PETITION: Nov. 2nd Ann. Coming Up; Election Security Remains Nonexistent

[smartvoter]

This is an internal petition to the Admins for action by the Activist Corps.
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Every week someone writes a post about how nothing we do matters until we develop remedies to election fraud.

"Election security" needs to be the drum we beat and never let up.

The DU Activist Corps hasn't done squat since August 22nd, and we're coming up on the anniversary of last year's election.

This thread requests that Skinner & Co. task the Corps with a project addressing ongoing vulnerabilities in our election system, using the Nov. 2nd anniversary date as an entry point for media contacts, letters to editors, etc. We all have ideas about what should be done, but at this point, simply lighting a fire under the public at large is crucial, so whatever we do will have merit.

If you agree that we should take this on, please add a "count me in" line to add your name to this petition/request to send the Corps after this issue.

[titoresque]

1. count me in!

nominated!

[mirrera]

15. Count me in!!!

[Time for change]

20. I agree

Other issues are important, but election reform is the most important issue of all, because everthing else depends on it (see my sig).

Nominated.

[fooj]

2. Nominated!

Peace.

[political_invader]

3. "count me in"

nominated

[melissinha]

4. nominated

absolutely!

[Chi]

5. nominated

[we can do it]

6. count me in..n/t

[electropop]

7. count me in

We do sometimes get a little action in response to really massive letter-writing campaigns. We have to hit this issue hard and in a coordinated way.

[sunnystarr]

8. Count me on too ... nominated! (nt)

[Hun Joro]

9. Count me in!

[Wilms]

10. .

[Tuesday_Morning]

11. Count me in! n/t

[Misskittycat]

12. Me too. n/t

[jarnocan]

13. Here is one petition reguarding HR550

http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=VTUSA&hotissue=1 petition also can link to it via vvlobbydays.blogspot.com there was also an action to contact the Carter/Baker Commission but it expired.
Restoring our democracy is sadly something we have to work very hard at. http://www.velvetrevolution.us/index.php Many other links on vvlobbydays site in archives.

[bearfan454]

14. Count me in nt

[Peace Patriot]

16. Count me in! There is no greater problem than rightwing Bushite

corporations tabulating our votes with SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, in the new electronic voting systems, compounded by the lack of a paper ballot and other serious auditing defects. This is at the heart of every other problem we are having. It is WHY the great progressive majority in this country--which has opposed Bush's war on Iraq from the beginning (Feb. '03, 58% opposed, across the board in all polls; and it's over 70% today); which hugely opposes torture UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (63%), and in fact opposes every major Bush policy, foreign and domestic, way up in the 60% to 70% range--cannot get its will enforced.

We need...

1. Paper ballots hand-counted at the precinct level (--Canada does it in one day, although speed should not even be a consideration, just accuracy and verifiability)

or, at the least...

2. Paper ballot (not "paper trail") backup of all electronic voting, a 10% automatic recount, very strict security, and NO SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code! (...jeez!).


And we need to clean house in the Dem Party at the state/local election official level, where there is bipartisan corruption in the $4 billion electronic voting boondoggle. That is, at the same time, the only level at which we can achieve the needed election reform. The corruption at the federal level is hopeless and cannot be addressed until we have restored our right to vote.

We fended off the worst of Diebold's election theft machines in California--for the time being anyway--but that is not nearly enough. We have TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming in all electronic voting and central tabulators (as do all other states). The CA Repubs who signed these contracts--former Repub Sec of State Bill Jones and his chief aide Alfie Charles--now WORK FOR one the companies (Sequoia) that our right to vote was given away to. And we have Dem election officials like Connie McCormack in Los Angeles who are in bed with Diebold, and who led the vicious campaign to oust our HONEST Sec of State--Dem Kevin Shelley, who had sued Diebold and decertified their touchscreens, and was going after their secret source code when he was cut down. Now we have a Schwarzenegger APPOINTEE and FRIEND OF DIEBOLD as Sec of State!

Our entire CA Dem leadership caved, on the campaign to oust Shelley, and strongarmed those who didn't want to go along.

We're talking SERIOUS bipartisan corruption on this matter, I think. But we MUST deal with it, and shame them into supporting transparent elections, or find a way to drive them from office if they will not.

Without transparent elections, we can kiss our democracy goodbye. I think we have a limited window of opportunity, maybe 4 or 5 years, to turn this around. After that, those "selected" by Diebold and ES&S will be so entrenched in power, we will be unable to do anything about it. The time is NOW! Throw these election theft machines into 'Boston Harbor'!

[smartvoter]

17. Up for the night crew. nt

[IndyOp]

18. Count ME in! (nt)

[CantGetFooledAgain]

19. Count me in, too. And thanks. (nt)

[titoresque]

21. kick

:)

[smartvoter]

22. Not many takers... nt

[titoresque]

23. This is unfortunate too

for all those who may waste a good deal of time, money and energy campaigning for a great candidate. I just don't get it. We're smarter than this!