John shared one of my beliefs -- that citizens should control of our elections. As a tribute, perhaps those believing in that goal can join together in the "Gideon initiative."
 
As just one recent example of the problem with the status quo, John's April 22 report featured Washington D.C.'s ongoing legal struggle with Sequoia after the company's system failed during the city's primary elections last September. In January, I had testified before the D.C. city council, recommending that the city "legislate for government-owned and operated equipment and software, as well as giving the Board of Election Commissioners full discretion in purchasing the machines and the budget and authority to switch to improved technology as it becomes available. Oklahoma and New York State provide examples of states where elections are run without working through private vendors." John wrote back: "Thank you for this. We absolutely agree that the government should own and operate their own voting systems."
 
FairVote analyst David Segal has been working on a piece about the imperative for citizen-owned elections. It remains a work in progress, but I thought timely to share his thoughts.
 
From David Segal:
If we were to choose a single governmental function which ought to remain in the public realm -- neutrally rendered and readily scrutable -- it would surely be that upon which all other government functions, and a government's very legitimacy, are predicated: The administration of elections.