Please feel free to link this entry in any of your journals, anyone who reads this, or copy any of this information. That's why it's here, to get the word out!And feel free to read lots more political stuff over at be_bold too!

***

Well, I gotta put this here too. I am trying to keep my political stuff mostly in the political groups, but you guys should probably know that there's a strong possibility that the elections were hacked, and that as a result we have Bush. I don't see this as a conservative or liberal issue. I see this as an integrity issue that ALL Americans should be concerned about. Our first clue should have been that the exit polls indicated almost the opposite of what happened.

Here's some cites to check out the information:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=284

This article disturbed me greatly, and spurred me to action yesterday. Another article

http://www.washingtondispatch.com/article_10500.shtml

sums up my feelings on this very nicely.

And this page is as complete a collection of links as is on the subject so far.

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/2004votefraud.html

Three representatives have also been spurred to action, and have written

the following letter.

The Honorable David M. Walker
Comptroller General of the United States
U.S. General Accountability Office
441 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20548

Dear Mr. Walker:

We write with an urgent request that the Government Accountability Office immediately undertake an investigation of the efficacy of voting machines and new technologies used in the 2004 election, how election officials responded to difficulties they encountered and what we can do in the future to improve our election systems and administration.

In particular, we are extremely troubled by the following reports, which we would also request that you review and evaluate for us:

In Columbus, Ohio, an electronic voting system gave President Bush nearly 4,000 extra votes. "Machine Error Gives Bush Extra Ohio Votes," Associated Press, November 5.

An electronic tally of a South Florida gambling ballot initiative failed to record thousands of votes. "South Florida OKs Slot Machines Proposal," Id.

In one North Carolina county, more than 4,500 votes were lost because officials mistakenly believed a computer that stored ballots could hold more data that it did. "Machine Error Gives Bush Extra Ohio Votes," Id.

In San Francisco, a glitch occurred with voting machines software that resulted in some votes being left uncounted. Id.

In Florida, there was a substantial drop off in Democratic votes in proportion to voter registration in counties utilizing optical scan machines that was apparently not present in counties using other mechanisms.

http://ustogether.org/election04/florida_vote_patt.htm

The House Judiciary Committee Democratic staff has received numerous reports from Youngstown, Ohio that voters who attempted to cast a vote for John Kerry on electronic voting machines saw that their votes were instead recorded as votes for George W. Bush. In South Florida, Congressman Wexler's staff received numerous reports from voters in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade Counties that they attempted to select John Kerry but George Bush appeared on the screen. CNN has reported that a dozen voters in six states, particularly Democrats in Florida, reported similar problems. This was among over one thousand such problems reported. "Touchscreen Voting Problems Reported," Associated Press, November 5.

Excessively long lines were a frequent problem throughout the nation in Democratic precincts, particularly in Florida and Ohio. In one Ohio voting precinct serving students from Kenyon College, some voters were required to wait more than eight hours to vote. "All Eyes on Ohio," Dan Lothian, CNN, November 3,

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/blog/1...blog/index... ..

We are literally receiving additional reports every minute and will transmit additional information as it comes available. The essence of democracy is the confidence of the electorate in the accuracy of voting methods and the fairness of voting procedures. In 2000, that confidence suffered terribly, and we fear that such a blow to our democracy may have occurred in 2004.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this inquiry.

Sincerely,

John Conyers, Jr. Jerrold Nadler Robert Wexler
Ranking Member Ranking Member Member of Congress

House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution

cc: Hon. F. James Sensenbrenner
Chairman



This is taken from ayelienne's post over at be_bold

We have a different list for lawyers, computer people, statisticians. But if you are a regular person like most of us, and want to help, here's what to do.

Please distribute: If you have not done so already, sign up at Black Box Voting -- http://www.blackboxvoting.org -- to audit the election and deal with vote fraud.

HELP AMERICA AUDIT: 5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Reclaim Democracy

You’re our greatest hope. If you choose to accept it, your job is to spread the word in order to build a fast-growing grass roots movement -- a voting integrity project so powerful that it cannot be mowed down.

1. BE THE MEDIA -- See below.

2. CRUNCH THE NUMBERS: Discrepancies please, and hurry. E-mail them to tips@blackboxvoting.org . Pass the word. Need source documents, too. ASAP. Follow your nose, or join the Black Box Scavenger Hunt: Pick a county. Look at small counties, as we are seeing many discrepancies in those. Look in any state. Get the official number of registered voters, Dem and Republican. Get the number of votes cast on Nov. 2, Republican and Dem. Make a grid like this, filling in the right numbers:

# reg. voters % # votes cast %
Rep 100 33% 150 50%
Dem 200 67% 150 50%
Totl 300 100% 300 100%

We can find out a lot from this procedure, very hard data, that will make a real difference. As soon as you have finished a county, e-mail it to us. Do as many counties as you can.

3. HAVE A HOUSE PARTY: Show the film “Votergate” (the real one, which you can download for free at www.Votergate.tv .) Organize “Be the media” actions and set up investigative teams to help dig up information like you have in #2. Timeline is NOW, to get action before seating the electoral college.

4. HELP CONNECT THE WIRES: Hook Black Box Voting (.ORG) up with powerhitters you know, people who can make things happen.

5. DONATE to any of 3 organizations: Black Box Voting (.ORG), the consumer protection group for elections; or the new recount fund (information upcoming, contact DU's Hedda_Foil), or send contribution to Votergate.tv (The REAL Votergate film, by Russell Michaels, Robert Carrillo Cohen, and Simon Ardizzone. There is another by someone else, make sure you get the right one.) The real VOTERGATE is the most powerful investigative film on this topic, and consequently it has been attacked and blocked repeatedly. They deserve your support.

“HOW TO BE THE MEDIA”

Don’t expect to see vote burglary on TV. To get the message out fast, you’re going to have to become the underground railroad. Do it now. Take pictures of each other doing it. Have house parties to show others how to do it. Here’s how to “be the media.”

BE YOUR OWN REPORTER: We will send you new information as we get it. We need your e-mail to get you on the list, so if a friend sent this to you, please shoot an email to crew@blackboxvoting.org to sign up.

Spread the information we send you to every blog, listserv, forum you know and throughout your personal network. Talk about it at work and to people you meet everywhere, lots, quickly, all the time.

SELF SERVE SOUND BITES: Frequent, very short messages to immediately increase public awareness. Assume you won’t see it on TV.
Put vote fraud related messages on:
- Yard signs
- Car windows
- Write them on duct tape and wear them
- Print REMOVABLE stickers and stick them on things:
- Bathroom door at the gas station.
- On telephone poles in the dead of night
- At bus stops
- On the back of bus seats
- Stick them into your junk mail and send it back via return mail
- Slip them into menus at restaurants
- Leave them in books at the bookstore
- Share new self serve sound bite ideas with us and we’ll send them out with new messages.

ELECTION “TRUTH TOURETTES”. Please excuse the political incorrectness, as it is not meant to be hurtful. It is for a good purpose. This the antidote to “watch what you say.” It is a good icebreaker at a party. Have your guests make up truths, like those below, and mix them into the conversation at surprise times throughout the party. Unexpectedly and urgently blurt them out:

Recount!
Electile Dysfunction!
Gotta audit-Gotta audit-Gotta audit
Florida!
--mathmatically impossible!--
Count all the votes! Count all the votes! Count all the votes!
Votefraud.
Paperballots! Handcounts!
--where’s my vote?--
Where’s the paper?
Feel free to interchange and mix it up, or even try a game where different people have to interject with different truths.
- WHO REALLY WON -- I DUNNO -- GOTTA AUDIT!

Also, here are more ideas.
- Magnetic signs for your car
- If you know a trucker, have them put a message in the window as they drive across the county.
- Make a patch and put it on the front of your baseball cap
- Carry a sign and stand in the window outside the Today Show

If we have to be our own media, so be it. We will not sacrifice democracy just because TV executive producers have a problem with this issue.


More details can be found at http://www.blackboxvoting.org

Get the world out, in your own journals, with your own friends. I know, I know, maybe I am a radical crackpot. But can you afford to not take action, to just go along, and to let these corrupt folks make these decisions for you? For my own part, I'll be writing my own Congressional sorts, because Iowa has the same exit poll discrepancies as many other states.

At night, I dream about ethical politicians now...

But the good news is this: maybe we don't have to blame each other any longer. Some of us did vote for Bush and some for Kerry, but it looks like the real election was manipulated, and it looks like the media wants to continue to manipulate us too, by not reporting this, and by splitting us into factions.

I dream about ethical journalists too...

Catherine