum Wage

Property Tax

Voting Machines

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Lancaster County
Democratic Committee
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Immigration
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The Lancaster County Democratic Committee supports legalization for those in this country in an unauthorized status but who have built up equities and are otherwise admissible.

Health Care Reform
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LCDC supports health care reform that establishes single-payer health insurance for all PA residents.

Minimum Wage
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The Lancaster County Democratic Committee supports an increase in the Pennsylvania minimum wage.

Property Tax
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1) The Lancaster County Democratic Committee formally OPPOSES the proposal of the Commonwealth Caucus – Plan for Pennsylvania’s Future to fund Pennsylvania schools by taxing all sales of clothes, food, services and non-prescription medicines.

2) The Lancaster County Democratic Committee formally ADVOCATES replacing some or all property taxes used to support public education with modest changes in Pennsylvania personal and business tax schedules.

Voting Machines
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Also see: Ensuring Voting Integrity in Lancaster County

1. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee opposes the selection of any Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting system unless supplemented by checks and balances to ensure accurate voting results, including:

   • a voter-verifiable paper ballot that is produced outside the voting machine, easy to read, discreet (not part of a paper roll that can be associated with a voter by comparison to the voter list), and permanent (not thermal paper);

   • a mandated manual audit, with a 5%-15% random sample of precincts;

   • open source software code; and

   • certified computer audit capability, independent of the voting machine vendors, that is accountable to the County

2. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee urges Representative Pitts to support the passage of HR 550, the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2005”, which requires voter-verified paper ballots, provisions for mandatory manual audits to confirm that voting machines are working properly, increased security requirements, and which prohibits undisclosed software.

3. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee urges our state legislators to support the passage of Pennsylvania legislation, HB 2000 and SB 977, which require a voter verified paper record of every vote and improve on HR 550’s 2% routine random manual audit provision by increasing the audit sample to 5% of the state's precincts;

4. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee asks Representative Pitts to support the passage of HR 3163, “To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to delay for 48 months the deadlines by which States must comply with the election administration requirements of title III of such Act, and for other purposes.

5. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee recommends the Country Commissioners conduct a review of alternative voting systems’ costs, using documentation from states who have already implemented HAVA-compliant systems and other available data that is independent of the voting machine vendors. This review should include lease versus purchase options.

6. If a delay of the HAVA compliance deadline is not granted, the Lancaster County Democratic Committee advises the County Commissioners to take steps to control conversion costs by leasing rather than purchasing voting machine equipment, and, prior to entering into any contract, to obtain an objective expert evaluation, independent of the voting machine vendors, of the number of machines needed for each precinct.

7. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee asserts that the selection of voting systems that can assure the public of secure, accurate, and fair elections is sufficiently complex and critical that it requires oversight by a committee representing both major political parties. This bipartisan advisory committee would assist the County Board of Elections in determining whether the County should replace its lever voting machines with DREs or an alternative system. The advisory committee would help to ensure the integrity of the voting process by the establishment of standards and procedures to minimize security risks of the new system.

8. A copy of this resolution be forwarded to all officials responsible for decisions that affect Lancaster County’s the voting system conversion to comply with HAVA, including Governor Rendell, Secretary of State Cortes, Senator Specter, Senator Santorum, Representative Pitts, the Lancaster County Commissioners, and the Chief Clerk of the Lancaster County Board of Elections.