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Several organizations, are going to deliever petitions about voting machines to the states on July 13. I am writing to find out if Washington is interested in participating for your state. The conference call is tomorrow and I am working on getting the number and room number. Let me know. ~Alison
The memo:
This July 13th will be a big day in the work to protect the November elections from computer error and fraud. We hope you will be part of making it happen.
Overview ------------- On that day, local activists and members of eight national organizations will simultaneously converge on statehouses across the country. They'll deliver hundreds of thousands of petitions demanding that state officials provide a voter-verified paper ballot this November. They'll also be armed with a Pledge to support paper ballots signed by elected officials across the country, and will ask their officials to make the same promise.
By doing this in many states (perhaps as many as 16), and with the participation of Ben Cohen of Ben&Jerry's fame, Gov. Howard Dean, and potentially other well-known celebrities, we'll make the biggest media splash yet on this vital issue. We'll also bring significant pressure to bear on these state officials to provide an alternative to the programming bugs and security holes known to exist in the current crop of paperless computer voting machines.
The event is being coordinated by TrueMajority, MoveOn, Democracy For America, Common Cause, Verified Voting, Working Assets, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, representing a combined membership of more than 3 million people. Each group will mobilize its members to attend the state events, so we can expect a good turnout. Full-time public relations folks will be working the press to make sure reporters and cameras show up, too.
What We Want -------------------- The political situation in each state is different < some states have already bought computer voting machines, others haven't; some have election officials openly hostile to our cause, others seem willing to compromise.
We need to present a united front in order to get maximum mileage in the media about this National Day of Action. At the same time, we want to support your group in seeking whatever specific computer voting policy you're already pursuing. So the question "What Do We Want" has two answers:
1. Sign the Pledge for Ballot Security. This is the single mantra that we'll all repeat, unifying us across the country. The Pledge is very short and simple. It says that the targeted official supports voter-verified paper ballots, that they will do everything in their power to make them available by November, and that they'll make sure disabled voters can vote independently.
2. If there is a specific policy goal appropriate for your state (e.g. "open the purchasing process for voting machines to the public"), there will be room for using the event to push that goal as well.
Working Together ----------------------- The national groups have been meeting for a couple of weeks creating the outline of the National Day of Action. Each group has one or more coordinators working on that committee; most likely one of those coordinators sent you this introductory memo.
Each coordinator is responsible for working with the local organizers in a particular state. They'll be your main connection for logistical support, schedule updates, press materials, etc.
Your Mission (If You Choose To Accept It) ---------------------------------------------------- In case you haven't organized many press conferences/rallies before, we have a short "how-to" guide we'll send you. Here's the general idea, though: As the on-the-ground organizer in your state, you'll need to select the exact location for the rally, and obtain any necessary permission to use it. If you feel like your location needs amplified sound for the speakers to be heard, you'll need to line that up (though the national coordinators can help with any costs). You'll need to send out announcements to local reporters (we'll provide a template), and most importantly, follow up with telephone calls to them. And on the day of the event, you'll need to either speak to the crowd (we'll provide sample remarks) or arrange for other group leaders to do so.
That's the gist of it; we hope you can join in!
Andy's comment...
Look Ma! Voter Verified Paper Ballots :bounce:
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