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diva77

(7,652 posts)
Thu Oct 24, 2019, 02:53 PM Oct 2019

When I joined DU, there was a very active Election Reform forum.

Considering that the existence of the planet hinges on the 2020 election, I would like to see such a forum return to DU.

The voting machine business is a snake-pit and people need to be more informed about how their sacred right to vote is being glad-handled by private corporations.

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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diva77

(7,652 posts)
3. did it used to be a forum instead of a group? it's so buried now, I was unaware of its
Thu Oct 24, 2019, 03:14 PM
Oct 2019

existence. Thanks for posting link. Yah, not well-trafficked, unfortunately.

There needs to be better dissemination of info. regarding election integrity.

madinmaryland

(64,933 posts)
5. Yes. Though I remember it was not just in a group, but
Thu Oct 24, 2019, 07:07 PM
Oct 2019

Was a big portion of GD. I remember Andy Stephenson and the infamous Bev Harris. It was all about verifiable voting records. Sadly no progress has been made in regards to verifiable voting records and getting rid of the voting machines that leave no traceable evidence.

diva77

(7,652 posts)
7. considering I was unaware that the election reform group still exists do you still
Fri Oct 25, 2019, 02:19 PM
Oct 2019

think it's a worthwhile idea? it might further bury election integrity posts (which is what usually happens in GD)

hmmmm....further thoughts?

Hekate

(90,773 posts)
8. Vote suppression is such a big issue we might need more than an umbrella group here...
Fri Oct 25, 2019, 03:46 PM
Oct 2019

I don't know how to highlight just the electronic voting issues when so much else is going on.

The GOP historically takes a multi-pronged, Hydra-headed approach, and has been at this since Reconstruction. Doesn't matter the party name at the time -- it's the white-sheet bunch wearing business suits. They seriously do not want anyone who is not white (and preferably male) to vote at all. The old Jim Crow laws were ugly and in-your-face -- and guess what? They are all back in new guise.

Take Gerrymandering, for instance. "All On the Line" the joint project of AG Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, is working on that issue, but they need our help.

But wait -- there's more. Bush/Cheney jumped at the chance to cash in on those troublesome hanging chads. Why be explicitly racist when there's money to be made (Neal Bush invested) -- with the bonus of controlling the outcome?

The early days were hair-raising if you paid attention, and DU was paying attention. There was one place where the final count started to roll backwards. There was another in Riverside, CA where a "technician" strolled in and changed out the mother-boards. There was a Democratic Senator, triple-amputee war hero Max Cleland, who lost his seat with results in several counties reading 88,888 in favor of his opponent. The equipment has proven hackable from the beginning. Recently it's been pointed out that in the interest of immediate results, the tabs from each precinct are wirelessly transmitted to a computer that collects all the data and then decides what the results are.

As Stalin said, it doesn't matter who gets the votes; all that matters is who counts them. And right now, computers are counting them.

DU needs to step up again to educate our members. The other night, when my brain was too befogged with heat (Santa Ana winds out here in the fire zone) to respond coherently, one of our good people started an OP rejoicing that his experience with the new electronic voting machines was easy and pleasant. Help!

So whatever we do, I want an opportunity to share info as multi-pronged as is being deployed against democracy. Maybe a Forum with several Groups within it. Ideally, the forum should have a spot on the home page, same as the Primaries forum.

That's all I've got for now. As you can tell, it has been on my mind a very long time.

diva77

(7,652 posts)
9. Well said, Hekate. Thank you so much for this.
Fri Oct 25, 2019, 03:54 PM
Oct 2019

I'm not sure how to go about advocating for an election reform/integrity/(?) forum, but I will try to find out a way.

BTW, I posted several responses in the OP you alluded to -- it was shocking to me to see such an OP on DU.

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