Help Ron Baiman (US Counts Vote) challenge Mitofsky

[GettysbergII]

I received this email today from Dr. Lora Chamberlain. I can vouch for its authenticity as I heard Ron Baiman say the same exact thing at a Voting (Fraud) Forum in Oak Park, IL last Saturday. I've encountered Neal Resnikoff several times in progressive activities and I've found him to be a honest, straight shooter.

Hello to everone,
I am writing to ask you to donate to a worthy cause. Dr. Ron Baiman of Univ. of Illinois is a coauthor of the statistical response to Mitofsky's weak report about his exit poll error on election day 2004. He wants to go to the Public Opinion Research Conference in Miami and go public with the obvious errors in Mitofsky's report that would lead any sane individual to question the validity of the election results. I think it is a worthy request and might give our cause of media attention on the stolen election some traction. We need to raise some funds for him to get down there, approximately $1000. Andersonville Neighbors For Peace will be happy to collect the funds and that way you can deduct them from your income taxes. If anyone can donate some bucks to this cause please call Neal Resnikoff from Andersonville Neighbors For Peace at 773-267-6764 and tell him the amount you are donating and that the check made out to Andersonville Neighbors For Peace is in the mail. We have to act quickly on this because the Conf. is this weekend. Call today and then send the check to Andersonville Neighbors For Peace, attn. Neal Resnikoff, P.O. Box 18224, Chicago, Il, 60618. We desperately need some coverage of this issue and Dr. Ron is the man for the job! Below are some more details.
Thank You, Dr. Lora from Chicago
from Ron Baiman--
Its the 'American Association of Public Opinion Research" (AAPOR) Conference in Miami Beach Florida, May 12-14.

Mitofsky and Blumenthal (of Mystery Pollster) are doing panels there on the 2004 elections which may (or may not) be heavily covered by media. Mifsky's panel includes a representative from CBS News. Both of these panels are on Saturday afternoon - so I could conceivably get an early Sat morning flight and come back that night avoiding a lot of hotel and meal expenses.

Problem is the reg fee which I will probably have to pay is $525 alone!

No USCV(US Counts Votes) people are now scheduled to attend.

[garybeck]

1. sounds worthy of a KEEK

[sunshinekathy]

2. This May not be a good idea - Is it even permitted?

I'm not sure that this is a good strategy. The plan is to hold a press release outside of the AAPOR convention. I don't know if the folks planning this have even gotten a permit. The police and the AAPOR may not allow this to occur, and I don't know that the press will cover it.

US Count Votes' will be writing a response to Elizabeth Liddle's work and the commentary of the MysteryPollster soon. We hope to have it finished in time for Ron Baiman to release it if he does travel to Miami to protest and have a press conference outside the AAPOR conference.

I have tried phoning the AAPOR to see if we can coordinate with them. They should have invited a US Count Votes' statistician to present, but did not.

IMO, People can do a lot more to help by donating money to US Count Votes to hire the php/mySQL programmers we need to hire to complete the National Election Data Archive Project.

http://electionarchive.org/fairelection/donate.html

[sunshinekathy]

3. I just spoke with the AAPOR & this IS a GOOD Idea

OK. I rescind my earlier reservations. I just got a call-back from someone who is with the AAPOR hosting the convention.

This said that Ron Baiman is welcome to come to the convention, sit in the audience of the exit poll discussion, raise questions afterwards, collect email addresses of those who would like to obtain copies of US Count Votes' rebuttals or analysis, give handouts to the audience and the panel, and hold a press conference afterwards outdoors.

The AAPOR does not have space for US Count Votes or Ron Baiman on the panel or the program at this late date but the purpose of the convention is to share information. He said that there are lots of AAPOR members who share the views of US Count Votes, and that nonmembers may sign up to attend the conference.

Raising money for Ron Baiman to attend the conference so that he can pass out information, obtain contact information of others who are interested, raise questions, and have a press conference afterwards IMO is a GREAT idea.

Ron will need money for airfare, convention attendance fees. We may also be able to purchase a booth at the Exhibition if enough money is raised, where we could hand out materials to all the statisticians. I have a call in about whether or not booths are still available.

I am also prodding some of our volunteer statisticians to get a response done in time to hand out at the AAPOR conference.

http://www.aapor.org/conference/

US Count Votes will try to send more than one statistician to the AAPOR and may need help manning the booth, or handling our copies of our work, and may need to raise funds for bringing a second statistician to the conference for our press conference.

This is a great idea! Thank you to the folks who began this effort.

Best,

Kathy Dopp
President, US Count Votes
http://uscountvotes.org

[sunshinekathy]

4. We need to raise $600 for an AAPOR Exhibition Booth Also

I just received a call-back from the Exhibition coordinator.

For $600 we can have a table booth set up from Thurs 3 p.m. to Saturday 3 p.m.

All food breaks take place in the exhibition hall so we will reach 1,000 plus attendees at the conference, especially on Friday and Saturday a.m.

This will be good exposure and we'll need a volunteer or two to man the booth as well, and pass out our exit poll analyses or obtain email addresses of statisticians and conference attendees, who would like further information or to join US Count Votes' groups of volunteer statisticians.

Many of them agree with our work already and this will be an excellent opportunity to get more of the statisticians in America on board and volunteering to help us, lend their name and credentials to our efforts, and inform them.

Please donate so we can raise enough money for a booth and let us know if you know anyone in Miami who may be willing to volunteer to man the booth, and help alert the press in Miami to our press conference.

Thank you.

Best,

Kathy

[GettysbergII]

5. I forwarded your information, Kathy,

but you might want to contact Neal Resnikoff from Andersonville Neighbors For Peace yourself at 773-267-6764 to make it easier to coordinate things.

This is the most recent update on how the funding was going as of 9am this morning:

From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Sent: Thu, 5 May 2005 10:12:41 EDT
Subject: on getting Ron to the pollsters conference

As of 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, we have solid promises of checks in the mail, etc. of $595. Ron has purchased a plane ticket and reserved a hotel room. Now just to be sure he gets into the conference by hook or crook so he can, hopefully, have an impact on pollsters and others there, and get this issue more into the mainstream media. (By the way, did you all see the Christopher Hitchins article in the March Vanity Fair?)....So, we're getting there, but if you are able to make a donation, please do so, making out a check to Andersonville Neighbors for Peace (for the Baiman trip on the memo line), and sending it c/o Neal Resnikoff, Box 18224, Chicago, IL 60618. Looks like we have a live and energetic movement on this vital issue. -- Neal

[sunshinekathy]

7. We need money for Vickie too. Can't Ron stay with Friends?

Can we Please save money by having Ron stay at a friend's house? I know people in Miami. And surely some of you do also.

It costs $525 just for the conference fees for Ron, and we need to send Victoria Lovegren there too for the press conference and the conference, so we need over $1,000 without including airfare or hotel.

Plus the exhibition booth is $600 if we can come up with the money. (maybe not).

Does Ron really have to stay in a hotel? I traveled to both Nashville and Berkeley and stayed with fellow voting activists. It was fun and nice, and I'm glad I didn't stay in a hotel.

I'll call tomorrow. Thanks for the info.

Kathy

[GettysbergII]

6. Please continue to support sending Ron Baiman to the Florida conference

Here's the info once again:

Call Neal Resnikoff from Andersonville Neighbors For Peace at 773-267-6764 and tell him the amount you are donating and that the check made out to Andersonville Neighbors For Peace is in the mail. We have to act quickly on this because the Conf. is this weekend. Call today and then send the check to Andersonville Neighbors For Peace, attn. Neal Resnikoff, P.O. Box 18224, Chicago, Il, 60618.

[AtLiberty]

8. Will Ron Baiman's report/summary be available to us...

...after the news conference?

Thanks for posting this...I just received an e-mail about it a minute ago.

[sunshinekathy]

9. USCountVotes' Report will be made Public at the Conference

Ron Baiman will be delivering US Count Votes' newest exit poll analysis if we can get it ready by then for him. One week is a very short time frame to complete a collaborative work, but we will put something out by the AAPOR conference for him to use.

We can also hand out copies of our work and collect business cards of all conference attendees (which would be very valuable to obtain other volunteer statisticians to help our effort and also obtain their email addresses so they can receive US Count Votes' announcements) IF we can raise the $600 and find a few volunteers to man an exhibit booth there for Friday day and Saturday morning. (the booth would be available from Thur 3 p.m. to Saturday 3 p.m., but the most important times are all day Friday and Saturday a.m.)

We are told that many of the AAPOR statisticians agree with our work thus far.

contact me [e-mail] if you can help.
http://uscountvotes.org

I'm going to be buried this week working to get our newest paper ready.

Please contact me or Ron if you can help with getting press to our press conference (by making calls to local Florida press, etc.), pass out our papers, make copies of our paper, collect email addresses of interested conference attendees, man a booth (if we get the money), or otherwise help.

[GettysbergII]

10. Please continue to support sending Ron Baiman to the Florida conference

Here's the info once again:

Email Neal Resnikoff from Andersonville Neighbors For Peace at [e-mail] or call at 773-267-6764 and tell him the amount you are donating and that the check made out to Andersonville Neighbors For Peace is in the mail. We have to act quickly on this because the Conf. is this weekend. Call today and then send the check to Andersonville Neighbors For Peace, attn. Neal Resnikoff, P.O. Box 18224, Chicago, Il, 60618.