SUBSTITUTE RESOLUTION NO. RS2008-381

WHEREAS, new electronic touch-screen voting machines made their debut in the November 2006 election in 93 of the 95 counties in Tennessee, including Davidson County; and

WHEREAS, these touch-screen machines caused numerous problems statewide, including the failure of a voting machine’s circuitry in Knox County, and voters at the Cora Howe School in Nashville waiting in line until midnight to cast their vote; and

WHEREAS, in response to the problems associated with the electronic touch-screen machines, the Metropolitan Council adopted Resolution No. RS2008-135 in January 2008, requesting the Davidson County Delegation to the Tennessee General Assembly to introduce and enact the necessary legislation to require voter verified paper ballot systems for all elections; and

WHEREAS, on June 5, 2008, Governor Bredesen signed into law the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act (enacted as Public Chapter 1108), which in part requires that any voting system purchased after January 1, 2009, be a precinct-based optical scanner voting system; and

WHEREAS, optical scan machines will be used in Anderson, Loudon, Roane, and Sullivan counties in 2008; and

WHEREAS, in the event the Davidson County Election Commission needs to add voting machines for the 2008 elections to the number of existing electronic machines, it is fitting and proper that the Davidson County Election Commission go ahead and purchase or lease optical scanner voting machines to keep the new machines from becoming obsolete.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as requesting the Davidson County Election Commission to purchase or lease optical scanner voting machines if funds are available and additional voting machines are required for the 2008 elections.

Section 2. The Metropolitan Clerk is directed to send a copy of this Resolution to Mr. Ray Barrett, the Davidson County Administrator of Elections, to Brook Thompson, the State Election Coordinator, and to each member of the Davidson County Election Commission.

Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Carter Todd, Megan Barry

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Referred:	Rules & Confirmations Committee
Introduced:	July 15, 2008
Deferred:	July 15, 2008
Substitute Introduced:	August 7, 2008
Adopted:	August 7, 2008
Approved:	August 18, 2008
By: