JAN. 3: DEFEND DEMOCRACY IN COLUMBUS, OHIO

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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
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JAN. 3: DEFEND DEMOCRACY IN COLUMBUS, OHIO
UFPJ joins Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in
organizing Jan. 3 Pro-Democracy/Count Every Vote Rally
**Details being finalized, check http://www.unitedforpeace.org***
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On Election Day, problems throughout Ohio were reported all day long. In the days and weeks that followed, people throughout the state continued to point to many irregularities in the presidential vote. The voting machines were susceptible to glitches, mistakes and hacking, and even the Ohio Secretary of State Blackwell (who chaired the Ohio Bush-Cheney election campaign) admitted there were "missteps" in the election process. As was the case in the 2000 election, these problems disproportionately affected African-American and low-income voters.

There are a host of outstanding questions about the November 2nd election, in Ohio and other states:

· Why were there 92,000 unprocessed votes, over and under counts? And what was the basis for accepting or denying these ballots?
· Why were 155,000 people forced to vote provisionally, and what was the basis for accepting or denying these ballots?
· Why did election officials in one county inform staff on the Thursday before the election that there would be a Homeland Security alert on Election Day, and then take ballots to a warehouse for a secret count which resulted on a 14,000 vote increase for Bush from his 2000 total?

Congressmembers John Conyers, Maxine Water and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones all led a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee in Columbus, OH in mid-December, where yet more concerns and questions were made public. Lawsuits have been filed, people have protested, and the work to secure a thorough recount of every vote cast in Ohio continues.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. has initiated a call for a Pro-Democracy - Count Every Vote Rally to be held in Columbus, Ohio (the state capital) on Monday, January, 3, 2005. The rally will pull together people from all around Ohio, as well as others who can make the trip.

United for Peace and Justice is one of several national coalitions and organizations lending support to this effort. We call on everyone who can to join this important rally, just days before the U.S. Congress will convene to accept the results of the votes cast by the Electoral College delegates on Dec. 13th.

The details of the rally are still be worked on, and we will be updating the information on our web site as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you are in Ohio, or can find a way to travel there, make plans now to participate in the Pro-Democracy Rally on Jan. 3rd.

Whether or not you can be with us in Columbus, please think about people you know who might be able to make the trip and pass this message along to them.

On a related note: please take a moment to read the memo below for the No Stolen Election Campaign and United Progressives for Democracy. It explains a nationwide effort to get at least one Senator to stand up with their colleagues from the House of Representatives who are ready and willing to call for an open Congressional discussion about this election on January 6th.

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January 6, 2005:
Take Action on Election Violations as Congress Meets to Certify the Vote!

More than a month has passed since voters cast votes for the President and Vice-President of the United States -- but every day, more and more stories surface that call into question the election's integrity.

Machines broke down, counted backwards, eliminated votes, and registered votes for the wrong candidate. Progressive and African-American neighborhoods experienced by far the longest lines on election day, the most vote spoilage, the most elimination of provisional ballots, and the most victimization by precinct manipulation.

Four hundred thousand callers phoned voter protection hotlines, with complaints ranging from absentee ballots lost in the mail, to outright voter intimidation and disenfranchisement. And partisan election officials with conflicts of interest undermined voting rights in states from Ohio to Florida to New Mexico. Even progressive Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have questioned the elections' legitimacy, in a series of rigorous, painstakingly detailed letters documenting the unprecedented extent and scope of vote suppression, available at http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/

How can we have confidence in American democracy when so many questions about this election remain unanswered? In addition to the long-standing issues subtly undermining democracy -- corporate domination of the two major parties, plurality elections, and corporate media bias - the recent election betrayed democratic principles overtly.

Despite the efforts of a few valiant members of Congress, most of our Senators and Representatives have ignored our pleas for serious investigation into the "irregularities" that surrounded the 2004 election. But one more opportunity remains for these government officials to stand for democracy.

URGE PROGRESSIVE SENATORS TO TAKE A STAND ON JAN. 6, WHEN CONGRESS MEETS TO CERTIFY THE VOTE

On January 6, 2005, Congress will meet in joint session to certify the 2004 presidential election. On that day, if one member of the House and one member of the Senate object to the certification of the vote, then all members of Congress will finally discuss these issues. On January 6, 2001, not a single Senator would join with the Representatives who demanded an inquiry into the Florida recount. This year, let's make our Senators take a stand!

The following seven Senators are some of the most progressive members of the Senate. Please call them immediately, and urge them to defend democracy on January 6.

*SPREAD THE WORD TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW TO KEEP DOING THE SAME UNTIL JANUARY 6.*

Senator Barbara Boxer, [phone],
[e-mail]

Senator Dick Durbin, [phone],
[e-mail]

Senator Russ Feingold, [phone],
[e-mail]

Senator Tom Harkin, [phone],
[e-mail]

Senator Jim Jeffords, [phone],
[e-mail]

Senator Edward Kennedy, 202/224-4543,
[e-mail]

Senator Patrick Leahy, [phone],
[e-mail]

ON JANUARY 6, PROTEST IN WASHINGTON, DC AND AT SENATORS' OFFICES IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITIES

While our Senators and Representatives are inside Congress, tallying the electoral college vote, We the People must have a presence outside, bringing attention to the disenfranchisement, suppression and fraud that pervaded the 2004 election - and demanding real reforms to extend and protect democracy in America. Please join us on January 6 in Washington, DC. Details on the DC protest TBA. Check
http://www.Nov3.US or http://www.counter-inaugural.org for more information.

If you can't come to DC, we urge you to organize a protest outside a Senator's office in your community, and list your event at http://www.Nov3.US

This call to action is initiated by No Stolen Elections! and United Progressives for Democracy.

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JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS...
New anti-war buttons, t-shirts, and car magnets from UFPJ
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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
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