Free and Fair Elections: What can WE do to ensure we have them?

[ariellyn]

It's been six months since the last election was stolen, and unless we do something, we're 18 months away from more election theft.

It should be obvious to anybody who's witnessed the last two presidential elections that we cannot expect a fair result from future elections of any kind. The more republican the states, the more fraudulent the voting mechanisms.

So...what can we do to create change around THE most important issue facing this country? What can we do to drum up attention and support for free and fair legislative and presidential elections?

Candidates be damned. I don't care who runs--I just want to the winner to be elected fair and square.

[Parche]

1. voting

We all need to work on ridding the US completely of electronic
voting machines.

anyone who wants to help let me know

[ariellyn]

3. That seems like something the BBV people did. Attending

hearings on buying voting equipment, providing evidence of electronic voting machine flaws, etc. The problem is so huge it can be addressed from many angles.

[patrice]

2. There are some people here who are working on a petition for a

ballot initiative that would ask Missouri voters' approval of an Election Reform program, in response to HAVA. Voting reform that is based on paper ballots, marked by inidividual voters in their precincts by hand, and counted publicly in their own precinct by bi-partisan committees of voters who live in the precinct, and are reported to public committees who collect the precinct reports. The individual ballots would be key-numbered and each voter would hold the receeipt for, and perhaps a copy of, his/her own ballot.

These folks came to DFA KC a few weeks ago. They are seeking feedback from Attorney General Carnahan's office on the petition wording. I expect we will start collecting signatures later this Summer.

P.S. They are writing a provision for handicapped voters who can't mark a ballot with a marking pen.

[ariellyn]

4. That sounds great. Does Missouri have electronic voting or

paper ballots?

[patrice]

8. I'm not sure, since I live just over the state-line in Ks. Carnahan has

formed her various committees and sub-committees in response to HAVA.

The sub-committee in charge of DATABASES and machines has Thor Hearne on it. Thor Hearne is in a story Raw Story did a few weeks ago, showing the connections and linage of various Republican uber-operatives, whom some of us met for the first time as they rioted outside the Florida re-counting precincts. Thor Hearne also helped beat the Ohio vote into submission last year, along with some other thugs in a group formed expressly for that purpose.

[Eric J in MN]

5. Where can we find out more about that Missiouri proposal? nt

nt

[patrice]

10. I'll get some contacts for you. We're also blogging this at DFA - KC.

http://www.dfakc.org/

The relevant blog entry on this topic has contact phones and one email in it.

It also has the first draft of the petition language.

[Eric J in MN]

6. A list of voting rights group in each state

http://www.votersunite.org/info/groups.asp

[ariellyn]

9. Good info...no group in my state but I found the recommendations by the

Illinois group helpful....



Some ways you can help:

Urge news coverage: Write your local radio and TV stations. Write the editors of local and national newspapers.

Support U.S. Rep. Rush Holt’s H.R. 2239 bill and Senator Bill Graham’s similar S. 1980 bill. Both bills mandate a paper trail for the 2004 election.

Contact your county, state, and U.S. representatives. Ask their position on voting technology. And ask them to require rigorous standards for high-tech voting systems.

Sign a petition to Attorney General demanding that he secure our elections against "Florida-tion."

Brainstorm on specifications for acceptable voting systems:
"It’s our job to define what we need. It’s their job to build it."

Join a local citizens group to help work on these issues.

More--

National Ballot Integrity Project.
http://ballotintegrity.org

David Dill??s website
http://verifiedvoting.org

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
http://CPSR.org

California Voter Foundation’s voting-technology page.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. See the election reform page of my site for some ideas

[ariellyn]

11. More excellent recommendations on your website. How many are doing this?

I hope we can have a more united, concerted effort to do some of these things.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Well, the trouble is that these things will not come top down. We can't

look to the federal gov't to put these things in place.. the Dems are doing all they can to stay alive on the Hill right now as it is.

So, we have to do it at the town, county, and state level. Here in Maine we have voluntary clean elections (though the neocons are always trying to get rid of them). We are trying (again) to get IRV here but I dunno if it will get through the Hill this time either.

So my suggestion is to start an election reform meet-up for your area or get in touch with your local political party organizations to see if they have something of this nature in the works, or are interested in getting something started. :)

[patrice]

16. I think people will respond well to being asked to work on this.

I'm very excited about our project here in KC. I know people will be interested in it when we start knocking on doors.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. That's good news. :^)

[Stevepol]

13. Here's another idea: a new political party, the FAIR VOTING PARTY

There would be only one plank in the platform: a voter-verified paper ballot and fair audits for all elections where the vote is recorded on electronic voting machines or counted by central tabulators.

I think with the knowledge in the country about the 04 election fraud we could get at least 5-10% of the total vote.

The Democratic party would have to take notice, but we'd make it clear we would not stop campaigning for the office unless the Democratic Party made our plank the NUMBER ONE ISSUE for Democrats.

As things now stand, there's no chance whatever that any Democratic candidate can win. If the votes are counted fairly, I don't think there's any way the Dems can lose.

[ariellyn]

14. Kicks needed...I have to leave for now but this topic is not going

to die, I'm going to kick it daily until we develop a plan and move forward. If anybody can address this issue, it's DUers.

"If not DU, then who?" -me

[B Calm]

15. The mid term elections are coming up and we have to have a huge turnout!

It's very easy to have a defeatist attitude with having no paper trail, but we can't give up, we have to vote or they win!

[Rex]

18. Nothing, we've crossed the Rubicon, broke the seal

The BFEE won't let things go back to the way they were. What is so sick is that this system allows us to vote in a fashion geared towards a pure market economy.

Take the Pepsi challenge (you only get two choices and the winner is already known by the 1%ers). This gives the BFEE and Corp America a chance to try their hand at social engineering (think about all the corporate ballparks, stadiums, theme parks, sports sponsors etc). CAmerica does forcasts everyday on what we, the consumer can be manipulated into buying - 'electronic voting is perfectly safe' it's something the MSM sold to us while ignoring the inherit danger BBV is to our Republic.

The 'electoral process' is just another business system. The MSM goes along with it because they too are part of CAmerica and just another business system. Corp America does not rely on Democracy for it's livelihood. Corporatism demands a profit no matter what the outcome. If the 'private sector' is benefiting from the blood and flesh of the 'public sector' then you can be assured a large body count will follow.

We are worms, maggots, cattle to the 1%ers. They play with our lives (from the war in Iraq to easing environmental laws for Corp America)while making billions in profit each and every day. And it will stay this way forever because we cannot empower ourselves enough to do something about it.

[ray of light]

19. We join the best activist site around

It teaches democracy, activates people from the local level to get people involved and empowered. You work online and/or locally and you do it without waiting for instructions from party head. It's all about US. join the http://www.democracycellproject.net and check it out. Join the live chat (right now in fact is a great time!) and ask any questions you want to ask!