Election Protection Resources-Please Rate Up - Election Forum News 10.23

Recipe for a Cooked Election
by Greg Palast

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=1511
or http://gregpalast.com/

A nasty little secret of American democracy is that, in every national election, ballots cast are simply thrown in the garbage



A nasty little secret of American democracy is that, in every national election, ballots cast are simply thrown in the garbage. Most are called "spoiled," supposedly unreadable, damaged, invalid. They just don’t get counted. This “spoilage” has occurred for decades, but it reached unprecedented heights in the last two presidential elections. In the 2004 election, for example, more than three million ballots were never counted.

Almost as deep a secret is that people are doing something about it. In New Mexico, citizen activists, disgusted by systematic vote disappearance, demanded change — and got it.

In Ohio, during the 2004 Presidential election, 153,237 ballots were simply thrown away — more than the Bush “victory” margin. In New Mexico the uncounted vote was five times the Bush alleged victory margin of 5,988. In Iowa, Bush’s triumph of 13,498 was overwhelmed by 36,811 votes rejected. The official number is bad enough — 1,855,827 ballots cast not counted, according to the federal government’s Elections Assistance Commission. But the feds are missing data from several cities and entire states too embarrassed to report the votes they failed to count.

Correcting for that under-reporting, the number of ballots cast but never counted goes to 3,600,380. Why doesn’t your government tell you this?

Take a look at the three pages of the linked pdf. It’s just a fact, our elections are rigged. All the apologists in the world won’t change that. This is a great resource, filled with information. Download it and send it to your local candidate and state party.

Outstanding resource for election fraud information, practical help


http://electionarchive.org/


Great Presentation on Election Fraud and Analysis – How to spot it.

”Recommendations of the National Election Data Archive for election activists, and for the public and for candidates for ensuring, as best is possible, that only correctly elected candidates are sworn into office this coming January 2007, despite a fundamentally flawed U.S. election system that is ineffectually audited if at all, and uses voting machines that enable any one of the 100's of persons who build and maintain them to undetectably rig elections.

Five slides from the presentation.

But nobody else reformed…it’s a RIGGED GAME.
Get the PDF and move it around.
VITAL INFORMATION

Election Day Rapid Response: A Six-Part Plan to Defend the Vote

http://tinyurl.com/y735gx

Election Defense Alliance has a coordinated, six-part plan for citizen direct action to defend the vote in the November midterm elections. The tactical components of the EDRR plan are:

1. Election Monitoring. Teams of trained citizen observors will monitor polls and central counting centers to document and report violations of election law, including illegal obstruction of the public's right to observe the count, failure to publicly post precinct results, and violations of election security provisions, including voting machine use procedures required as conditions of certification. Monitoring volunteers, contact Tom Courbat

2. Pre-Emptive Legal Intervention. Election monitoring teams will be accompanied by lawyers with pre-prepared court orders to enforce compliance with election laws, including public right to observe the count, public posting of precinct results, and strict adherence to election security protocols which if breached, render the voting machines out of compliance and the election results suspect and unverifiable. Legal volunteers, contact Dan Ashby

3. Exit Polling.Citizen-commissioned exit polls can provide an independent check on the validity of reported election results. The most competitive House, Senate, and statewide contests are where the threat of covert election fraud is predictably the greatest. The cost of covering the most crucial races that will determine the composition of Congress, is about $400,000--a substantial but achievable sum considering the stakes. Please go to the Independent Exit Poll donation page and send your contribution immediately. Arrangements must be made within days.

4. Election Data Analysis. EDA will manage an election-day data analysis operation that compares historical voting data, voter opinion tracking polls, and citizen-commissioned exit polling data, to the officially reported election results from selected, highly competitive House, Senate, and statewide races. The official election results will be processed through a battery of multiple analytic computer programs for rapid, real-time flagging of suspect patterns suggesting fraudulent manipulation of the official vote totals. Findings will be communicated via conventional press releases as well as the EDRR communications network of websites, Internet radio, and community access television networks. Data Analysis volunteers: Contact Bruce O'Dell

5. Communications. Throughout election day and night, activity at polls and election counting centers will be thoroughly documented by teams of correspondents recording and uploading live video, audio, photo, and text reports via wireless communication devices (e.g., video-enabled cellphones) to EDA and other E I web portals, bypassing the corporate newsmedia to bring breaking news of voter suppression, obstruction, security breaches, and indications of electronic vote theft direct to the public, while it is happening. To participate in shaping net-mediated communication tactics, contact Kim Grant.
Conventional press release and publicity methods will complement Net distribution. We need experienced publicists and newswriters. To help with print and radio promotion, contact
Info@ElectionDefenseAlliance.org

6. Demonstrations. Public demonstrations will be organized at central counting locations, commencing at the close of polls and continuing throughout election night and beyond, demanding verified proof of reported election results. The demonstrations will be covered live via web portals and public radio and TV networks, interspersed with updates from the Election Data Analysis project reporting suspect election totals and directing increased protest turnout to those locations.
If you have experience organizing public demonstrations, or contacts with groups who do, please
send message to Info@ElectionDefenseAlliance.org

The above tactics in isolation are limited or useless, but in combination, they are powerful.
Many other local, regional and national groups have independently developed similar or complementary plans to those listed above. These efforts will have greatest effect if they are coordinated and focused to direct mass public attention to election obstruction and electronic fraud as it is happening.

The more volunteers and donated funds we have, the greater our chance of arresting electronic fraud and voter suppression.

We need:Organizers, publicists, fundraisers, programmers, webmasters, video and radio correspondents, writers and graphic artists, event managers, MONEY, and hundreds of citizen patriots to volunteer for election day monitoring, communications, and demonstrations.
Send inquiries and offers of assistance to Info@ElectionDefenseAlliance.org and check the "Take Action" and "Projects" links and the EDRR Working Group forum on this website for forthcoming directions and updates.

Click here to display a one-page EDRR overview that can be downloaded and copied for wide public distribution. http://electiondefensealliance.org/files/EDRR_flyer.pdf
To download flyer, click on the file link under the heading "Attachments" immediately below.

Citizen Activism Tool Kit: Various tools to help you.

Citizen Activism Tools

Ohio Calendar of Events
last update: 18 Oct 06
Alerts
Watch this space http://www.caseohio.org/

http://projectvote.org/our-work-pages/our-work/election-administration.html

OUR WORK
http://projectvote.org/our-work-pages/our-work/election-administration.html
Election Administration
http://projectvote.org/our-work-pages/our-work/election-administration.html
NVRA Implementation Project
http://projectvote.org/our-work-pages/our-work/nvra-implementation-project.html
Voter Participation
http://projectvote.org/our-work-pages/our-work/voter-participation.html
Resources For:
http://projectvote.org/resource-pages/resources-for.html
Election Officals
http://projectvote.org/resource-pages/resources-for/election-officals.html
Policy Makers
http://projectvote.org/resource-pages/resources-for/policy-makers.html
Civic Participation Organizations
http://projectvote.org/resource-pages/resources-for/civic-participation-organizations.html

http://www.advancementproject.org/vp/voter_prtxn.html

In partnership with Project Vote, other voter registration groups, and local voter protection coalitions, Advancement Project works to eliminate legal and structural barriers to voting for potential voters in minority and low income communities.

Advancement Project has a demonstrated track record in building sustainable local coalitions and proven legal and communications expertise that will support and leverage local capacity to improve election administration and expand voter enfranchisement. By monitoring new registration activity and facilitating effective communication between local coalitions and election administrators, we work to identify and prevent potential

Election Day problems. We are building a framework for effective voter protection efforts and plan to replicate those efforts in other communities.

SERVICES PROVIDED

In 2006, Advancement Project is concentrating Voter Protection Project activities in 10 states. Our attorneys, on-the-ground Local Voter Protection Advocates, and communications specialists – all veterans of years of fighting for fair elections – provide vital services to local voter protection coalitions and civic participation groups, including:

• Timely and state-specific legal analysis and advice
• Comprehensive training on conducting registration drives, how to retain and store relevant records, and other local practices
• Creative, problem-solving approaches, backed by solid research
• Well-researched, accessible, state-of-the-art manuals and materials
• Cutting-edge communications strategies; and
• Formidable courtroom prowess to vindicate voters’ rights when other approaches fail to produce needed reforms.

Paper Ballot Act of 2006 (Introduced in House)
http://tinyurl.com/ulnsq

HR 6200 IH

109th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 6200

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to conduct Presidential elections using paper ballots and to count those ballots by hand, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 27, 2006

Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. LEE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. SOLIS, Ms. WATERS, and Ms. WOOLSEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to conduct Presidential elections using paper ballots and to count those ballots by hand, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Paper Ballot Act of 2006'.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING USE OF HAND-COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.

Section 301(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15481(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(7) SPECIAL RULES FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS- Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, in the case of a regularly scheduled general election for the electors of President and Vice President (beginning with the election in November 2008), the following rules shall apply:

`(A) The State shall conduct the election using only paper ballots.

`(B) The State shall ensure that the number of ballots cast at a precinct or equivalent location which are placed inside a single box or similar container does not exceed 500.

`(C) The ballots cast at a precinct or equivalent location shall be counted by hand by election officials at the precinct, and a representative of each political party with a candidate on the ballot, as well as any interested member of the public, may observe the officials as they count the ballots. The previous sentence shall not apply with respect to provisional ballots cast under section 302(a).'.

SEC. 3. MOVING OBSERVATION OF WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY TO ELECTION DAY DURING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEARS.

Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended--

Found this in my trade magazine:

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=268783&intsrc=news_ts_head

Alaska Dems Battle State Over E-voting
Party says changes were made to voter database after ’04 election

snip>>>>>

An examination of the e-voting database and its audit logs from the November 2004 general election in Alaska found that changes were made to thedatabase in the months after the votes were tallied, according to the state’s Democratic Party.

The party contends that a study of the electronic voting database, which it obtained a copy of last month after a long battle with the state, revealed that the database had been accessed as recently as this July.

“The Division of Elections has not comprehensively explained and corrected the situation,” said Alaska Democratic Party spokeswoman Kay Brown.

The logs were generated by Diebold Election Systems’ AccuVote-OS optical-scan voting systems, which were used statewide in the election.

...those that I could find are diaried here:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/19/181116/49

VelvetRevolution is offering a $250,000 reward for information about election fraud and manipulation in the November 7th mid-term elections. That’s a quarter million dollars to the persons or persons who provide us with definitive and conclusive proof that a United States House or Senate election has been rigged by illegal means.

The information must result in an overturning of a congressional election and a conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fraud. We want whistleblowers to come forward and to provide us with evidence, documents, tape recordings, and admissions. Send to tips at velvetrevolution.us.

This reward is one part of VR’s ongoing Election Protection Strike Force, with lots more to come.

The "messenger" is a master as always...kp

Thank you, autorank!