I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Tena, one thing for your group to watch out for is voter intimidation, and make plans to combat it. In Houston for the last 2 elections the republican party had a budget that they used for their own poll watchers. They sent people to mostly minority districts and told them they couldn't vote if they had outstanding tickets, or owed back rent or other stuff. They told mothers that showed up with small children that they couldn't take their children into the polling areas... basically they did whatever they could to suppress the minority vote.
Anyway, something to plan for. You're a lawyer, get other lawyers involved, know the election laws and have some people out there to be able to advise people on their rights. Just my 2 cents worth.
Good luck- it's a worthy cause. It probably won't help in the preznitial election but will be really important in those congressional races.
First Post! Nothing to say on this topic. I live in Washington State.
86-43-04. Pass it on.
Harryette is a GREAT lady! Back in late September when the Dean campaign sent a group of volunteers to Iowa, we stayed at her house the night before the flight up to Iowa. If there is anyone who can get this done, it is Harryette.
Harryette is a GREAT lady! Back in late September when the Dean campaign sent a group of volunteers to Iowa, we stayed at her house the night before the flight up to Iowa. If there is anyone who can get this done, it is Harryette.
Oh yea, have people with video cameras out there to document the abuses. No one ever believes it after the fact. Get the bastards on tape, that will do more to open peoples's eyes to the basic ugliness of the TX republican machine.
thank you thank you thank you thank you
racist election judges, asking for multiple forms of identificaiton, is one of the reasons Florida was stolen.
Moreover if there are obnoxious Rethuglicans making frivilous voter challenges or other abuses, an honest election judge has the power to call the sheriff.
this is great
thanks
Without a paper trail, I don't see how much good all these other efforts are going to do.
Defy the Diebold conspiracy. It is your constitutional right to demand a paper ballot.
Everybody altogether now: "No thanks, I want a paper ballot."
I was suggesting this back before the 2002 mid term elections. I suggested we have these people spend a great deal of time in the questionable areas. The polling stations where there is likely to be voter harassment, or where long lines are expected. Almost all of these are places where minorites that vote democratic usually happen. The purpose is to be a witness to events. To be there should the bigots decide to go intimidate people. To be there in case those working the polling stations are in fact GOP operatives. To be at the Diebold sites to record every faulty machine that goes down, and every time someone complains of problems.
But more importantly, to get lists of names with numbers of election officials for each state so that if a person who knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that he or she should be registered and legally entitled to vote is told they cannot, we have a direct line to those who can clear up the issue.
I also suggested having the press and other known moderate to liberal media reps ready to go and be on the spot to record the event should it happen, and it will happen.
Thanks Tena for bringing this back up. I almost forgot that people realized this could happen.
MYOB'
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Well, not all Dallas precincts are using Diebold, but even those that are, it is worth while to make sure that people aren't being turned away from polling places like they reportedly were during the 2000 election.
I am going to contact some lawyers who I think will be happy to be on call. I am officially non-active status (avoids those nearly $400 annual bar dues) so I am going to be an election judge, poll watcher, whatever.
But Harryette is a great person, a good Democrat, and I think this is important.
Ya'll can discuss anything election related here if you like - you don't have to stay within a narrow topic that is regional.
Anonymous: I think these efforts will work. Why? If a person is intimidated from voting at all Diebold becomes a moot point.
Defy the Diebold conspiracy. It is your constitutional right to demand a paper ballot.
Everybody altogether now: "No thanks, I want a paper ballot."
Is this actually true? Can I walk into my polling place in FL (quit throwin' rocks, ouch!) and demand a paper ballot instead of voting electronically?
Although, living here, I lost faith in even PAPER ballots in 2000. I no longer trust the people doing the counting. Diebold scares the crap out of me, but we've seen here (and elsewhere) how badly they can fuck up an election even WITH a paper trail, as Cruella deHarris continues her political climb...
I'm really not trying to be negative. I just think that we need to make an all out push to have a paper printout required for electronic voting, and before this year's general election. It should be a printed ballot that goes into a ballot box just like a traditional ballot. Random ballot boxes would then be selected for comparison counting, and more widespread counting would only be done if there was a great discrepancy in the random sample.
Cruella,
The local fishwrap, San Diego Union Tribune, announced that the state of California at least says this is my right. I plan to make use of it.
Tena, you're doing a great job, the double posts just give us more room to get our comments in.
Texas law should be consistent with the general trend. Therefore, people must know of 2 rights at the polls:
1) the provisional paper ballot, if the voter is told he/she is ineligible for some reason, and the voter disputes this;
2) the emergency paper ballot, if something goes wrong with the terminals (bringing a 22-ounce drink to the machine and having an 'accident' may help).
Other than the above, the only way to ensure a paper record is to vote absentee. There is no way that Diebold or other such terminals will be equipped with printouts in time for the November election, so the best thing that can be done NOW is to assist people in requesting absentee ballots. The Republicans have an extreme lead over the Democrats in this practice. In the 2000 election, many Florida elections supervisors facilitated the Republican ballot request efforts and stymied Democratic efforts. Lawyers can put a stop to this.
But the key goal now is to not just register people to vote, but to VOTE ABSENTEE to 1) deprive Diebold the satisfaction of helping to steal an election, and 2) alleviate the problem of inevitable intimidation at the polls.
Many Dallas precincts are using Diebold touchscreen voting machines, so it is extremely important that Democrats have people in place to try to assure that everyone's vote is counted in this election.
Oh, come on! This is precisely what Republicans will be doing, so I don't see how it helps for the Democrats to join the chorus. People need to be told today that their vote will NOT count at any precinct using electronic voting machines without a voter-verified paper ballot, and avoid that precinct altogether by voting by ABSENTEE BALLOT.
sendin this to my texass e-pal.(he said i could say that).
"Defy the Diebold conspiracy. It is your constitutional right to demand a paper ballot.
Everybody altogether now: "No thanks, I want a paper ballot."--zepper "
Sorry to say, but that just doesn't matter! The votes PROBABLY STILL GET POSTED TO DIEBOLD GEM DATABASES! The fix is in, folks, and paper trails only matter if someone happens to notice a fraud occuring because of them.
In California's 'recall' election, 17 counties were using illegal software. Democratic vote blocks that were 'misapplied' to minor candidates were observed because of the absentee paper ballots, but the important issue there was that Diebold salesmen, on hand, stepped in and moved the blocks around (to 'fix' the problem).
Fix it they did. There was no legal recall, and CA is just now getting some protest efforts going. Where we lose is not in the paper ballots. It's in the hub of corruption that is THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS in your county. Find out who they are, and who their friends are, and then apply the pressure--locally. That's at least what we are (beginning to attempt) doing in CA.
Okay, let's be clear on this.
First, no electronic machines are being used on Election Day--they're all optical scan ballots, so a paper output actually will exist at present.
Second, the electronic machines are ES&S, not Diebold, and are used only during Early Voting. This doesn't make them foolproof (we had problems in 2002 which took rapid intervention and lawyers to fix), but they're not Diebold, and their relevance is over when Early Voting ends.
As an Election Judge myself, I'm not at all thrilled by the lack of accountability the electronic machines currently produce, but let's at least get upset with accuracy.
We will lose a lot more votes due to "de-authorization" of voters before they ever get to the booth than will be stolen by machines THIS TIME. That's why we need to focus on allowing everybody to vote.
Further, a substantial problem in Dallas is the mail ballot process, in which MANY, MANY ballots from Democratic areas are tossed while most R-area ballots are allowed. This is a much larger problem that has basically been ignored heretofore.
Second, the electronic machines are ES&S, not Diebold, and are used only during Early Voting. This doesn't make them foolproof (we had problems in 2002 which took rapid intervention and lawyers to fix), but they're not Diebold, and their relevance is over when Early Voting ends.
Actually, you should probably do some googling on ES&S while you're at it... They have some integrity problems of their own.
I am so with you,rolex watch
luxury watch Second, the electronic machines are ES&S, not Diebold, and are used only during Early Voting. This doesn't make them foolproof (we had problems in 2002 which took rapid intervention and lawyers to fix), but they're not Diebold, and their relevance is over when Early Voting ends.
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