Action alert: Each County- We decide what equipment to vote with

[FogerRox]

Petition drive in each Nj County for a referendum to decide what machine to vote with. Anybody already doing this? If not you came to the right place.

I want reps from each County and all groups working on this issue.

Union COunty BLue

BLuewave NJ

Grassroots action supporting progress

DFA Essex/nj

Peace action

Any other groups in NJ?

6 counties in NJ are looking to buy IIRC mostly Seqouia DRE's. SO the effort will in those counties.

Roger Fox
Chair GRASP Voting Issues Project
[e-mail]

Grasp Vip is meeting at Cryans pub to nite tuesday, 4-26 @ 7:30pm

Essex DFA ia meeting in about 10 days same place

From Renee @ NJ Appleseed writing about which counties are looking at DRE purchases soon----------------
Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Monmouth-- just five since Hudson went electronic. But unfortunately, Warren, which is all optical scanner believes it has to go DRE to be disability accessible.

[FogerRox]

1. County voting systems (#of machines) and absentee ballot systems

Camden
Model 2.5
(Shoup)
Mechanical
715
Paper Ballots
Counted Manually
Manual

Cape May
Model 2.5
Shoup)
Mechanical
168
NCS OpScan 6
(Sequoia Pacific Teamwork)
Punch Card

Cumberland
AVM Printomatic
(Automatic)
Mechanical
110
Paper Ballots
Counted Manually
Manual

Essex
AVM Printomatic
(Automatic)
Mechanical
695
AIS-550 Vote Tabulation
(ES&S)
Optical Scan

Hudson
AVC Advantage
(Sequoia Pacific)
Electronic
600
OPS Scan 6 Scanner
(Sequoia Pacific)
Optical Scan

Monmouth
Model 2.5
(Shoup)
Mechanical
757
Model 650
(ES&S)

Optical Scan


Morris
AVC Advantage
(Sequoia Pacific)
Electronic
704
NCS OpScan 5 & NCS OpScan 6
(Sequoia Pacific Teamwork)
Optical Scan

I think tactically speaking we need a multi-pronged approach in the efort to stem the tide of DRE's entering Essex County. And of course if we set the standard in Essex County, the other Counties may follow. Out reach to the communities will be vital as well as reaching out to public officials. We may be able to employ GOTV efforts to this problem. If we can get a public Official on board we may be able to use that person's office as the basis of a Phone Banking effort. This will go a long way in bringing the issue to the fore front in voters minds. The goal here may be as simple as "BBV costs too much money", to get enough people talking about it moves us towards our goal.

Email and letter writing to public officials will ensure they know where their constituency's feeling are. Letters to the editors, of course. Contacting community, civic, religious, labor,organizations asking them to come on board, will swell our ranks. Giving us larger numbers for public events. Every town should hold BBV public forums.

In the court house we have an existing law suit to work with. Open Government/sunshines laws in NJ tell us that the DRE's with their "Top Secret" source code are illegal. Asking for an Injunction to stop delivery of the DRE's to Essex County will buy us time and put ajoining counties on notice. Suing Seqouia will possibly give us better footing legally.

Calling for a series of county wide leadership summits, to bring all the grassroots groups into one room to hash out a common theme, a tactical doctrine and a legal strategy. It may make sense to invite the leadership of community religious, labor, civic organizations as well.

Here are 8 paths to victory:

1) Media outreach
2) Community outreach
3) Pubic Officials outreach
4) Educational forums
5) Rallies/Protests
6) Referendum
7) Court action
8) County leadership council

-----------------------------------------------------

This is a issue oriented campaign plan:

1)Issue Concept.
A)Essex County is about to buy the worst possible Voting System.
1) DRE's can not be trusted, they are known to not be reliable. In 2004 there were hundreds of thousands of irregularities in many as a dozen or more states.
a) Vote switching.
b) One Hundred thousand+ selected a full party slate that did not not register a vote for president.
c) Precinct results claiming more votes than registered voters.
d)DRE's and tabulators use propietary software that cannot be audited by Election Officials.
e)DRE's are 3 times as expensive as the next cheapest voting system.
B) Essex County needs to use reliable paper ballots, counted by hand. Not by a computer, run by corporate owned TOP SECRET software.
C) Who has a vested interest? Democrats, Republicans, Independants. Labor Unions, Religious organizations, civic groups. We have a lot of allies.
D) The key decisiom maker is the Essex County Supervisor of Elections Carmine
E) How does Carmine frame the issue? What is his story, and what is the alternative.
F) There is pending suit to outlaw DRE's. We can ask for an injunction to delay implementation
of the contract.
1)This may require money, and thusly fundraising.
2)Our immediate goal is prevent the purchase of anymore DRE's for use in Essex County. Eventually we would like to see all of Essex County vote with paper ballots counted by hand.
A) We need to focus on the Essex County SOE and the Essex County Executive.
B) Nearly every voter can be considered our base constituency.
C) Who can put pressure on Carmine? He has chosen to spend money frivolously in time of Federal, State and County deficits.
D) Our Key Messsage, Its the deficit stupid:
1) Of the voting systems that qualify for funds under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, a touchsreen voting system is three times as expensive as the next cheapest system, optical scanners. One optical scanner can process 300 or more paper ballots per hour. One DRE or touchscreen voting machine can process about 10 ballots per hour. One human being can count 20 paper ballots for president in one minute. When one factors in the cost of Warehousing and preparation of touchscreen voting machines, and remember you need 30 times the number of touchscreens compared to optical scanners, the choice is clear. The optical scanner is the fiscally responsible purchase.

2) The Underlying Message: The corporate owned ballot box cannot be trusted.
If you consider that the optical scanner feeds ballot information into a computer--your vote still ends up in the computerized corporate ballot box. It becomes obvious that without the Federal funds from HAVA these computerized voting systems would not be very popular. And it should be clear to everyone that the most fiscally prudent voting system currently available is the paper ballot. Which is also the most reliable.
3)Tactics &Activities.
A) Earned Media, that's media coverage we dont pay for, we earn it.
B) Organize Events with the aim of educating the public.
1) Invite Public Officials with name recognition to events, in an effort to garner Media attention.
2) Invite experts to speak.
C) Organize Election reform Rally.
D) Approach each town in Essex County to pass a resolution calling for a ban on DRE's.
E) There is pending suit to outlaw DRE's. We can ask for an injunction to delay implementation
of the contract.
1)This may require money, and thusly fundraising.
4)Organizational structure.
A) Essex Voting Issues Project: Chairman: Roger Fox.
1)Bluewave NJ, Appleseed NJ, CFPJ, Essex Dems, DFA, Grasp, South Mt. P.A..
5) The Master plan to rid Essex County of DRE's:
A)Create PR packs: explaining why the purchase of Touchscreen voting equipment is wrong.
Incuding cost per unit: a-Touchscreen, b-optical scanner
B)PR for Radio, print and broadcast TV.
1)Data mining of broadcast TV web sites for
a)Emails for:
1)On Air Political reporters
2)News Directors
b)snail mail for News room/News Directors
C)Notice for Public Ofiicials.
1)Codey
2)Corzine & Lautenberg
3)SOS/NJ
4)County Exec.
5)County Super/Elections
6)Congressional Rep
7)State Legislators
8)Every Mayor in Essex County
D) Notice for our sister Activist groups, DFA essex, Blue wave NJ, Union county blue, SHU/NJIT
E) Event: Educational Forum
1) Site-Baird Center? SOMA Library's?
2)Date
3)Speakers
4) Create PR for Event,
1)Radio, Print and broadcast TV
2)Our sister activist groups
F)Election reform Rally.
1)May 2005 ?
2)site
3)Speakers

All those who wish to help will be welcomed. Contact [e-mail]

[FogerRox]

2. WAke up NJ---I expect folks to sign in from each affected COunty

we can stem the tide of DRE's this summer----NOW --

[pat_k]

3. Lobbying County Officials and Legislators

Lehto and Well v. Sequoia and Snohomish County

Basic logic of the case:

Secret vote counting is unlawful
Use of DREs = secret vote counting
The use of DREs to count votes is unlawful

The election officials and representatives in NJ -- particularly those in counties that are currently looking at purchasing DREs -- ought to be made aware of the Lehto and Wells v. Sequoia and Snohomish County lawsuit:

http://www.votersunite.org/info/lehtolawsuit.asp

No similar suit has been filed here in NJ... yet. But, we too have a robust open public meetings act (excerpts below). Officials should assume that similar suits WILL be filed here. They need to consider the very real risk that the use of DREs will be prohibited.

From http://www.njstatelib.org/LDB/Library_Law/lwopnmtg.php
The Legislature finds and declares that the right of the public to be present at all meetings of public bodies, and to witness in full detail all phases of the deliberation, policy formulation, and decision making of public bodies, is vital to the enhancement and proper functioning of the democratic process; that secrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in a democratic society...

From Guide to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act:
http://www.vernontwp.com/township/departments/clerk/sunshine.pdf
Public body” means a commission, authority, board, council, committee or any other group of two or more persons organized under the laws of this state, and collectively empowered as a voting body to perform a public governmental function affecting the rights, duties, obligations, privileges, benefits, or other legal relations of any person, or collective authorized to spend public funds including the legislature …

Call for Action

Lobby the election officials in your county. Write letters to local papers.
Bring this lawsuit to the attention of others. Tell your friends and neighbors about it. Write letters to your local paper. Call election officials and legislators. County officials need to consider this: On Election Day, the residents of NJ are the ultimate "public body" authorized and collectively empowered to perform the “governmental function” on which all others depend. Counting our votes is the final step of our most fundamental public decision making process. The DREs make it impossible for us to "to witness in full detail all phases" of that process. Such "secrecy in public affairs undermines the faith of the public in government and the public's effectiveness in fulfilling its role in a democratic society."

Although the question has not yet been litigated, it can certainly be argued that under OPMA, the process by which an accurate count of our ballots is obtained must be an open process that the average citizen can witness, understand, and have confidence in.

DREs clearly do not meet these requirements.

As we focus on vote recording and counting systems, we must not lose track of the larger issues. An election is much more than a count of ballots. Elections are about VOTERS. Every NJ resident that wishes to express their will must be afforded an equal opportunity to cast a valid and countable ballot.

If the DREs themselves are illegal, no modification to them can make them legal. When we seek the addition of a voter verified paper record to the machines, we are accepting the legitimacy of the machines as vote counting systems. We are accepting that secret vote counting can somehow be made “OK”.

Making the argument that DREs themselves are unlawful moves the debate to a much stronger position. The argument provides simple grounds for demanding processes that are open to, and can be understood by, average Americans. We don't need to talk about "audits", which evokes negative feelings in most (thoughts of having your tax return audited -- not a good "frame"). Secrecy is unAmerican. We tolerate it our public decision making only when absolutely necessary. Equating DREs to secret vote counting ties those machines to a powerful, and negative, frame.

Although the DREs=Unlawful Secret Vote Counting approach is not compatible with seeking the addition of a voter verified paper record, it can actually help get such legislation passed (adding a voter verified paper record is certainly a “less extreme” position when compared to banning the machines all together).

[FogerRox]

5. The NJ suit and the WA suit are somewhat similar--

using open gov & sunshine laws

NJ sued the state/GOvernor

WA suit sues the vendor

ANd I'm trying to recruit a lawyer here in Essex county---considering--if suit goes to fed. court Essex County (me) may jump in for a class action.

[pat_k]

4. May 26th: Inspection Day for Voting Machines for June 7th Union County Pri

------------------------
Action Alert
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If you can make it (see details below), please use the opportunity to deliver a copy of Myth Breakers (or the summary), and to make the case that the DREs = secret, and unlawful, vote counting. See post above.

-----------------------------------
From: Arieh Lebowitz
Subject: May 26th: Inspection Day for Voting Machines for June 7th Union County Primary Elections


Please share as appropriate. I've appended some additional information below the ad.
>> Arieh Lebowitz

A small ad in the Star-Ledger, Monday May 16th, p. 34:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attention
On Thursday, May 26th, 2005, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., the voting machines to be used in the June 7th primary elections will be available for inspection.
Any interested parties who wish to inspect the voting machines should appear at the Union County Board of Elections Voting Machine Warehouse, 2345 South Avenue,
Scotch Plains.
Union County Board of Elections
June S. Fischer, Chairperson
Mary Ellen Harris, Secretary
John DeSimone, Board Member
Teresa Hale, Board Member
$42.00
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New Election Machines: How to Operate Them
http://www.unioncountynj.org/ctyclerk/electionmachines.html

Election Board
The Union County Board of Elections will persevere to insure that all elections conducted in Union County are within strict compliance with New Jersey ...
www.unioncountynj.org/svcsgov/boards/election.htm
UNION COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS CODE OF ETHICS
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
... Formulated by the Union County Board of Elections Commissioners in Accordance with Chapter. 182 of the Laws of 1971. (NJSA 52:13D-D-12 et seq.) ...
www.state.nj.us/lps/ethics/eunicode.pdf

Union County NJ - Election Board
... Our voting machines are housed in Scotch Plains at 2345 South Avenue. ...
máquinas de votación están ubicadas en Scotch Plains, en 2345 South Avenue. ...
www.unioncountynj.org/svcsgov/boards/election.htm

Map of 2345 South Avenue, Scotch Plains, NJ
http://www.google.com/url?oi=map&sa=X&q=http://maps.google.com/maps%3Foi%3Dmap%26q%3D2345%2BSouth%2BAvenue,%2BSc