Monitoring Election ???

[Rainbows]

Has anyone heard of any organizations that are planning exit polls or anything to monitor Nov. 04 election? Or is it going to be "the best hacker wins"?

[gristy]

1. Good question.

I have not heard of anyone. I contacted the Carter Institute a while back (they frequently monitor foreign elections) and they said they would not be doing this. One problem is money. Where's Soros on this? If anyone can bankroll some well-designed exit polling (i.e. with lots of double-checks and balances, making fraud difficult) it would be him.

[Rainbows]

3. Good Point about Soros ...

He is the one who has the money needed and the organization in place. I'll put it on my list to do's to contact their DC headquarters and inquire if they have thought of this. Maybe Move ON as well.

[Lindacooks]

4. I wrote to MoveOn about

asking the UN to monitor elections here. No response. And the response from some here was 'keep others out of our country's business!' I think just the discussion of the UN monitoring the 2004 elections would definitely send a strong signal that we know the Repukes are going to cheat and steal votes everywhere they can.

[ixion]

2. they gave up election polls in 02

because they didn't match the 'official' figures, which means it's probably going to be a 'best hacker wins' type of event.

One thing is for sure, given the last two "elections", is that it will not be above board, and more rethugs will steal offices via bb voting, redistricting and the host of other methods they are using to thwart democracy.

[terryg11]

5. agreee with the UN or some outside group monitoring our elections

the UN should seriously think about it since our policies often have world wide affect

[GregD]

6. Join our mailing list

Join the mailing list (and endorse our resolution if you prefer to do so) at http://www.verifiedvoting.org/endorse_checkmail.asp so that you are kept up to date on BBV news. We produce a newsletter every couple weeks.

Also keep track of http://www.votewatch.us. Their "business model" calls for monitoring elections, performing statistical samplings, and analyzing results. They provide a section within their site to report problems.

Bev Harris also operates http://www.bbvreport.org/ where reports of election oddities can be reported.

There are discussions going on where plans are being considered on this issue (public pollwatching efforts.) Ideas include a standardized manual for observing elections, training sessions, finding non-partisan organizations (Jaycees, etc.) who could help get out the observers. But while such discussions are being conducted, nobody has stepped forward and said "I will lead this, I have an idea, let's do this..." We need that person with an idea to step forward and speak up.

Anyhow, the most important message is this: This is a peoples movement. This is not something that you can sit back and watch, and hope for. This is a movement that will take "you and you and that person over there" taking the message out to your friends and family, and raising awareness. Everyone has to tell everyone else, and they all have to call Congress and demand urgent action. This BBV problem is not going away, at an acceptable pace, despite pressure all Summer.

I found a notepad that I used in July - at that time we had less than 25 cosponsors to Holt's HR2239. Today we have 94 (and growing) plus Graham's S1980 in the Senate. And where are we? Still stuck in committee, trying to spread awareness and popular demand for passage. Then it has to get signed by Bush. Have the efforts this summer made a difference? You bet! Will it take more effort? YES, absolutely - and a lot of it...

We recently received an outline of the work that an individual woman from Arkansas NOW; she attended meetings, sent letters, made phone calls, arranged for workshops, and much more. When it was all done, she succeeded in getting Arkansas to file a HAVA Extension. We will likely post her's as a "success story" on the site so people can model their own efforts after what others have found to work...

So please, get involved as we move into January and help with the "heavy lifting". We have primaries coming up, and time is moving on - November looms...

[SheilaT]

7. Without exit polling

we have absolutely no way of knowing if the ballot counting was fair and accurate.

Whoever it was that did the exit polling in 2000 took a lot of heat and was forced out of doing it again precisely because their exit polls in Florida were absolutely correct. And yet, all over the news, all you heard was, "How did they get it so wrong?" That infuriates me to this day.