 |
Tue Dec 02 2008 | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Departments Election Issues Be a poll worker and save American democracy by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman September 26, 2008 We are constantly being asked: "What can we do to stop the 2008 election from being stolen?" Because we broke many of the major stories surrounding the theft of the 2004 election in Ohio (and because after four years it is abundantly clear that election most definitely was stolen) the flow of inquiries is heartfelt and non-stop. We cannot afford to have this happen again on November 4. There is a simple answer for what you can do: be a poll worker. There are additional options: be a poll judge, a poll observer, a member of a video the vote team, a voter registration researcher and assistant, an organizer for a post-election public hearing, and more. This weekend (September 26-8) we are co-convening a national conference in Columbus to review these options. The core of the information will be available in print and video via www.freepress.org. Over the next few days we will follow this article with more detailed descriptions of what every citizen can do on November 4 to restore the democratic process to this nation. We are also coordinating with Poll Workers for Democracy whose web site contains much valuable information (http://act.credoaction.com/pollworkers/index.html). Lets start with the poll working: It is our goal to have at least one non-partisan poll worker who is committed to protecting the vote in every precinct in America. In many states this is a paying position ($120 for the day in Ohio). It is a very long day. It may also require advance training from the board of elections, but in Ohio such sessions are also paid. Throughout the US boards of elections are desperate for poll workers. The average age has been creeping up over the past decades, and in many instances there are critical shortages. You should not have trouble finding a position. We have significant testimony from poll workers who saved literally hundreds of votes in 2004 in such simple ways as splitting long lines that were misdirected to wrong precinct stations, or making sure the doors stayed open, as legally required, for those who were still waiting to cast a ballot at closing time. There is much more, including the simple act of making sure voters who want them get paper ballots. Overall, the power of even a single poll worker inside a polling station who is committed to democracy can be immense. Above all, do not throw up your hands and say "there’s nothing I can do" when these positions are crying out to be filled. Poll judgeships can be harder to obtain. But poll judges can have significant impact on guaranteeing a fair vote count. This position could be essential in gaining whatever monitoring powers there may be over electronic voting machines whose source code and vote count will be hidden from the pubic. In Ohio, election protection attorneys (including co-author Fitrakis) have won observer status for representatives of the Green, Libertarian and Nader campaigns. This means independent observers can join Democrats and Republicans in closely monitoring the vote from inside the polls. We also urge citizens to join the Video the Vote teams that will be going to thousands of polling stations. We hope to see at least one video crew present at every precinct in the country. The bare but vital footage that was shot at besieged inner city precincts in central Ohio 2004 has stood as a vital beacon to show the tip of how thousands of voters were deliberately disenfranchised. This time, we need saturation coverage to protect against and document every possible violation of our rights as citizens. Meanwhile, millions of Americans who think they are registered to vote may not be. This is due to a concerted campaign to cage and purge voter rolls. A wide range of technicalities are being used to eliminate countless citizens from the lists of those who are entitled to a ballot but who will be denied one unless steps are taken. In the lead-up to November 4, be sure to check your own voting status. And volunteer to work with those who may believe their voting status is secure, but who in fact have been targeted for disenfranchisement. Remember that the US Supreme Court has approved an Indiana law requiring photo ID to vote. This backdoor poll tax will be used to eliminate millions of voters this year unless a concerted effort is made to organize these citizens and get them the necessary papers. It can---must---be done. But it will take people like you to do it. Likewise, we must be prepared to conduct public hearings after the election to document violations. After the elections of 2004, the FreePress.org election protection team took testimony from about a thousand Ohio citizens who were denied their right to vote or suffered other attacks during the balloting process. These witnesses were sworn in under legal statute so their testimony could be used in ensuing lawsuits. Such documents have been essential in the on-going King-Lincoln lawsuit. There are many other things citizens dedicated to restoring American democracy can do before, during and after November 4. Above all, there is no excuse for throwing up one’s hands and saying "there is nothing I can do." Never was that admission of avoidance more untrue. And never has it been more potentially lethal. In the coming days, we will present the details from our conference in print and video at www.freepress.org. If you need further incentive, look back on what has happened to our country these past eight years. To save American democracy, focus what you can do, pick something…and DO IT! The planet you save will be your own. -- Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman have co-authored four books on election protection, including AS GOES OHIO: ELECTION THEFT SINCE 2004, now at www.freepress.org, where they are publisher and senior editor. Email this article to a friend |
Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008
"What happened this year in Ohio"
December 1, 2008
Pete Johnson
"The GOP attack on democracy continues in Ohio"
November 19, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"The 2008 Presidential election: a preliminary analysis"
November 19, 2008
Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Election protection in Ohio (and America) isn't over"
November 17, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Recount fictions in Virginia's Fifth"
November 9, 2008
David Swanson
"The Pits: Georgia's GOP swipes the Peach State"
November 6, 2008
Greg Palast
"Grant Park on Election Night"
November 5, 2008
Joan Brunwasser
"Can the grassroots Internet-based election protection movement win the White House?"
November 3, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"How and why I just voted"
November 2, 2008
David Swanson
"No time for Nader: A letter to Nader McKinney voters"
November 2, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"'Vote stealing imperils democracy': former Montague resident charges election manipulation"
November 2, 2008
Richie Davis
"Will this Presidential election be stolen? It didn’t happen by chance..."
November 2, 2008
Channing Redditt and Amy Maldonado
"The time has come"
October 30, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Beware the Twin Towers of electronic election theft "
October 30, 2008
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Sarah Palin and the new Apostolic reformation"
October 28, 2008
Russ Bellant
"Antidotes to complacency: four reasons to act"
October 28, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Redesigning democracy"
October 22, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"A McCain "win" will be theft: resistance is planned"
October 21, 2008
David Swanson
"Critical US Supreme Court ruling against Rovian GOP vote meddling may prove temporary"
October 20, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Our national juncture"
October 17, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Suppression"
October 17, 2008
Joe Rothstein
"Cuyahoga's witch hunt"
October 13, 2008
Victoria Lovegren, Ph.D.
"Videos from Ohio Election Protection Conference"
October 12, 2008
Free Press Staff
"The Palin-Biden debate: high time to move beyond clichés"
October 11, 2008
Ramzy Baroud
"Struggle: A Documentary"
October 10, 2008
Roger Hill
"GOP attacks on American voters turn desperate, ugly and dangerous"
October 10, 2008
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Warming to Palin"
October 8, 2008
David Swanson
"Brace yourself"
October 8, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Cindy, Charlotte, and our Constitution"
October 8, 2008
David Swanson
"Rainbow PUSH Coalition registers 2090 new voters this week"
October 6, 2008
Lauren Love
"Big presidential vote count error found and fixed in New Mexico"
October 6, 2008
Steven Rosenfeld
"Ohio 2008 opens with a subpoena, a surge and calls for election protection"
October 1, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"North Carolina: The new Ohio?"
September 30, 2008
Christopher Bifani
"Foreign policy debate all about war"
September 29, 2008
David Swanson
"Be a poll worker and save American democracy"
September 26, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Why hurricane Ike demands paper ballots on November 4"
September 17, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Death becomes her: let's make her our president"
September 15, 2008
Jason Miller
"Ten ways the McCain/Palin GOP is now stealing the Ohio vote"
September 9, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"John McCain: Morally, mentally, and emotionally unfit"
September 8, 2008
Jim Fetzer
"Logical consequences"
September 4, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Rovian politics chose Sarah Palin"
September 3, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Shocking choice by John McCain "
August 31, 2008
Robert Dewey
"Ron Paul endorsement of Don Young "shocking and disappointing""
August 27, 2008
Richard A. Viguerie
"The DNC platform: belief you can change in"
August 10, 2008
David Swanson
"Obama doesn't sweat. He should."
July 29, 2008
Greg Palast
"Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. applauds Sen. Obama’s speech before the NAACP"
July 16, 2008
Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Three key ways YOU can help protect the 2008 election"
July 3, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Colleges, voter registration, and a historic opportunity: a more detailed proposal"
June 19, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Obama must learn from Kucinich's election theft impeachment"
June 11, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Clinton only needs 153% of remaining delegates"
June 1, 2008
David Swanson
"The buried Florida story: why campaigning matters"
May 31, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"The myth of Clinton's popular vote lead"
May 29, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan?"
May 29, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Edwards just put Obama over the top"
May 15, 2008
David Swanson
"Did the Limbaugh effect also flip Michigan?"
May 14, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Obama-Clinton funny math: Guam update"
May 4, 2008
David Swanson
"Did the US Supreme Court deliver the Indiana Primary to Hillary Clinton?"
May 2, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Did the US Supreme Court just elect John McCain?"
April 30, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"The 2008 election will be stolen"
April 19, 2008
David Swanson
"The done deal"
April 18, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Letter to Hillary: remember when John McCain slimed your daughter"
April 17, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Fire and race"
April 3, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Keep the Republic"
March 27, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"What it's all about..."
March 25, 2008
Sheila Samples
"Can SuperDelegates stop the scorched earth campaigning?"
March 24, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"An election without meaning"
March 23, 2008
Peter Phillips
"We have a dream"
March 23, 2008
Phil Tajitsu Nash
"Hope, change, and pissing in the wind: "Of Obama, Democrats, and the Power Elite""
March 19, 2008
Patrice Greanville and Jason Miller
"Ohio's voting machines are now an official crime scene"
March 17, 2008
Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Did Republicans give Hillary her victory in Ohio?"
March 8, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Primary day at the polls in Columbus, Ohio"
March 5, 2008
David S. Lewis, National Affairs Editor
"Obama & Clinton: who's more likely to confront global warming?"
March 4, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"If you think Karl Rove is evil, make phone calls today"
March 4, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Obama's talking points"
March 1, 2008
Gregg Gordon
"Adventures in inaudible audio with Senator Barack Obama"
February 27, 2008
David S. Lewis, National Affairs Editor
"Attention all voters: this is a must-see video"
February 26, 2008
Free Press staff
"On the campaign trail in the Buckeye State stalking the candidates: John McCain"
February 24, 2008
David S. Lewis, National Affairs Editor
"Will Clinton's advisors tell her the hard truths?"
February 22, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"How much damage will Clinton do before she folds?"
February 22, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"The Hillary nutcracker"
February 21, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Behind Obama's wave of victories: the more they know him….."
February 17, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Hillary's hawks -- How Obama's and Clinton's advisors mirror their stands on the war"
February 11, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb, introducing a Stephen Zunes article
"Poll shows John McCain faces tough road in gaining conservative support"
February 11, 2008
Richard A. Viguerie
"The Obama Factors"
February 11, 2008
Todd Huffman
"Vote against Clinton"
February 4, 2008
David Swanson
"Why this Edwards voter Is now backing Obama"
February 2, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Liveblogging Obama v. Clinton v. CNN"
February 1, 2008
David Swanson
"It's all about Hillary, not her party"
January 29, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white?"
January 26, 2008
Greg Palast
"The South Carolina you won't see on CNN - South Carolina primary colors: black and white?"
January 26, 2008
Greg Palast
"Conspiracy theorist"
January 24, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Hillary Clinton's sleaze parade "
January 20, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Bob & Harvey's 3-Step "Ohio Plan" for fair and reliable voting and vote counts"
January 16, 2008
Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Media misses story: Obedwards wins New Hampshire"
January 11, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Primary concerns"
January 10, 2008
Robert C. Koehler
"Clear evidence of widespread vote fraud in New Hampshire"
January 10, 2008
Paul Joseph Watson
"The Kudzu Effect: The Voting-Industrial Complex chokes our democracy"
January 6, 2008
Sheri Myers, Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Still true to ObEdwards: Why I keep donating to both Edwards and Obama"
January 6, 2008
Paul Rogat Loeb
"Clinton campaign office re-occupied by peace activists on day of Iowa voting"
January 4, 2008
Mike Ferner
Read Articles by Year:
2007 2006 2005 2004
2003 2002 2001 2000
All content © 1970-2008
The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer