Central Oregon Web Log

Your help is needed to ensure every vote counts.

Did you know that
- most states don't certify their vote counts until Dec. 12th?
- recounts are happening in OH and NH?
- senior members of the House Judiciary Committee have requested the Government Accountability Office, the office which conducts internal audits for the federal government, to immediately investigate voting machine problems?
- stories of voting machine "failures" are pouring in-more than 30,000 of them?
- a fraud audit has been launched in FL? Election officials tried to pass-off phoney audit logs. The originals were found in garbage bags outside.
- fraud and discrepency investigations are being launched in many other counties, states, and juridictions?
- extremely sophisticated hackers are attempting to disable blackboxvoting.org, the primary site of Bev Harris, the force behind many of the investigations?
this and much more.

This is a non-partisan issue!
If we don't have fair and accurate elections, we don't have democracy.
And nothing else you care about will matter.

Below is a list of actions you can take and excellent web sites for more information. Pick and choose. Don't get overwhelmed!

MORE INFORMATION
1. http://www.solarbus.org/stealyourelection/ excellent site with up-to-date info on what's happening where, news reports
2. http://www.actionspeaksportland.org/index.html news, action alerts, local Portland (OR) ways to get involved, public meetings and work groups - SEE THE END OF THIS E-MAIL FOR THIS WEEKEND'S ACTIONS AND HOW TO GET FURTHER INVOLVED.
3. http://www.votersunite.org/ great site for list of voting problems
4. http://www.verifiedvoting.org/ great site for list of voting problems
5. http://blackboxvoting.org how to help in your county or nationally (see clean up crew instructions), what they're finding as the audit.
6. watch "Votergate" at http://www.votergate.tv (approx. 30 min.) Invite your friends!
7. Listen to The Randi Rhodes Show, 3-6 p.m. on Air America (620 AM in Portland).
8. Check the action alerts at http://www.stolenelection2004.com/alerts.html. Easy and consise.

DEALING WITH THIS LAST ELECTION:
1. Act on action alerts. See #8, above.
2. Assist with recount efforts
a. donate money - it's expensive to file for and conduct a recount! www.helpamericarecount.org
b. volunteer: as an observer in OH http://web.greens.org/c/cobb/supporters.cgi?function=volunteer&process=7, in other locations, see blackboxvoting, above
3. Support fraud investigations
a. donate, as above, or http://www.votewatch.us, needs $250,000 to do a professional statistical analysis of the election which can be used as hard evidence of fraud. Highly respected organization, conservative approach.
b. contact your representatives. Urge them to join their colleagues (Reps. Conyers, Scott, Nadler, Watt, Wexler and Holt) in calling on the GAO to immediately undertake an investigation of the integrity of electronic voting machines. To find out who are your local congresspeople and their contact information, go to http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/, and type in your address. To see the original and follow-up letters from the judiciary committee members, go to http://www.house.gov/nadler/issue-gao.shtml.
4. Get the word out! The media in many states is not, or is inadequately covering what's going on. BE THE MEDIA!
a. pressure your local paper to cover the investigations, reports of voting machine problems and result discrepencies
b. make fliers, copy this one, or download them from http://www.actionspeaksportland.org/index.html, resources. Distribute them: door to door (never IN mailboxes), on cars--especially ones that still have election stickers on them, at gatherings of people, etc.
c. email this out to everyone. Downloadable, with active links, at http://www.albertkaufman.com
d. make homemade signs for on you car, e.g. "The Vote Isn't Over! http://www.helpamericarecount.org/ etc.
e. make a new sign to put over the elections sign that's still in your front yard
f. contact http://www.MoveON.org, especially BEFORE SUN 11/21, when they have their house parties deciding what they should focus on now that "the election is over." They're starting to get it that we need all grassroots efforts focused on ensuring fair and accurate election results, but they could use a little more urging. Particularly ask them to inform their members of recounts and the need for funding. http://www.moveon.org/feedback
g. contact any other organization that was involved with election campaigns with the same message.
h. Oregon, with it's mail-in ballot procedure had one of the most problem-free elections and is being held up as a model for other states. Urge national talk show hosts to interview Bill Bradbury, OR Sec. Of State, on their show. If you are from OR (make sure you say you are) and can make the suggestion on the air during a call-in opportunity, even better. Air America would be ideal (be aware they are "live" 3 hours earlier than we hear then, unless you listen to it on the web). So would Oprah.
i. contact Ken Blackwell, OH Sec of State and the head of the Bush Campaign in Ohio. Urge him to step down as the tie-breaker between the Republican and Democrat vote counters, and not to bias the vote by disenfranchising voters over minor technicalities. He has backed off once already in response to public pressure. blackwell@sos.state.oh.us or 614/466-2585

FUTURE ELECTIONS
1. Write to your congresspeople. Urge them to FUND projects to certify voting standards. They have already passed the mandate, but are not providing the necessary money. Find your congresspersons http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
2. Urge your Secretary of State to follow Oregon's example and use mail-in, Scantron type ballots. Contact your state congresspeople about this also.
3. http://www.fairelections.us/ for long term election vision and goals

Compiled 11/19/04. Downloadable, editable version with active links at http://www.albertkaufman.com . Keep it up to date!

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ActionSpeaks Portland announces a peaceful symbolic event:
Democracy is dying
This Saturday from 1:00-3:00pm

The election is not over. Make every vote count.

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE: Regardless of your political party
affiliation, you can participate showing your concern that our
democracy is being threatened by the lack of standards and
accountability in our national voting system. Help us to draw
greater public awareness of the electoral fraud issues and
irregularities that occurred November 2nd, 2004. We need to be our
own media - and spread the word!

You have two ways you can join us to spread the word:

----------------- Processional actors -------------------------------
Saturday November 20th - 1:00pm ***** 60 Participants NEEDED *****
Meet at Tribe Theater and Art Gallery at 403 N.W. 5th Avenue (Glisan
Street Entrance)

ATTIRE: Black attire with white face painted optional.
BRING: Written letters to the editor of the Oregonian expressing
your concern on the voting problems in the 2004 Presidential
election.

----------------- Processional audience members --------------------
Saturday November 20th - 1:45pm ***** EVERYONE INVITED *****
Intersection of SW Jefferson and Park Avenue near the Oregonian.
We have a PA and request those interested in speaking and/or playing
music at sign up at this time.

ATTIRE: Normal clothing
BRING: Written letters to the editor of the Oregonian expressing
your concern on the voting problems in the 2004 Presidential
election. (if you can't make it, send letters to letters@news.oregonian.com )

EVENT DETAILS: Processional actors dressed in mournful black attire
(black sheets ok) will arrive at SW Jefferson staging area with a
Black Box Casket at 2:00pm. At this time we will ask the community
to begin depositing their letters of concern into the casket.
Community discussions will follow after all of the letters have been
deposited. The Black Box Casket will then be carried to the
Oregonian (everyone follow!) we will return briefly to the SW
Jefferson area for celebratory words and inspiration!

Questions: Email actionspeaks2004@yahoo.com or call 503-241-3388.

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"I believe in perilous liberty over quiet servitude." --Thomas Jefferson
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