TN voters get schooled on election fraud
Good early morning, all y'all. As I've said before, I don't get here much these days for lack of an Internet connection in my Tennessee deep holler home. But this post-election discovery is well worth sharing.
This year, Amendment 1 (to give the legislature more power to restrict or ban abortions) was opposed by the vast majority of Tennessee voters. In one poll conducted by Vanderbilt University of 1,300+ likely voters, only 23% of respondents supported the amendment, with 71% opposed. Only 32% of Republican respondents supported the amendment, along with 21% of Independents and 15% of Democrats. Pretty safe position from which to defeat the amendment, one would think. Well, better think again.
During early voting, voters in several counties reported their votes flipping from "no" to "yes" on Amendment 1. I was one of them. Those flips did not occur when the voters chose "no" (which might indicate a problem with calibration). They occurred between making the choice and reviewing all ballot choices before casting the vote.
Then, at the end of Election Day, TN voters were stunned to find their strong opposition to Amendment 1 had morphed to support for anti-choice. Amendment 1 "passed" with a six point margin of victory.
Or did it?
In Tennessee, our election laws state that only the votes from people who had also voted for Governor are to be counted on constitutional amendments. No vote for Governor = no voice on amendments.
However, when the (s)election totals were released later last week, intrepid (s)election observers discovered that the total votes for or against Amendment 1 EXCEEDED the total votes for Governor. That cannot be, according to our State constitution. But it was. (I don't wonder why.)
With this discovery, Amendment 1 opponents have filed a lawsuit demanding that the votes be recounted to allow only the eligible ballots to be included. If that cannot be done, the lawsuit asks that the Amendment 1 "outcome" be voided and another election held on that amendment.
Our (s)election officials (sic) have already told me that the machines cannot make that separation and we all know that there is nothing available for a separation and recount. We'll see what tune they are whistling (past the graveyard) today.
One thing is certain. This morning, there are a whole lotta Tennessee women (and pro-choice men) who are finally awake to the fraud-friendly nature of our (s)elections. Those folks include members of all political persuasions -- except the Corporatists. They know that the machines "functioned as intended" and have so stated.
This morning, Tennessee voters are awakening to the fact that no truer words have ever been spoken.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Maybe this is the "outcome" we have waited for to illustrate how easy election fraud is to commit in this state when the (s)election of Republican racists, misogynists, homophobes, gun-toting drunks, the certifiably mentally ill and Hooters girls to our legislature has not.
So pop some popcorn, hide and watch.
Things are finally heating up in the home of Andrew Jackson and the birthplace of the blues. It's about fucking time.
= new reply since forum marked as read
What you need is an adequate audit, and many states don't have this. We are still in need of NJ Rep. Rush Holt's HR811 for a mandate on all states using electronics. The bill called for 35 audit of electronic totals against paper ballots. Because of a wave to pass this bill, they rushed in Florida's paper ballot, all while gutting the counting laws around it.
Here is the hack test on optiscan machines, done in Leon County, Fl.
David Fowler of Family Action Council of TN is already whining.
But it's okay when Republicans do it.
Thanks for that!
