At some point during every session of the General Assembly I am sharply reminded of the awesome responsibility of my vote as a delegate—especially when complex issues arise and compelling arguments exist on either side. I see on a daily basis, either in committee or on the floor of the House of Delegates what a handful of votes can mean to the outcome of a bill. There are also incidents, however few, when a legislative vote is inadvertently recorded incorrectly or a delegate mistakenly casts a wrong vote. The vote is either redone or an official notice of the incorrect vote is published. Elected officials are particularly conscious of the power of their vote.

That lesson from the value of a vote can be extended to recent national elections as well as our own state elections. In the 2006 US Senate election in Virginia the final vote separating the candidates hovered near 1% and in 2005 the Attorney General race came down a difference of just over 300 votes--.01% of the votes cast.

The debacle of the 2000 Presidential vote count in Florida generated an immediate response with Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requiring all localities to replace old voting machines with those recommended from an approved list. The cure, however, appears to be worse than the illness. Localities all over the state (and nation) rushed to take advantage of federal dollars and ended up expending significant money to buy new machines and then train state workers to teach voters to learn a new system. Today, a growing number of districts that opted for Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) machines are discovering serious and undetectable flaws in tracking discrepancies. When a mistake appears in the House of Delegates the verifiability is immediate and permanent. The vote is a documented record until a new vote replaces it. Yet, citizens in an election today have only their trust that their vote is recorded—with no evidence of assurance.

Anecdotal evidence is emerging that there could be a problem with DRE machines. The worst offense appears to be 18,000 votes that simply vanished in a hotly contested House race in Florida. Accountability is an accepted practice for integrity in business and government contracts, payroll, purchasing and communication. There should be no less vigilance and assurance with something as valuable as an election.

I have been closely watching two bills that will require future replacement of the DRE machines with optical scan systems. Machines with optical scans have a proven record of viability, ease for disabled voters, no threat of wireless interference and a verifiable record in case of error or failure. If significant discrepancies ever arise—the paper ballots can become the ballot of record.

It is, of course, critical that we not repeat the earlier mistake of acting in haste and I will not support action that ends up penalizing localities that in the rush of federal requirements with the limited number of approved voting machine choices decided to refit their system with DRE equipment. There is evidence that in the future those machines can add a printer, but at considerable cost to the locality. We are still in the early stages of matching our technology capabilities with our security and verifiability demands for an accurate voting record. I intend to continue to raise my concerns about voting machines that do not guarantee a secure and honest election. It is the foundation of the liberty we prize and must protect.

Switching gears--again, I enjoy seeing friends and new faces who stop by the Richmond office to bring to my attention their position on a particular issue. This week we celebrated Hokie Day which brought close to 100 Virginia Tech alumni and students to the Capitol. Among the visitors were President Charles Steger, Commandant of the Corps of Cadets, Major General Jerrold Allen, Drew Mars from the SGA, and Col. Rock Roszak and Col. T.O.Williams, also with the Corps.

I also enjoyed talking with employees from MeadWestvaco and students from New River Community College who were escorted by President, Jack Lewis. I invite you to visit me in Richmond to discuss local or legislative issues of importance to you.

I hope if you have questions or concerns about legislation mentioned in this column, or any legislative matter, you will not hesitate to contact me at any of the following addresses.