Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News Sunday 11/20/05

[MelissaB]

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

:hi:

Link to previous Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x401930

All previous daily threads are available here:

http://www.independentmediasource.com/DU_archives/du_2004erd_el_ref_fr_thr_calenders.htm

[MelissaB]

1. Ohio: NAACP vote hearing details new flaws

Article published Sunday, November 20, 2005

NAACP vote hearing details new flaws
Lawmakers learn of frustration, call for changes to county elections process

Jill Kelly, far right, director of the Lucas County Board of Elections, listens to poll worker Shirley Crenshaw discuss problems.
( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )

By JANE SCHMUCKER
and JOSHUA BOAK
BLADE STAFF WRITERS


In the midst of three hours of testimony detailing confusion and frustration in Lucas County's Nov. 8 election, Eddie Small's story drew gasps from a panel of elected officials and NAACP leaders yesterday.


Mr. Small, who was a presiding judge in the Old West End, reported that at the end of election night the paper record was blank on the two busiest voting machines at the Girl Scouts of Maumee Valley.

The rovers who came to close his precinct told him they hoped the votes were stored on the memory cards or in the machines themselves, but did not appear as concerned as Mr. Small. He said he left with no confidence that the votes from those machines were counted.

Mike Badik, Lucas County Board of Elections deputy director, took notes, but did not speak during the NAACP-sponsored hearing in Warren A.M.E. Church on Collingwood Boulevard. Afterward, he said he had not heard of that problem until yesterday.


More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051120/NEWS09/511200359

[MelissaB]

2. Ohio: Election woes (continued) Editoral

Election woes (continued)

Although delayed results are not the worst problem that can happen in an election, the first experiment with electronic voting machines clearly points to a need for the Lucas County Board of Elections to isolate the problems that occurred Nov. 8 and make it clear to voters what went right and what went wrong. The problems cannot simply be waved off until the next general election in 2006.

...snip

Which brings us to what may be the root of all the problems - the person occupying the Secretary of State's office, Ken Blackwell.

While blame for the slow count can be apportioned among election officials, computer-resistant poll workers, and technology glitches, a generous share falls on the shoulders of Mr. Blackwell, who is too busy running for governor to take adequate care of one of his basic duties, which is supervising the election process.

As Ohio's chief election officer, Mr. Blackwell must ensure that all county boards are prepared to conduct fair and efficient elections, even if it means sending in state personnel to supervise the process. He cannot simply throw up his hands and blame local officials for their inexperience or feign concern by placing the board under "administrative watch."

Unfortunately, Mr. Blackwell seems to be an apostle of hands-off leadership. How can he claim to be ready to be governor of Ohio if he can't run proper elections?

More: http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051120/OPINION02/511200313

[MelissaB]

3. Lecturer keeps conspiracy out there (Fitrakis)

Lecturer keeps conspiracy out there

Sunday, November 20, 2005
By Steven Harmon
The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- Bob Fitrakis is accustomed to being labeled a conspiracy theorist and on the fringe. But that hasn't stopped him from his relentless pursuit to keep alive the 2004 presidential election and the fraud he says occurred.

Fitrakis, an Ohio attorney and political science professor who observed the Ohio elections in 2004, accuses the Bush administration and Republican friends of stealing the 2004 election through a mixture of computer manipulations, voter roll purges and election rules changes.

He laid out his case to about 50 people at the Wealthy Street Theatre as part of the Community Media Center's lecture series. Bush's victory over U.S. Sen. John Kerry in Ohio by 119,000 votes put him over the top for his re-election, but sparked an underground movement of angry liberals unconvinced of the election's legitimacy.


"What happened in Ohio was very well thought out," said Fitrakis, a Columbus State University professor who attended Grand Valley State University in 1978. "It was no accident. Much can be linked to Karl Rove and J. Kenneth Blackwell," President Bush's senior political adviser and Ohio's Secretary of State, who also was the state's chairman of Bush's re-election committee.

More: http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-26/113248544318280.xml&coll=6

[MelissaB]

4. snip

Fitrakis, who calls himself an independent voter, didn't spare Democrats from his criticism.

"Democrats have done little to challenge the obvious voter suppression," he said. "It's like they think if they behave well, this behavior will go away. It won't. It will get worse."

Voters have a hard time believing "the corruption" of their votes because "we've been socialized to believe nobody would do that," Fitrakis said.

[MelissaB]

5. Pastor: Rally spiritual, not political

Pastor: Rally spiritual, not political
Event offered free food, clothing to 4,000 people

By Kristin McAllister

Dayton Daily News

JEFFERSON TWP., MONTGOMERY C OUNTY | In a disorganized, at times tense, evangelical rally Saturday, almost 4,000 people crammed together for their turn at free food and clothing.


Pastor Rod Parsley — Reformation Ohio founder, senior pastor of World Harvest Church in Columbus and sponsor of the rally — said he hopes to convert 100,000 people to Christianity, provide food and clothing to the needy and get 400,000 Ohioans signed up as registered voters.

The rally's service took place under a bright yellow-and-white striped big tent, while 400 Ohio Reformation volunteers handed out food and clothing in the parking lot behind the Dixon Wellness and Worship Center, 4415 Dayton-Liberty Road.

As aggressive bodyguards kept reporters at bay, Parsley charged up rally attendees between rap and hip-hop dance teams. Though he preaches against gay marriage and abortion, he said the goal of his initiative is "not partisan."

"Reformation Ohio is not a political movement. It's a spiritual movement," Parsley said. "We're not here to influence folks on either side of the political aisle, but rather to get them involved in the process ... to be involved in their communities, and then vote their values."

More: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/1120reformation.html

[MelissaB]

6. About Rod Parsley

Anti-Gay Pastor Enters Ohio Political Arena

by Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press

Posted: November 18, 2005 9:00 pm ET

(Columbus, Ohio) On one side of the street, a handful of liberal ministers pleaded for tolerance of gay rights and respect for Islam. On the other side, hundreds of people cheered as evangelist Rod Parsley called on the crowd to "lock and load" for "a Holy Ghost invasion."

The preacher's rally represented the newest wrinkle in politics in Ohio, the state that put President Bush back in the White House and is engulfed in a political scandal that has given hope to Democrats trying to break a 10-year-old GOP stranglehold on state offices.

The man behind the rally - head of a 12,000-member suburban church, vocal opponent of gay marriage and critic of Islam - is the most high-profile conservative pastor to date to enter the political arena in this battleground state.

The goal of what he calls Reformation Ohio: convert 1 million people to Christianity, help the poor and register 400,000 new voters.

More: http://www.365gay.com/Newscon05/11/111805ohio.htm

[MelissaB]

7. Blackwell connection

His critics say it's impossible to separate the goals of Reformation Ohio from Parsley's work on a successful election campaign to ban gay marriage and his ties to Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a conservative leading many polls in his run for governor next year.

Blackwell spoke briefly at the Statehouse rally.

"If you're not interested in influencing politics, you don't hold a major rally on the steps of the Statehouse," said Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, a member of the national staff of the Cleveland-based and left-leaning United Church of Christ.

In his book, "Silent No More," Parsley questions the biological basis for homosexuality and argues that the gay lifestyle is morally and physically damaging to homosexuals. In his new book, Parsley thanks Blackwell for his support.

[MelissaB]

8. From Bill Moyers about Rod Parsley

Setting The Record Straight

Bill Moyers
November 18, 2005

Bill Moyers is a broadcast journalist and former host of the PBS program NOW With Bill Moyers. He made these remarks at a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the independent newspaper The Texas Observer . Moyers is president of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy and the author of Moyers on America, the recent paperback collection of his speeches and essays. Please contact TomPaine.com before excerpting any portion of these remarks.

...snip

Consider the scene just a few weeks ago when your Gov. Perry, surrounded by cheering God-folk, showed up at a pep rally in Fort Worth for yet another cleverly staged bashing of gay people, contrived to keep the pious signed on for the culture war so they won’t know they are losing the class war waged against them in Austin by the governor and his rich corporate patrons. The main speaker was none other than the Rev. Rod Parsley of Ohio. Keep your eyes on Rev. Parsley. He is the new incarnation of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, that devout duo who channeled Elmer Gantry into a new political religion driven by an obsession to punish people on account of sex. Parsley runs a multimillion-dollar-a-year televangelism ministry based in Columbus, Ohio, with access worldwide to 400 TV stations and cable affiliates. He describes himself as neither Republican nor Democrat but a “Christo-crat” —a gladiator for God marching against “the very hordes of hell in our society.” But he shows up with so many Republicans that he has been publicly described as the party’s “spiritual advisor.”

The “advice” he offers is the same old stuff peddled by Robertson and Falwell in their own rise to the top of the dung heap of religious bigotry and bile. Parsley demonizes other faiths (“The god of Islam and the god of Christianity are not the same being”) and rouses the partisan faithful to fever pitch by tossing them the red meat of radical disinformation: “The church in America is under oppression.” “The separation of church and state is a lie perpetrated on Americans—especially on believers in Jesus Christ.” So intense is his scapegoating of gays that one cannot help but think of the 1930s when the powerful and the pious in Germany demonized Jews and homosexuals in order to arouse and manipulate public passions. Watching the two of them together, you have to wonder if Gov. Perry and Rev. Parsley have ever read a history book detailing how Heinrich Himmler organized a special section of the Gestapo to deal with homosexuality and abortion, exhorting his country to remember that “Germany’s forebears knew what to do with homosexuals. They drowned them in bags.” You want to believe the governor and the preacher are surely ignorant of such horrors, horrors you know they would never condone, but you want to grab them by the lapels and shake them and tell them their loathing of other people is the kindling of evil.

Ohio newspapers report that Parsley has launched Reformation Ohio to bring “spiritual revival and moral reformation” to the Buckeye state by using pastors and their churches to register at least 400,000 new voters motivated by “Bible-based values.” It’s a familiar agenda: deny women freedom of conscience in the difficult personal choices affecting pregnancy, discriminate against gay people who seek the commitments of marriage, outlaw stem-cell research no matter the lives it might save, and overturn a provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits non-profit churches from endorsing political candidates. (At one recent rally, Parsley and former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller delivered “fiery speeches” as more than 1,200 pastors were handed thousands of mail-in petitions to spread among their congregations urging the Senate quickly to confirm John Roberts to the Supreme Court.)

Rev. Parsley is a master of mass psychology. He sees the church as a sleeping giant with the ability and the anointing from God to transform America. At a rally in July he proclaimed: “Let the Revolution begin!” And the congregation answered: “Let the Revolution begin.”

So what was it that brought Rev. Parsley to Austin recently to meet with Gov. Perry? Both showed up for a “Pastors’ Policy Briefing” sponsored by the Texas Restoration Project (not to be confused with Reformation Ohio, unless you think of kissin’ cousins). Once again the aim is to sign up “Patriot Pastors” who will call on their congregations to vote the Lord’s will on Election Day. Also present in Austin was Ohio’s secretary of state, Ken Blackwell. You will remember him as the overseer of the election process in Ohio last year when a surge of conservative Christian voters narrowly carried Bush to victory there. Yes, the same Ken Blackwell who had modestly acknowledged that “God wanted him as secretary of state in 2004” because it was such a critical election. Now, apparently, he has been divinely designated for higher office. One wonders what Blackwell, Perry and Parsley were really talking about when they got down on their knees here in Austin. We will never know, because the praying and preaching and politicking were closed to the press, as befits the stealth salvation they are plotting for Texas.


More: http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051118/setting_the_record_straight.php

[MelissaB]

9. photo

Suburban Columbus minister, the Rev. Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church, left, announces the launch of Reformation Ohio in Columbus.


This is from the same article as posted above except that it appears in an Ohio paper.

Evangelist presses politics

Friday, November 18, 2005 By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS

Suburban Columbus minister, the Rev. Rod Parsley of World Harvest Church, left, announces the launch of Reformation Ohio in Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — On one side of the street, a handful of liberal ministers pleaded for tolerance of gay rights and respect for Islam. On the other side, hundreds of people cheered as evangelist Rod Parsley called on the crowd to “lock and load” for “a Holy Ghost invasion.”

More: http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=253609&Category=13

[MelissaB]

10. Arkansas: Voting-machine firm good fit, Daniels says

Voting-machine firm good fit, Daniels says

A committee appointed by Secretary of State Charlie Daniels gave a higher score to a Texas company than to the Nebraska firm to which he awarded a $ 15 million-or-so contract to provide Arkansas counties with new voting machines.

Despite the difference in score, the six-member evaluation committee stopped short of recommending that Daniels award the contract to either Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb., or Diebold Election Systems Inc. of Allen, Texas.

...snip


IMAGE ISSUES Gram said she worried that Diebold had an image problem stemming from possible bias toward the Republican Party and widely publicized security concerns about the firm’s machines.

“With the high profile newspaper coverage these incidents have had, I believe that it will be difficult to achieve voter confidence in this equipment,” she wrote.

More: http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=136981

[MelissaB]

11. Diebold Attempts to Evade Election Transparency Laws

Diebold Attempts to Evade Election Transparency Laws
EFF Goes to Court to Force E-voting Company to Comply With Strict New North Carolina Law

Raleigh, North Carolina - infoZine - - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is going to court in North Carolina to prevent Diebold Election Systems, Inc. from evading North Carolina law.

In a last-minute filing, e-voting equipment maker Diebold asked a North Carolina court to exempt it from tough new election requirements designed to ensure transparency in the state's elections. Diebold obtained an extraordinarily broad order, allowing it to avoid placing its source code in escrow with the state and identifying programmers who contributed to the code.

On behalf of North Carolina voter and election integrity advocate Joyce McCloy, EFF asked the court to force Diebold and every other North Carolina equipment vendor to comply with the law's requirements. A hearing on EFF's motion is set for Monday, November 28.

More: http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/11514/

[MelissaB]

12. NC: Voting machine company sued

Voting machine company sued

Group says judge's ruling defeats law
Lynn Bonner, Staff Writer

Voting machine companies should have to abide by a new law requiring they turn over information on how their systems work, a Winston-Salem woman says in a court filing.

Joyce McCloy, founder of the N.C. Coalition for Verified Voting, wants a Wake County Superior Court judge to limit or remove an order that relieves companies from having to meet all the law's disclosure requirements.

Acceding to a request from Diebold Election Systems, Judge Howard E. Manning Jr. decided this month that companies competing to supply the state with voting machines won't be held liable if they don't provide all information about the machines' software and its creators, as spelled out in the law.

Diebold machines use software the company did not create, said Doug Hanna, a Raleigh lawyer representing the company. "The statute says all software and all programmers," he said. "There was a concern by the client that we wouldn't be able to comply 100 percent with the statute."
The company is still working to see if it is able to meet all disclosure requirements, he said.
According to the company Web site, Diebold has an election system that uses Microsoft Windows.

More: http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/368895.html

[MelissaB]

13. In case you missed this...Diebold Attempts to Evade Election Transparency

Diebold Attempts to Evade Election Transparency Laws
EFF Goes to Court to Force E-voting Company to Comply With Strict New North Carolina Law

RALEIGH, North Carolina - November 18 - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is going to court in North Carolina to prevent Diebold Election Systems, Inc. from evading North Carolina law.

In a last-minute filing, e-voting equipment maker Diebold asked a North Carolina court to exempt it from tough new election requirements designed to ensure transparency in the state's elections. Diebold obtained an extraordinarily broad order, allowing it to avoid placing its source code in escrow with the state and identifying programmers who contributed to the code.

On behalf of North Carolina voter and election integrity advocate Joyce McCloy, EFF asked the court to force Diebold and every other North Carolina equipment vendor to comply with the law's requirements. A hearing on EFF's motion is set for Monday, November 28.

"The new law was passed for a reason: to ensure that the voters of North Carolina have confidence in the integrity and accuracy of their elections," said EFF Staff Attorney Matt Zimmerman. "In stark contrast to every other equipment vendor that placed a bid with the state, Diebold went to court complaining that it simply couldn't comply with the law. Diebold should spend its efforts developing a system that voters can trust, not asking a court to let it bypass legal requirements aimed at ensuring voting integrity."

More: http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1118-04.htm

[MelissaB]

14. PA: County says Rhoades won race

County says Rhoades won race

By John Hilton, November 15, 2005

Cumberland County election officials say they have completed all counts for the race for magisterial district judge in Carlisle and, barring a lawsuit, will name Jessica Rhoades as the winner.

A review of five provisional ballots in Carlisle was completed Monday, says Toni Goril, county election manager. Four ballots were thrown out because the voters were not registered. A fifth ballot was cast by a voter registered in Upper Mifflin Township, which is not part of the Carlisle magisterial district.

The unofficial tally in the race between Rhoades, a Democrat, and Republican Kathy Keating remains 1,703-1,701 in favor of Rhoades.

...snip

The election bureau moved on this week to counting write-ins, provisional ballots and auditing other races. The results must be certified by the county election board by Nov. 28.

Initial vote totals recorded Tuesday night showed Keating won by a 1,650 to 1,468 margin. However, a programming error by the county’s ES&S voting machines awarded all votes by Democrats casting a straight-ticket ballot to Keating. The problem involved a software coding error in which Keating’s political affiliation was mislabeled as Democrat.

Link: http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2005/11/15/news/news09.txt

[MelissaB]

15. Again, Bush dodges 'Nam

Again, Bush dodges 'Nam

DAVID LETTERMAN:

- President Bush is on a tour of Asia. He's visiting Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia - once again he's skipping Vietnam.

- President Bush is on an eight-day tour of Asia. He's visiting American jobs.

- The bear-hunting season has started in New Jersey. The big difference with bear hunting in New Jersey is that before you shoot the bear you make it dig its own grave.

JAY LENO:


- President Bush is touring Asia. I think he's getting his cultures confused. Like when he landed in Japan and he got off Air Force One he yelled to the crowd, "Aloha!"

- The rumour is President Bush's brother, Jeb Bush, may run for president. May run? According to Florida voting machines, he's already won.

Link: http://www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/Spotlight/2005/11/20/1315133-sun.html

[gordianot]

22. I thought he was supposed to finally go to Vietnam.

What happened? Maybe they are looking at the opinion polls and are trying no to resurrect old wounds?

[MelissaB]

16. PA: County residents urged the Voting System Task Force to pick a voting

WESThttp://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15609946&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6

GOSHEN -- County residents urged the Voting System Task Force to pick a voting machine that would produce a paper trail.

"Reject the purchase of electronic voting machines if there’s not a voter verifiable paper receipt," said Elizabeth Thomas of East Bradford, at a public hearing on Friday night. "Let’s not give our electorate another reason to stay home on Election Day."

...snip

A few of the speakers, who said they had background in the computer programming field, expressed their distrust in keeping computer voting systems uncorrupted.

Jana Nestlerode, a West Chester University professor of criminal justice, said she and her students conducted research on a variety of electronic voting machines.

"What we discovered is nothing short of alarming," said Nestlerode. "What we found is that there is no way to assure that these machines have not and will not be programmed in such a way as to ensure a predetermined outcome."

Pat Splane, of West Goshen, urged the committee to only choose a system when a pre-audit of the system confirms each ballot will be accurately recorded and counted.

"The standard for accuracy and secrecy in recording and counting ballots is met by the mechanical-lever voting machine and by the system currently used in Chester County," Splane said. "Neither has a ballot trail. Any replacement voting system must meet this standard for recording and counting ballots. Mechanical-lever voting machines eliminate the need for a ballot trail because the accuracy of recording and counting each vote is pre-audited."

More: http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15609946&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6

[MelissaB]

17. My electronic voting machine was rigged to vote Republican

I would like to go on record at DU to say that when I voted in
Baltimore, MD in November 2004, my voting machine defaulted 5 times
to GWB when I tried to vote for Kerry, and I wrote a sworn affadavit
on what happened. I would like other people to post here if they
experienced similar situations with electronic voting machines.

Thanks to MissWaverly here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2263330

[MelissaB]

18. Just Sign It

Tell Congress: Pass H.R. 550 for Voter Verified Paper Records

The "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act" (H.R. 550) may be the most important bill your Representative could co-sponsor this year.

H.R. 550 is the "gold standard" of voter verifiability legislation, incorporating not only a requirement for voter-verified paper records but also mandatory manual audits to confirm that voting machines are working properly.

A voter-verified paper record (VVPR) is the "bottom line" without which we cannot have reliable elections. But the voter-verified paper record must be audited too. Although more than half the states have now made VVPR an official requirement, many states still do not have adequate audit requirements. H.R.550 provides that minimum standard.

The bill also has increased security requirements, prohibits undisclosed software, and more. It continues to gain momentum, with 156 Republican and Democrat co-sponsors to date, but more co-sponsors are needed. VerifiedVoting.org supports H.R. 550 in the strongest possible terms, and we urge its immediate passage.

snip/petition
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/vevo/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1353

BradBlog Thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x401988

Recommend it!

Thanks to Wilms here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x402003

[MelissaB]

19. GAO report upholds Ohio vote fraud claims

It was nice to see this Illinois newspaper (RockRiver Times) article being passed around on the internet! What I don't understand is why no one is saying, "Get out of office, George; Kerry won."

GAO report upholds Ohio vote fraud claims

By Joe Baker, Senior Editor
From the Nov. 2-8, 2005, issue

As if the indictment of Lewis “Scooter” Libby wasn’t enough to give the White House some heavy concerns, a report from the Government Accounting Office takes a big bite out of the Bush clique’s pretense of legitimacy.

This powerful and probing report takes a hard look at the election of 2004 and supports the contention that the election was stolen. The report has received almost no coverage in the national media.

The GAO is the government’s lead investigative agency, and is known for rock-solid integrity and its penetrating and thorough analysis. The agency’s agreement with what have been brushed aside as “conspiracy theories” adds even more weight to the conclusion that the Bush regime has no business in the White House whatever. <...>
AMEN! Read the rest at: http://www.rockrivertimes.com/index.pl?cmd=viewstory&cat=2&id=11529


Thanks to MellowOne here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2265321

[MelissaB]

20. H.R.550 co-sponsors write tell-it-all letter on GAO report to House Reps

Check Brad:
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002037.htm
Tell Congress: Pass H.R. 550:
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/vevo/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1353

Thanks to freedomfries here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x401988

[autorank]

21. K & R: Best Daily News Thread Ever n/t

[MelissaB]

24. .

:blush:

I do try. Things just seemed to fall into place today.

[MelissaB]

23. BREAKING: DIEBOLD TRYING TO RIG CALIFORNIA

URGENT! STOP REPUBLICAN DIEBOLD TAKEOVER IN CA (ACTION!)

by judybrowni
Sun Nov 20, 2005 at 01:40:37 PM PDT
All Californians who care about the sanctity of their vote must let Secretary of State McPherson know that they WILL NOT ALLOW him to certify Diebold machines, that they are OUTRAGED that he is undermining our democracy.

QUICK ACTION PAGE: http://www.usalone.com/diebold2.htm

AND CALL/FAX: Bruce McPherson, Secretary of State 916-653-6814 (main menu, press 6, then 3 - starting at 8:00 am Monday)
916-653-3214 (the FAX is on this weekend)

judybrowni's diary :: ::
McPherson was appointed by Schwarzenegger to replace Democrat Kevin Shelley. Folks, if they can't win legally, they WILL steal the votes they need. THAT'S YOUR VOTE.

This is a Republican coup, and they are counting on YOU, and ME to do NOTHING. Is it worth FIVE MINUTES OF YOUR TIME to send a FAX, an email or make a call? PLEASE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY.

ACTION PAGE: http://www.usalone.com/diebold2.htm

The Secretary of State has scheduled a hearing for November 21, 2005 on the question of whether certain Diebold voting systems will should be certified before the end of the year.

But "The Secretary of State has disbanded the Voting
Systems Panel that's supposed to conduct these hearings and has replaced it with one person, a stenographer, and a tape recorder," said Sherry Healy, a steering committee member of the California Election Protection Network (CEPN), a
non-partisan organization of over 25 groups across California who have come together to try and ensure the integrity of California's election systems.

The rally/protest is this Monday in Sacramento, we have ONLY next week to voice our concerns so they go on the record.

Monday Nov. 21, 10 a.m. - May be your last chance to block Diebold Secretary of State's Office, 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
(Downtown Sacramento - 11th and "O" Streets)
CONTACT: Dagmar Zakim [phone] (there will be carpools)

WE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING URGENT APPEAL FROM SHERI MYERS

Believe me, I really don't want to ruin your day. But you need to hear this.

ACTION PAGE: http://www.usalone.com/diebold2.htm

If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
http://www.usalone.com/diebold2.htm

Follow the link and go here to sign the petition. There are news related items at the bottom.

...snip

News Items

Aside from the long list of security problems, inauditable proprietary software, and equipment failures, Diebold, a company entrusted with our secret ballots saw fit to hire felons with records for embezzlement and computer fraud to write their software. http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html

And if this public relations nightmare weren’t bad enough, Diebold’s CEO Wally O’Dell bragged to the Ohio GOP leadership that he would deliver the Ohio vote for President Bush in the 2004 election. http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html

Recent headlines have been no kinder. A recent mock election testing Diebold equipment was first reported to have had a 10% failure rate but that number was later amended to be in excess of a staggering 20% failure rate. http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2005/1417

Then last week, the results of the Ohio election using Diebold equipment has once again caused a fury of speculation about the reliability of this company when Diebold’s voting system tallies differed dramatically from that of the polls. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/the-staggeringly-impossib_b_10589.html

Thanks to Halliburton here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5414567#5414607

[MelissaB]

25. How Jean Schmidt "WON" against Paul Hackett. "Won" as in "lost"!

Thanks to autorank here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2265888