Editor:

Mitch Trachtenberg's article ("Accountable," Dec. 5) reminds us of the importance and the substantial progress made in establishing accountability and transparency in vote counting. We should all be grateful for the fine work of the Voter Transparency Project and specifically Trachtenberg's contribution and Carolyn Crnich's willingness to incorporate this crucial program.

And I would like to remind voters of the pioneering work of the Voter Confidence Committee, cofounded by Dave Berman in response to the voter fiasco in Ohio in 2004. This group contacted the then-California Secretary of State, began meetings with Crnich, distributed compelling evidence of Diebold voting machine flaws, gave talks to numerous organizations and helped craft the first-in-the-nation Voter Confidence Resolution which passed in Arcata in 2005. This group of concerned citizens deserves recognition for resisting pressure to "just shut up."

Larry Hourany, McKinleyville