Ohio needs help, support, and yes, letters

[Deathadder]

There's a link here, with a statement to Sec Of The State Blackwell. We need to send out copies of this statement to Blackwell, and soon, to show support for a group that will face a hearing to fight the corruption of the voting policies in Ohio. I'm sure you guys are ahead of me, but if not please read below. We need the numbers to be heard. We could really use your help. They need the letters sent in before the 13th, let's show our support and numbers, let Ohio know we're watching...Remember how Nixon fell and you'll see Bush's future.

http://www.ohiocitizen.org/moneypolitics/2004/blackwellletter.html

November 5, 2004

J. Kenneth Blackwell
Ohio Secretary of State
180 E. Broad St. 16th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Ohio Citizen Action, as a matter of board policy, does not endorse or otherwise support candidates, directly or indirectly. We have a big interest in this election however: the voting rights of our 100,000 members and all Ohioans.

President George Bush and Senator John Kerry are acting as though they have the authority to decide who won by mutual agreement. They are, of course, wrong: there is no official count yet.

Accordingly, I hope you can quickly answer the following questions:

Yesterday's Columbus Dispatch attributed to your office the figure of 92,672 ballots uncounted, not including provisional and late-arriving absentee, military and overseas votes.


How many ballots have undervotes or overvotes or are otherwise uncounted in each county?


When will a database of such uncounted ballots by precinct be available?


Have you issued instructions to the county boards of elections on the disposition of these ballots?


What is your plan to check the 92,672 uncounted ballots to confirm that the precinct-level or county-level decisions to ignore them were proper and to remedy it if not?

Improper discarding of ballots can come from simple mistakes, confusion or incompetence; it does not necessarily involve a pattern of bias or a conspiracy. The consequence for the voter is the same whatever the origin of the error.


Does your plan for checking both the 155,428 provisional ballots and the 92,672 other uncounted ballots include direct oversight by the media and citizens so that all Ohioans can be certain that Tuesday's balloting was fair?


On Wednesday, you reported to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card that President Bush's lead was "statistically insurmountable" considering the number of provisional ballots outstanding. Did your calculations include the 92,672 ballots mentioned above, and late-arriving absentee, military, and other overseas votes?


If not, why not? And would the lead have been insurmountable had you included them? Reportedly, the military and other overseas ballots are not expected to exceed 10,000. If 14% of provisional ballots were disallowed, as happened in Ohio in 2000, then the number of countable provisionals would be about 133,668. Some of the other uncounted ballots would be disallowed as well, of course, but there is no reliable rule of thumb for estimating how many.

133,668 provisionals + 10,000 (military and overseas) + unknown number of late absentees + 92,672 (other) = at least 236,340 ballots.

If Senator Kerry received 78% of these votes, with President Bush receiving the balance, Kerry's vote total would be 2,846,372 and Bush's would be 2,845,778. Thus, the outcome would be changed.

It is not possible to assess the likelihood of Kerry receiving this proportion of the outstanding votes, since -- as Florida demonstrated -- vote errors can be geographically concentrated, creating a considerable shift in results. That is why a precinct-level database will be helpful.

And I'm sure there are ways to improve on these estimates.

It is clear, however, that the vote difference between the top two candidates is "statistically insurmountable" only if you fail to examine carefully these 92,672 uncounted votes to make sure no one was unfairly discounted.
I look forward to your reply.

With thanks,

Sandy Buchanan
Executive Director

Saturday, November 13, 2004, 1-4pm

Public Hearing on Election Irregularities and Voter Suppression

We are calling on anyone who experienced or observed election
irregularities or voter suppression this election season to come to
give testimony at a public hearing before public officials,
community representatives and the media. Your stories will be
documented recorded and put into a report and formal complaint to
the Board of Elections. If you have any information about election
irregularities please participate. New Faith Baptist Church, 955 Oak
St, Columbus, Oh 43205.
Alliance for Secure Elections, the CICJ, League of Pissed off
Voters, Election Protection Coalition, Common Cause, WVKO Radio.

[CornField]

1. Do you only need Ohio residents? nt

[Deathadder]

4. Hell No!!!

We need to let Blackwell know the whole country is watching, from you to Countdown with Olbermann. Mail your letter in though within the next few days, the hearings on the 13th!!! Let your protest be heard, and get everyone you know to write in a letter too. It's time to make noise, we're on our own, but it's for the better, we can make it happen, and without the damn spin!!!

[CornField]

6. One more question -- and an idea

Can we FAX them in? If so, I've got a machine and unlimited long distance. :)

[Deathadder]

11. Yes

I think so, email the people at the link,they'll give you the fax, the Ohio group needed mail, phone call, and faxes.

[Polly Glot]

2. Does the "League of Pissed Off Voters" have a website? Thanks! n/t

[peekaloo]

3. yes

http://www.indyvoter.org/

[Polly Glot]

7. Oh dear... at 38 I'm too old...

but I'm that much more PISSED OFF!

[peekaloo]

8. reinvent yourself....into TWO PISSED OFF 19 year olds!

:hi:

[Polly Glot]

13. LOL! That would make it twice as easy to kick some

Blackwell ass.

[fidgeting wildly]

15. LOL! Great idea!

Blackwell will be getting letters from my husband and me, as well as our two dogs! (They have "people" names.) Hey, dogs want democracy too! :evilgrin:

[peekaloo]

19. A big ole Welcome to DU to both of you!

Polly Glot and fidgeting wildly!

:toast:

[crispini]

5. Great, thank you. (Bookmarked)

I'll get it off first thing in the AM.

[Deathadder]

10. Pissed off?

I've got one word for you...Protest. Here's another...Action. Four big ones...DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!! The Republicans and Democrats forget about another party, It's called The People. Let's end the damn debate, the time for words has ended, look what four years of talking got us. It's time to do something about it. Our future's in our damn hands. How many brilliant minds that we all called crackpots over the years have been pleading with us to take our country back? Pissed Off? Good, about time, do something about it. Let's all do something about it! Organize and act, they won't know what the hell hit them!

[crispini]

12. Well, what would you suggest we do?

Seriously. I live in a red state. If I hear about a demonstration in Ohio or Florida far enough in advance, I can get there. But other than that it seems like all I can do is write the media, which I have done, write my congressman, which I have done, and I am going to do a spot of freewayblogging and flyering tomorrow night.

What else can I do? Honestly! Just telling me "organize and act" doesn't get me any farther as to what it should be?

[Carolab]

16. Do you have DFL meetups or other progressive group meetups in your area?

You can go to meetup.com and find out what's going on. Dean's group, Democracy for America, still has meetups. And so does the DFL.

The idea is to get other progressive groups linked so that you can carry it on grassroots. Take it to everyone on BOTH sides. This is not a partisan issue--it's our VOTING RIGHTS and our rights to a FAIR ELECTION. Every voter has a stake and needs to be involved.

[Deathadder]

17. Organize or wait for the call..

If you can start something yourself, wait the call, over the next few days the calls will be made. When someone says I need this, or can someone coordinate that, jump on a say "Hell yes" and do it. There are all kinds of petitions, protests, and marches getting ready to be planned, keep an eye out and jump on board. On the other hand, what the hell do you mean "All I can do is write the media" That's great!!! Keep writing the media, keep writing your congressman, keep passing out the word, and get more people to do exactly what your doing. Build on what your doing, keep it strong and organized, your own little platoon going, and when you finally get the call to join up with others you can be like, "Hey I have these many dudes, and this is what we've been doing!!!" Stay pissed and stay active until the god damn end. Our anger is going to be this countries greatest gift because we're sick and tired and we're not going to take it anymore. Let's not bicker among ourselves, we did that for four years, keep doing what your doing, and know tomorrow when you're doing your Freewayblogging and flyering, you won't be alone!!!! And go to that link at the top of the page, and mail Sec Of State Blackman in Ohio and get pissed at him, and help that group in Ohio with their hearing. Right?

[Jo March]

9. Kicking

and writing later! :)

[havocmom]

14. good idea

kick again
:kick:

[Deathadder]

18. Got to go to other boards...

WRITE THE DAMN LETTERS PEOPLE, OR PRINT OUT THE LETTER FROM THE LINK!! That group in Ohio who will attend the hearing really need your support, and email friends and media about it too, let's make some noise DU!

[OhioChick]

20. kick

:kick:

[Deathadder]

21. Bump

They need you, get the letters sent today. officals are getting pissed (scared) those brave souls in Ohio will need you support. Mail the letters to Ohip Sec Of State, but also to local and national media, let them know the people have a different mandate. Get friends involved.

[Jo March]

22. Kicking again

and will keep kicking!

[RedEagle]

23. Recount laws here: Ohio can be recounted

Ohio:
Requested Recounts Permitted-

"Any candidate not declared elected may file for a recount, and any group of five or more electors regarding any question or issue."

ANY race or issue will do. If the votes off on one race, the whole thing is suspect.

I believe there are sites to help with funding.




Recount laws. Note that in some states, you don't even have to be a candidate.

Here is a site for recount information, by state:

http://www.electionline.org/site/docs/html/recount_provisions_-_part_1.htm

Here is another site that has the specific law/codes for recounts by state:

http://moritzlaw.osu.edu/electionlaw/procedures_recount07.html


Some states are more open than others. But even in the states where it's tight, the point is not that only the presidential race can be recounted. Any race can. And if the totals are off, the whole authenticity of the election is gone.

[Deathadder]

24. Destroyed one email of Ohip Sec Of the State

...let's keep destroying them. Below is a recent email.

THEY APPEAR TO HAVE SHUT DOWN THE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR THE ELECTIONS:[e-mail]. Mail gets returned.

TRY [e-mail] and [e-mail]

PLEASE SEND THE LETTER BELOW. LET'S BOMBARD HIM AND LET HIM KNOW HOW MANY PISSED OFF VOTERS THERE ARE IN THE U.S.!
I also added my own comments which are below the letter. Feel free to use it in anyway if you want.

Elections questions or comments:
(NOT WORKING ) email: [e-mail]
call: 614-466-2585

The Ohio Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections also need people to send this letter to the Ohio Sec. Of The State, and to local and national media. Please try to get as many friends and family as possible to help get out the word on the O.C.A.S.E. efforts to shed light some light on the corrupt voting process in places like Ohio and Florida, they'll need our numbers to help their hearing on the 13th of November.


http://www.ohiocitizen.org/moneypolitics/2004/blackwellletter.html

November 5, 2004

J. Kenneth Blackwell
Ohio Secretary of State
180 E. Broad St. 16th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Ohio Citizen Action, as a matter of board policy, does not endorse or otherwise support candidates, directly or indirectly. We have a big interest in this election however: the voting rights of our 100,000 members and all Ohioans.

President George Bush and Senator John Kerry are acting as though they have the authority to decide who won by mutual agreement. They are, of course, wrong: there is no official count yet.

Accordingly, I hope you can quickly answer the following questions:

Yesterday's Columbus Dispatch attributed to your office the figure of 92,672 ballots uncounted, not including provisional and late-arriving absentee, military and overseas votes.


How many ballots have undervotes or overvotes or are otherwise uncounted in each county?


When will a database of such uncounted ballots by precinct be available?


Have you issued instructions to the county boards of elections on the disposition of these ballots?


What is your plan to check the 92,672 uncounted ballots to confirm that the precinct-level or county-level decisions to ignore them were proper and to remedy it if not?

Improper discarding of ballots can come from simple mistakes, confusion or incompetence; it does not necessarily involve a pattern of bias or a conspiracy. The consequence for the voter is the same whatever the origin of the error.


Does your plan for checking both the 155,428 provisional ballots and the 92,672 other uncounted ballots include direct oversight by the media and citizens so that all Ohioans can be certain that Tuesday's balloting was fair?


On Wednesday, you reported to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card that President Bush's lead was "statistically insurmountable" considering the number of provisional ballots outstanding. Did your calculations include the 92,672 ballots mentioned above, and late-arriving absentee, military, and other overseas votes?


If not, why not? And would the lead have been insurmountable had you included them? Reportedly, the military and other overseas ballots are not expected to exceed 10,000. If 14% of provisional ballots were disallowed, as happened in Ohio in 2000, then the number of countable provisionals would be about 133,668. Some of the other uncounted ballots would be disallowed as well, of course, but there is no reliable rule of thumb for estimating how many.

133,668 provisionals + 10,000 (military and overseas) + unknown number of late absentees + 92,672 (other) = at least 236,340 ballots.

If Senator Kerry received 78% of these votes, with President Bush receiving the balance, Kerry's vote total would be 2,846,372 and Bush's would be 2,845,778. Thus, the outcome would be changed.

It is not possible to assess the likelihood of Kerry receiving this proportion of the outstanding votes, since -- as Florida demonstrated -- vote errors can be geographically concentrated, creating a considerable shift in results. That is why a precinct-level database will be helpful.

And I'm sure there are ways to improve on these estimates.

It is clear, however, that the vote difference between the top two candidates is "statistically insurmountable" only if you fail to examine carefully these 92,672 uncounted votes to make sure no one was unfairly discounted.
I look forward to your reply.

With thanks,

Sandy Buchanan
Executive Director


WE WANT AN INVESTIGATION OF ELECTRONIC VOTER FRAUD! WE WANT EVERY VOTE COUNTED! WE WANT A REVOTE!

I am among a group that is calling for a full count of all ballots, provisional and otherwise, and the sealing of all the election ballots, material and machines. We also want the release of all so called “proprietary” code and hardware by the manufacturers' of electronic voting machines. We paid for the machines, the technology belongs to the United States, not to corporations that pledge allegiance to political parties. We are not going away, we will not concede our votes, and we are SERIOUS.



We want an independent investigation of all election materials and if necessary, a full recount of all Ohio and Florida votes! If this can't be done, we want a re-vote. I do not believe that Ohio and Florida were truly won by the Bush camp. Some other states look questionable too. Observers have documented systematic strategy on the part of the Republican Party to disenfranchise voters in traditionally democratic areas and alter vote count wherever electronic voting machines have been used. Republicans have tended to win bizarre, upset victories, where they come from several points behind to substantial victories.



The legislation before Congress right now for a paper trail is not sufficient or acceptable to us. WE DEMAND there are no corporations involved in our voting process...registering or recording or counting our votes. We do not want any corporations tainting our voting process and we do not want government machines either, even with paper trails. They can still be hacked and they will be. We want hand counts and nothing else will do. NO COMPROMISES. NONE.



We are informed, we stay on top of everything, we are vocal, and we are getting more organized than you could ever imagine.



We will not allow a repeat of the 2000 coup.

[Deathadder]

25. Now, here's what the group's now doing...we need numbers...

...we're starting to make noise and cause problems. This is starting to get real attention.

Not only do we need you to send letters, send emails, send faxes, and make phone calls to the Ohio Sec. Of the State, but we also need you to contact your local media and newspapers, nation media radio/television/newspapers, but also Ohio's media. Get friends and family involved, and start sending out material by the boat load, you don't need Michael Moore to do your work, it's up to us. Also, send email to Keith Olbermann at MSNBC, the movement has really targeted the only real mainstream media show that seems to be giving us the slightest time of day, we need to encourage them though response and ratings. Let's make some noise people, the major media wanted to sweep this under the carpet, but it's not happening, noise is starting to be heard by the mainstream, our efforts are getting through. I was a campaign coordinator, but I'm sure lots of you were, we have the ability to do this, let's get this organized, and keep a strong output of protest and action.

[Deathadder]

26. Flood Keith Olbermann's email.

Pass this on, I know it's old news, but it's only getting stronger. Keith Olbermann at MSNBC is covering this. It's turning into a relationship of if we support him, he'll support us. He is our way to the mainstream. Have everybody email him right now, flood his email, hell close his email down. The word is out, major media wants to close this story down, Olbermann is our only window of opportunity. Email him right now with your statements!!! Similar messages are being posted all over the net by different groups, as well as sent out in emails. DU needs to be part of this.

[e-mail]

[RedEagle]

28. Kick!

"Any candidate not declared elected may file for a recount, and any group of five or more electors regarding any question or issue."

Recount the entire State!

[seemslikeadream]

27. Liberty or Death Fighting the Stolen Election of 2004

A Sit-In of Massive Proportions


http://www.freewebs.com/libertyordeath/index.htm

[Deathadder]

29. This is a reply

to someone's post of why not to flood Plbermann's email. Thanks guys.

Word has it that NBC said they will only allow him to cover the story "while rating and interest is (and I quote) "damn good"!!!

If we shut it down that shows there is plenty of interest, many groups came together with this idea, and word has it the Olbermann team is "loving it" that the over loaded emails is their proof. So let's stop arguing for once among ourselves and keep the endless amount of emails being written to Olbermann and all the other media shows that pick up on Olbermann's success for carrying the story "no one was interested in carrying" Every day...all the time. With facts and opinions. We must be heard not passive. Please, I really believe in you guys, so less coming down on those trying, and help us make some noise, the many of us, individuals and groups.


[e-mail]

[Deathadder]

30. PS

Keep mailing letters to Ohio, they have a group of 100,000 who need our support against S.O.S. Blackwell and for the 13th of November. Contact Blackwell and Ohio local media. We can do this.

[Deathadder]

31. Bump

We need numbers