FREE MOVIE in State Capitol! Acclaimed documentary film on voting premiers in East Rotunda 6/16.

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Please join us for a special screening of the documentary film

UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections

Monday, June 16th, 2008
7:00 p.m.
East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol Building
Harrisburg

No Admission Fee – Public Welcome


Uncounted, by Emmy award winning director David Earnhardt is an explosive new documentary exposing the spine-chilling disregard for voter’s rights in America. With 51 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties using paperless electronic voting machines our state is at particular risk in 2008. This controversial 80 minute film examines in factual, logical and yet startling terms how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity across the U.S. Beyond increasing public awareness about how votes are counted in America, Uncounted inspires greater citizen involvement in fixing a broken electoral system.

There will be a Q&A session after the film, featuring Westmoreland County Inspector of Elections Marybeth Kuznik who appears in the film. (Sponsored by the Common Cause Education Fund, VotePA, and the PA League of Women Voters.)

This Pennsylvania Capitol screening of “UNCOUNTED” marks the first time the highly-acclaimed film will be shown in a legislative hall in any state.

PM me if YOU would like to arrange a screening of this important election-year film for an organization, venue, or event in YOUR area.


In 2004, over 10,000 voters in Mercer, Beaver, and Greene
counties LOST THEIR VOICE in our American Democracy.

Will YOU be silenced this November?

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1. Here is our call out to all Pennsylvanians -- INVITE YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW!

VotePA sent the following e-mail out to over 1500 recipients this week to promote the screening of UNCOUNTED in the Pennsylvania Capitol on June 16.

Please help us by calling your State Rep and State Senator NOW to invite them to the film.

If you know anyone not on DU who would be willing to help promote the movie, please forward this message!

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Help us get the word out, and protect our vote for November!

This Monday evening VotePA will partner with the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters and the Common Cause Education Fund to host a free screening of the documentary film UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections, in the East Wing Rotunda of our Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg right smack dab while the General Assembly is in session. This will be the film's first-ever showing in any state or federal capitol or legislative hall, and it's a great opportunity to get the word out to our state officials about the dangers facing our November election. For more information, go to http://votepa.us/newsarchive/2008/uncountedPACapitol1.html

We need YOUR help -- today through Monday -- to contact your state legislator and state senator directly to make sure they come out to of this important event and see this film.


Here are three simple ways to help:

1) Find your state officials HERE: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm then call their both your PA House Rep and PA Senator in their local office today (Friday). Ask to speak directly to the Rep or Senator; if they are not available ask for their scheduler or staff person handling election issues. Get the name of the person you talk to.
-- Tell them you are a constituent, and let them know about the UNCOUNTED screening in the East Rotunda of the State Capitol Monday evening at 7.
-- Ask them to attend, and to have their Harrisburg staff attend as well.
-- Follow up Monday during the day, if you can, by calling or faxing their Harrisburg office to remind them to attend.
-- If possible, please e-mail me (reply to this e-mail) and let me know who you talked to in which office, what their response was, etc.
Most members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate left Harrisburg last night and are home working and campaigning in the districts now through Monday morning. So it is a GREAT time to contact them at their in-district offices. Calls from constituents have the most effect, followed by faxes, and then e-mails. You may also run into these officials at events over the weekend, so be sure to have a flyer printed out (see below) and be ready to ask them to attend UNCOUNTED.

2) Contact all your friends throughout Pennsylvania and ask them to do the same. FORWARD THIS MESSAGE WIDELY. Let's fill the East Rotunda on Monday night and get the word out about the danger to our elections NOW, while there is still some time left before November to better protect our votes!

3) Please donate a little something to help with VotePA's share of the expenses of this event. We need to raise about $1700 to help with this and another program we are launching in the next two weeks, and about $20,000 to keep our work going through the summer. Go to this page to help: http://votepa.us/donate.html


Here are links to some resources to help you promote UNCOUNTED in the Pennsylvania State Capitol.

Posters To Print Out HERE:
8.5x11 - http://www.votepa.us/resources/2008/UncountedPACAPITOLsmllpost.pdf
11x17 -- http://www.votepa.us/resources/2008/UncountedPACAPITOL11x17.pdf
Flyers To Print Out HERE:
Two-on-a-page -- http://www.votepa.us/resources/2008/UncountedJune16flyer.pdf
One-on-a-page -- http://www.votepa.us/resources/2008/UncountedFullPageFlyer.pdf



Many of you know that I personally appear in UNCOUNTED, speaking about the horrible loss of 10,000 Pennsylvania votes on the Unilect Patriot touchscreen voting machine in 2004. That system is now decertified, but serious problems and flaws remain with many of the voting machines we still use in the Keystone State. And the threat of disenfranchising voters through deceptive practices that keep them from ever reaching the machines to vote are just as bad.

Please help the important message in this film be heard by our state officials. Call your PA State Representative and State Senator today and tell them, "UNCOUNTED, Monday evening, 7PM, East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol. Be there or be square."

Finally, if you are within traveling distance of Harrisburg on Monday night, plan to come see UNCOUNTED yourself -- and bring friends. Don't let Pennsylvania go UNCOUNTED this November!

Thank you for all you do,

Marybeth

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Marybeth Kuznik, Executive Director
VotePA
Statewide Alliance for Voting Rights and Election Integrity
http://www.votePA.us

[demodonkey]

2. Call your REPS TODAY (Monday!) UNCOUNTED is up against another event & we need them to come to ours!

Here is our latest message -- circulate to everyone you know with a Pennsylvania connection, please.

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PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE WIDELY.

Everyone is asked (and reminded one more time) to please CALL YOUR STATE REP and STATE SENATOR in their Harrisburg office tomorrow -- Monday morning and all day Monday -- to ask them AND THEIR STAFF to be sure to attend our screening of the acclaimed documentary film UNCOUNTED: The New Math of American Elections. The movie is TOMORROW evening (Monday June 16) at 7 PM in the East Wing Rotunda of the PA State Capitol Building. http://www.votepa.us/newsarchive/2008/uncountedPACapitol1.html

We have learned that our UNCOUNTED screening is up against a big industry event being thrown for the legislators at the PA Forum tomorrow night. Apparently they have a "name" movie director attending to speak (and show commercial film clips), possibly along with free food? Of course it is always a big draw especially if there is free food, and sadly we don't have any of that to offer -- just one truly great film and the important message that our elections are seriously at risk and Pennsylvania needs to take action to protect our votes. And we need our Pennsylvania officials to be there to see and hear it.

When you call, if you are told that your Rep or Senator has other commitments and can't come to see UNCOUNTED, remind the office in that case to please be sure to have a staff person attend because fair and accurate voting is an extremely important issue to your district. It would be good if this is the person who handles election reform legislation, but ALL STAFF IS INVITED as well as the Reps and Senators. Please get names and do your best to get someone to make a commitment to come.

One thing to note is that the Forum event starts at 6 PM and UNCOUNTED is at 7, so it is theoretically possible for the members and staff to attend at least some of both. But we need calls, and pressure on the Harrisburg offices, to make that happen. You can find your Rep and Senator here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm

I was lobbying and distributing invitations in the Capitol all day on Friday. Some offices did tell me they're received some calls already about our UNCOUNTED event, and these are ones more likely to attend. THE MORE CALLS AN OFFICE GETS, THE MORE THEY TAKE NOTICE of both the event itself, and of our whole issue of secure, accurate, accessible and fair elections. This is a golden opportunity, so call, call, CALL!

One more thing as a reminder, we still need lots of support for VotePA's share of the expenses in this event, and we are asking everyone who cares about fair elections in Pennsylvania to kick something into the kitty to help: http://www.votepa.us/donate.html

THANK YOU to everyone -- your assistance with this will do a lot to get the word out in the halls of Harrisburg about the danger to our elections, and why we need to take steps now to make voting more secure, more accurate, and more open to all Pennsylvanians!

Marybeth

____________
Marybeth Kuznik, Executive Director
VotePA
Statewide Alliance for Voting Rights and Election Integrity
http://www.votePA.us