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Edited on Tue Apr-05-05 05:17 PM by FogerRox
SOE_ Supervisor of ELections, might be SEc in your area---
Here is an outline for my master plan: 1)Issue Concept. A)Essex County is about to buy the worst possible Voting System. 1) DRE's can't be trusted, they are known to not be reliable. In 2004 there were hundreds of thousands of irregularities in many as a dozen or more states. a) Vote switching. b) One Hundred thousand+ selected a full party slate that did not not register a vote for president. c) Precinct results claiming more votes than registered voters. d)DRE's and tabulators use propietary software that cannot be audited by Election Officials. e)DRE's are 3 times as expensive as the next cheapest voting system. B) Essex County needs to use paper ballots, counted by hand. Not by a corporate owned computer run by TOP SECRET software. C)Who has a vested interest? Democrats, Republicans, Independants. Labor Unions, Religious organizations, civic groups. We have a lot of allies. D) The key decisiom maker is the Essex County Supervisor of Elections Carmine E) How does Carmine frame the issue? What is his story, and what is the alternative. 2)Our immediate goal is prevent the purchase of anymore DRE's for use in Essex County. Eventually we would like to see all of Essex County vote with paper ballots counted by hand. A) We need to focus on the Essex County SOE and the Essex County Executive. B) Nearly every voter can be considered our base constituency. C) Who can put pressure on Carmine? He has chosen to spend money frivolously in time of Federal, State and County deficits. D) Our key Messsage, Its the deficit stupid: 1) Of the voting systems that qualify for funds under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, a touchsreen voting system is three times as expensive as the next cheapest system, optical scanners. One optical scanner can process 300 or more paper ballots per hour. One DRE or touchscreen voting machine can process about 10 ballots per hour. One human being can count 20 paper ballots for president in one minute. When one factors in the cost of Warehousing and preparation of touchscreen voting machines, and remember you need 10 times the number of touchscreens compared to optical scanners, the choice is clear. The optical scanner is the fiscally responsible purchase.
E) The Underlying Message: The corporate owned ballot box acnnot be trusted. 2) If you consider that the optical scanner feeds ballot information into a computer--your vote still ends up in the computerized corporate ballot box. It becomes obvious that without the Federal funds from HAVA these computerized voting systems would not be very popular. And it should be clear to everyone that the most fiscally prudent voting system currently available is the paper ballot. Which is also the most reliable. 3)Tactics &Activities. A) Earned Media, that's media coverage we dont pay for, we earn it. B) Organize Events with the aim of educating the public. 1) Invite Public Officials with name recognition to events, in an effort to garner Media attention. 2) Invite experts to speak. C) Organize Election reform Rally. 4)Organizational structure. A) Chairman: Roger Fox. 5) The Master plan to rid Essex County of DRE's: A)Create Info packs: explaining why the purchase of Touchscreen voting equipment is wrong. Incuding cost per unit: a-Touchscreen, b-optical scanner B)PR for Radio, print and broadcast TV. 1)Data mining of broadcast TV web sites for a)Emails for: 1)On Air Political reporters 2)News Directors b)snail mail for News room/News Directors C)Notice for Public Ofiicials. 1)Gov 2)Corzine & Lautenberg-senators 3)SOS/NJ 4)County Exec. 5)County Super/Elections 6)Congressional Rep 7)State Legislators 8)Every Mayor in Essex County D) Notice for our sister Activist groups, DFA essex, Blue wave NJ, Union county blue, SHU/NJIT E) Event: Educational Forum 1) Site-Baird Center? SOMA Library's? 2)Date 3)Speakers 4) Create PR for Event, 1)Radio, Print and broadcast TV 2)Our sister activist groups F)Election reform Rally. 1)May 1st, 2005 2)site 3)Speakers
Item #5A: The 1st wave should go out no later than April 10th. The 2nd wave by April 14th. Item #5B: Arrangments must be made as soon as possible for the use of a room (for example, at the Maplewood Library. They require 2 weeks lead time). Item #5F: Rally is being organized by 51 capitalmarch.com, and may include V.O.T.E., Essex County Democrats, and other NJ based activists groups, such as GRASP, Blue Wave, DFA, CFPJ, Union County Blue. All those who wish to help will be welcomed. Contact roger@51capitalmarch.com
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Take my outline and make it yours-make it specific to your county. this will be your MASTER PLAN.
These contracts can be broken--these machines can be kept out of your county. Educational public forums are great--most public libraries have a meeting room you can sign up for. there is your venue.
Keeping your group energized can be a problem--the solution is to have immediate goals that can be accomplished--like a little protest. ten people with poster board and a large marker to make signs is all you need. then congratulate those folks on a good event. Most will be eager to do it again.
Write press releases for TV- news papers etc. Dont be shy, just do it. Write all the dem public officals in your county, surrounding towns and thru the state.
You can set the example in your state. Let the rest of the county's know there are folks putting up a fight to stop this crap. Once you win --the reat of the SOE's will be paying attention to you.
In Essex County NJ we will win. Will set the standard for the rest of the county's in the state.
So dont be afraid to figuritivly "Kick the door down and ruff these folks up until they say uncle".
thats when you & I will celebrate together.
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