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1. Name: Jim Dickson  
2. Title: Vice President for Governmental Affairs, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

3. Voting Machines
Position:		 Pro to the question "Do electronic voting machines improve the voting process?"
4. Reasoning:

"Of all the systems in use today, Direct Recording Electronic devices (DRE's) or touchscreens count the most votes, have the best backup, are the easiest for the voter to use because they don't rely on paper and can easily integrate adaptive technologies to serve people with disabililities, people who have low English proficiency, and people who have low levels of literacy." (Testimony before the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, May 5, 2004)

5. Credibility
Ranking:		  VIP/Organization/Other
Individuals and organizations that do not fit into the other star categories

6. Involvement:
  • Vice President for Governmental Affairs, AAPD
  • Chair, Disability Vote Project, a coalition of 38 organizations committed to increasing political participation of people with disabilities
  • Advisory Board Member, U.S. Election Assistance Commission
  • Co-chair, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Election Reform Taskforce
  • Former Director, VOTE! 2000 Campaign, increasing the number of disabled people who are registered to vote
  • Testified before the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Commission on Election Reform, and New York City Council about electronic voting
7. Education:
  • Not listed
8. Relevant Affiliations/Honors:
  • Not listed
9. Contact Info:
Phone: (800) 840-8844 Fax: (202) 457-0473
E-Mail: aapdvote@earthlink.net
Web Site: www.aapd-dc.org/dvpmain/dvpindex.php
10. Other: First blind person to sail a boat alone from Rhode Island to Bermuda
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