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Thu May 15 2008
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Departments Election Issues
A monumental victory for the election protection movement
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
November 8, 2006
The real winner in the November 7 election is the grassroots voter
protection movement.
That the well-oiled, well-funded Rove/Bush theft machine lost control
of the US House with the Senate as close as it is says just one
thing: somebody was watching. In 2006, that would be thousands of
volunteer grassroots activists who left no stone unturned to expose rigged voting machines, Jim Crow registration roadblocks, trashed
provisional ballots, manipulated absentee voting processes, and much
more.
A nationwide movement has been born to apply the lessons of the stolen
elections of 2000, 2002 and 2004. In the lead-up to 2006, activists
and independent experts scrutinized voting machines and electoral
processes as never before. Mainstream media reports from the New York
Times to CNN's Lou Dobbs to hundreds of radio talk shows finally paid
attention to "glitches" and "problems" and "long lines" and "disputes"
that just an election cycle ago were dismissed as "business as usual"
or the stuff of conspiracy theory.
At least six major reports have now warned of the hackability of
electronic voting machines. More than 90% of the American public has
expressed concern about the sanctity of the US electoral system. At
least two state governors have called for electronic voting machines
to be discarded in favor of a return to paper ballots.
As we write, in Montana the fate of the U.S. Senate rests on a hand count after a software failure on voting machines in a few remaining precincts.
The impact? There is no way the 2006 election would not have been
stolen without a concerted 50-state effort to guarantee otherwise.
In Ohio, an unprecedented project by five statewide Green, Libertarian and independent candidates dispersed scores of election observers throughout the state placing them inside key county boards of elections and precincts.
A classic case comes from central Ohio, "scene of the crime" for the
2004 election. In the 15th Congressional District, election
protection attorney Cliff Arnebeck was initially turned away from voting due to
lack of "proper I.D," even though he presented a valid Ohio driver's
license and proof of his current address.
Arnebeck serves as lead attorney in the King Lincoln lawsuit that has
won preservation of the Ohio 2004 ballots and a number of key
victories regarding election protection. After correcting the precinct officials through a call to the County Prosecutor’s office Arnebeck learned upon arriving at his office that, hundreds of voters were being wrongly forced to show various forms of personal identification. Arnebeck called the Secretary of State’s lawyers and Justin Letts, the law clerk to US District Judge Marbley. Soon after the SOS issued a new directive confirming that a valid drivers licence need not contain a current address. Election observers documented a staggering percent of
voters who were being forced to cast provisional ballots. Provisionals
are notoriously easy for GOP Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell
to pitch or now delete from the e-voting machines. More than 16,000 of them, mostly on paper, remain uncounted from 2004.
Clearly, this was set up to be a stolen cakewalk for incumbent
Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-15th), fourth ranking House Republican and a
close Bush ally.
Instead, Pryce's alleged margin of victory is now less than 4,000
votes. Rather than conceding, challenger Mary Jo Kilroy has vowed to
fight it out until the last ballot is counted. A Democratic poll watcher at the Ohio Student Union at Ohio State University estimated that as many as 50% of the students may have been forced to vote provisional ballots. These student voters are in the heart of the undecided race in the 15th district, and early reports indicate there are 20-40,000 uncounted e-provisional voters in that race.
Around the country, races in at least eight states are still under
extreme scrutiny. Lawsuits are being prepared, video tape reviewed,
testimony collected, reports compiled. Numerous eyewitness accounts
have been filed at democracy@freepress.org, with CommonCause and a
wide range of other election protection web, phone and legal
operations. Both Democrats and Republicans who might earlier have
meekly conceded are now holding out until the very last vote is
recounted.
This is new to American politics. In years gone by, elections have
been stolen and the populace---and even candidates, like John Kerry in
2004---have shrugged their shoulders.
No more. Team Bush/Rove has taught the grassroots that our electoral
process cannot be taken for granted.
One major, hopefully temporary, casualty in 2006 has been exit
polling. Exit polls have become the most reliable overall monitor on
election outcomes. The are regularly within 0.1% of the official vote
count in Germany. In 2004, they showed clearly that John Kerry won
Ohio and the national popular vote. They've been used to guarantee
and even overturn dubious results in Ukraine, Mexico, ex-Soviet
Georgia, the Philippines and more.
But in 2006 the major networks did their best to lock up exit polls
results that might have embarrassed the White House. Instead, the
exit poll results we re impounded under lock and key, to be released to
the public only after the election, and after "experts" massage the
data to make it match official vote counts. To this day, the core
data from the 2004 exit polls has yet to be released to the public.
This cannot be allowed to stand. In the upcoming 2008 election, exit
polls must be made fully public well before the final vote counts are
announced. They must be funded to one percent accuracy or better, and
their raw data must be a matter of open public record.
In the interim, the science of election protection will advance and
spread. There is still no reliable way to monitor electronic voting
machines, whose computer codes are still deemed private property, and
held in secret. Before 2008, this practice must be abolished. As the
Rev. Jesse Jackson has put it, there can be no public elections on
privately controlled machines.
A return to paper ballots is the bottom line. The color-coded,
multi-shaped Swiss sequencing ballots would work perfectly fine here
in the U.S., and would save the nation billions of dollars, as well as
the hard uncertainty that surrounds our electoral process.
But however we cut it, there has been a sea change in the election
process.
As Americans, we have too long taken for granted the right to vote and
have our votes counted.
Now we know we have to fight for that right. And that doing so has
already helped turn the tide of American politics.
--
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman are co-authors, with Steve Rosenfeld,
of WHAT HAPPENED IN OHIO?, just published by The New Press. Fitrakis and Wasserman are
of counsel and a plaintiff in the King Lincoln lawsuit. Fitrakis was
an independent candidate for governor of Ohio, endorsed by the Green
Party. Wasserman's SOLARTOPIA! OUR GREEN-POWERED EARTH, A.D. 2030,
is available at www.solartopia.org. Read more of their work at http://freepress.org.
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Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008Election Issues
"Renowned computer security expert agrees to meet California county supervisor's '1000 to 1' challenge to 'manipulate' Sequoia voting machine!" December 13, 2006 Brad Friedman
"100 phantom votes found in one precinct; DelCo board of elections hinders investigation" December 12, 2006 Stephanie Frank Singer
"Think globally, protect the vote locally" December 1, 2006 Paul Rogat Loeb
"Will they or won't they: last chance for Democrats" November 17, 2006 David Swanson
"The vote protectors" November 16, 2006 Robert C. Koehler
"Ohio's 2006 vote count now includes a higher percentage of uncounted ballots than in 2004, and a statistically impossible swing to the Republicans" November 14, 2006 Bob Fitrakis, Harvey Wasserman and Ron Baiman
"The drama of empty numbers" November 9, 2006 Robert C. Koehler
"A monumental victory for the election protection movement" November 8, 2006 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Pick a number 2006" November 7, 2006 Mike Ferner
"How they stole the mid-term election" November 7, 2006 Greg Palast, The Guardian ( UK ), Comment
"STOP Blackwell, what's that sign: Everyone look what's going down" November 7, 2006 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Parallel election midday report" November 7, 2006 Rady Ananda
"Tuesday's outcome may depend on the power of the election protection movement" November 5, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"The power of a social movement can beat the GOP double Chickenhawks" November 2, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Check out We Count for a great TownHall confrontation between Vicki Lovegren of Ohio Vigilance and Michael Vu, Supervisor of Cuyahoga County BOE" November 1, 2006 Victoria Lovegren, Ph.D.
"Official states electronic voting system added votes never cast in 2004 Presidential election; audit log missing" November 1, 2006 Peter Peckarsky, Ron Baiman, and Robert Fitrakis
"Repairing the U.S. system of voting: 50 concrete steps" November 1, 2006 Harvey Wasserman, Bob Fitrakis and Steve Rosenfeld
"Will a shocking new GOP court victory and Karl Rove's attack on Ohio 2006 doom the Democrats nationwide?" October 30, 2006 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Renoite sue Sequoia Voting Systems" October 28, 2006 Patricia Axelrod
"Severe election problems seen in ten states" October 27, 2006 Jason Leopold
"Direct material proof of massive election fraud in Ohio in the 2004 U.S. presidential election" October 26, 2006 Ron Baiman
"A talk with Mark Crispin Miller about what voters can do to prevent another stolen election" October 26, 2006 The Ostroy Report
"Will Ken Blackwell find the ways to steal Ohio 2006 as he did in 2004?" October 25, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Important voter activism" October 22, 2006 Victoria Lovegren, Ph.D.
"A loaves & fishes/Holy Ghost victory for the GOP in November?" October 17, 2006 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Why is the man who stole Ohio campaigning with a white supremacist?" October 9, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"This cannot be" September 28, 2006 Robert C. Koehler
"Court victory lets preserved Ohio 2004 ballots tell new tales of theft and fraud as indictments and convictions mount" September 25, 2006 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Unfit for use in ANY democracy" September 20, 2006 Rady Ananda
"An open letter to Gov. Robert Taft and Sec. of State J. Kenneth Blackwell" September 8, 2006 Harvey Wasserman, et. al.
"Coshocton County complaint" September 3, 2006 Tim Kettler
"Saving the ballot evidence from Ohio 2004" September 2, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"San Diego suit’s second hearing: Judge to rule next Tuesday on constitutional and jurisdictional questions" August 25, 2006 Rady Ananda
"New Zogby Poll: It’s Nearly Unanimous" August 24, 2006 Michael Collins, “Scoop” Independent Media
"How the last presidential election awoke me from an unsound sleep" July 22, 2006 Jeanne Norris Weinberg
"PFAW's Neas praises advance of Voting Rights Act, Calls on Bush Administration to start enforcing the law" July 22, 2006 People For the American Way
"Why Democrats don't count: lessons from the un-Gore of Mexico" July 16, 2006 Greg Palast
"Resolution of no confidence in current U.S. elections" July 16, 2006 J30 Coalition
"An open letter from Ohio to the people of Mexico" July 13, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"The stolen election of 2004" July 11, 2006 Michael Parenti
"The Democrats must now say "We Do Not Concede" in the U.S. as it's being said in Mexico" July 9, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Project Vote, voting rights organizations, file to overturn restrictive voter registration rules " July 7, 2006 Brian Mellor
"BBV: Unredacted Hursti Diebold reports, photos released" July 4, 2006 Bev Harris
"Ignore that man behind the screen, Dorothy" July 1, 2006 Greg Palast
"Bob Fitrakis for Governor -- he is now on the ballot" July 1, 2006 Fitrakis campaign
"Alameda County supervisors embrace election fraud" July 1, 2006 Allen C. Michaan
"San Diego’s run-off election aggregate results are plausible" June 18, 2006 Ron Baiman
"A vote of no confidence: democracy left to languish in living rooms, garages" June 15, 2006 Robert C. Koehler
"Kennedy's challenge: Salon, Mother Jones & the tortured dialogue" June 15, 2006 Michael Collins and
"Warren County revisited" June 12, 2006 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Something smells fishy in San Diego!" June 11, 2006 Ron Baiman
"Response to Salon Magazine" June 6, 2006 Ron Baiman
"Analysis of Connally spreadsheet and other documents" June 5, 2006 Ron Baiman
"RFK and Rolling Stone nail Ohio's stolen 2004 election, but much more must be done" June 3, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Pick a card, any card" May 27, 2006 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Will the major media finally cover the electronic election fraud issue?" May 15, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"The money pit: Diebold vs. America " May 15, 2006 Denis Wright
"Worst security flaw ever - 3 states invoke Diebold emergency procedures" May 15, 2006 Black Box Voting
"Cranks and Kooks: Kerry won in '04" May 11, 2006 Greg Palast
"Ohio 2004 election thief grabs Gov nod while (surprise! surprise!) voting machines malfunction" May 5, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Hand counted paper ballots in 2008" April 14, 2006 Sheila Parks
"Busheviks connected to New Hampshire phone-jamming scheme" April 14, 2006 The Ostroy Report
"Are mainstream churches finally standing up to the GOP’s hateful “Christian” blitzkrieg?" April 9, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Thousands march in New Orleans for right for Katrina survivors to vote in the city’s April 22 election" April 7, 2006 Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
"Shocking Diebold conflict of interest revelations from Secretary of State further taint Ohio's electoral credibility" April 6, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Faith-based voting" March 30, 2006 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Targeting the voters in Toledo" March 30, 2006 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Targeting the voters in Cincinnati" March 30, 2006 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Through a glass Darkely" March 30, 2006 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Is the Mainstream Media finally getting half the rigged voting machine story?" March 29, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Please help Clint Curtis" March 23, 2006 Robert Lockwood Mills
"Utah testing of the Diebold touch-screen reveals new problems" March 19, 2006 Black Box Voting
"Trust us" March 17, 2006 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Harman vs. Winograd, tough choice?" March 17, 2006 David Swanson
"Why did J. Kenneth Blackwell seek, then hide, his association with super-rich extremists and e-voting magnates?" March 10, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Did 308,000 cancelled Ohio voter registrations put Bush back in the White House?" February 28, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Statisticians recommend new measures to ensure vote count accuracy, release "Ohio’s 2004 exit poll analysis for novices”" February 17, 2006 Kathy Dopp
"As Alito takes Supreme Court seat, Ohio GOP guts election protection " February 1, 2006 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"The Harri Hursti hack and its importance to our nation" January 29, 2006 Susan Pynchon, Florida Fair Elections Coalition
"Programmer Jeff Dean worked for chief of White House Plumbers unit" January 26, 2006 Bev Harris, Kathleen Wynne, and John Howard
"Free Press Editor in Film at Sundance" January 23, 2006 Free Press Staff
"PA activists sue to vote on machines" January 20, 2006 Rady Ananda
"Important documents" January 20, 2006 Free Press staff
"The gun is smoking - The gun is smoking - 2004 Ohio precinct-level exit poll data show virtually irrefutable evidence of vote miscount" January 18, 2006 Kathy Dopp and Ron Baiman
"Recipe for hacking ES&S and Sequoia, Hursti-style" January 4, 2006 Black Box Voting
"What’s all the fuss about Diebold in Florida and California?" January 4, 2006 John Washburn, for VoteTrustUSA
"New info may take out Diebold touchscreens" January 1, 2006 Black Box Voting
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