What are the greatest needs in support of election reform activism?

[Land Shark]

Poll question: What are the greatest needs in support of election reform activism?

Please answer the poll, but also post or PM me with informational things that would "really help" if you had them. Examples might be:

(1) difficult questions to answer (2) best arguments of other side to defuse, whether misleading or not (3) information needed that is not readily available or not immediately available (4) how to get past "sticking points" in the discussion (5) legal information (6) background on other actors in the election reform drama, or (7) anything else you feel it's important to know for yourself, other activists, elected officials, or the public generally.

This is important. Thinking of what's slowing you down could be key to getting to "the next level".

[saltpoint]

1. Land Shark, you pose an exciting question. I voted for 'Other' but

most of your poll selections have a lot of punch.

I would favor an extremely well-funded and slobberingly intense legal assault on any state that refused to use verifiable means to count votes in any election, at any level, at any time.

Period.

Currently individual states' Secretaries of State are the presiding officers over elections, and may negotiate, even supervise, contracts to bidders such as Diebold and other companies whose electronic vote technologies and software have come under increased scrutiny. A well-deserved scrutiny in my opinion.

As this is an electronic age and I am not a neo-Luddite, I would favor as a second arm of your suggestion a concerted focus on multiple-copy voting. That is, voting registration would be tantamount to an email account used expressly and uniquely for voting. Instead of a registration card, voters would be assigned an email account through the local elections board, copies to each political party with candidates on the ballot, copies to the Secretary of State's office, and 'Sent' copies to each voter.

By fee, copies also to local and national media outlets.

Even a hacked count would have to hack way too many sources to upend the totals. A voter would leave the precinct with his or her copy of the vote, stating that preferences aligned with intent. In a disputed election, those accounts could be matched swiftly and accurately.

[Land Shark]

2. HAVA Cramdown? Yes, cram it back with lawsuits

I think both of us are thinking along the same lines in that regard.
See Much Much More...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00233.htm

[Land Shark]

3. OK, that's an excellent idea but I meant to frame this in terms of INFO

INFO needs.

So what info (not counting money as info) would be needed for this to happen? (if any)

[saltpoint]

4. One suggestion -- I'm over my head here on legal stuff, Land Shark --

but one suggestion would be to contact a Democratic former Secretary of State to ask how the suit could be forged.

What speciric provisions need to be in it and what specific people and offices should be consulted/engaged to carry it out, odds of success, possible trapdoors, etc.

My aunt knew and supported former Sec. of State Joe Hogsett in Indiana. He was Sec. of State under Evan Bayh (then the Governor of IN), and was defeated in a Senatorial run against then-Senator Dan Coats (Coats later turned up as floor manager for Sam Alito).

A telephone conference with someone with that kind of insider's perspective -- and likely key information sources -- would be a productive meeting, I would say.

Hogsett is a hell of an impressive mind, and a genuine guy, too. He is a rain-maker at the law firm of Bingham McHale in Indianapolis, if you want to track him down.

[Land Shark]

8. INFO please, was trying to restrict the poll to what INFO is needed

[truckin]

5. A movie, based on the book VoteScam, is a vehicle that could

awake the masses. This may be beyond what you are asking for in this poll but without a high profile arrest I just do not see the general public getting involved in this issue. The story of the Collier brothers fighting election fraud from 1970-1992 in a well made movie could be a way to exponentially increase the public's interest in election reform. This movie, or some other vehicle that would be entertaining and shed light on election problems, is needed to get more attention on this issue.

[FogerRox]

6. Citizen lobbyists. When is the last time you met with your reps?

[EFerrari]

7. We need a significant victory AND to keep California.

Sure, all of the above and never stopping in any state or in any venue or in any strategy.

But, CA is very hot right now. We have a chance to raise the question of election transparency in a huge way here.

I think we should put eggs in that basket every day.

[GuvWurld]

9. GuvWurld Radio (seriously)

Some of you will recognize "advocacy journalism" as a phrase I self-identify with as a blogger. I celebrate this in my new book We Do Not Consent (free .pdf), which is a collection of essays from the GuvWurld Blog (and a Foreword by Land Shark). My definition of advocacy journalism is to use the media I have at my disposal to further my real world efforts for change. I only succeed as an advocacy journalist to the extent that my actual progressive goals are realized. It is easy to see how this applies in writing as my blog is full of entries describing the development of the Voter Confidence Resolution, the actions of the Voter Confidence Committee, and my efforts to unite California election reformers.

Let me tell you how I would apply this same definition of advocacy journalism to a radio show and why y'all really should help me get something going (I am already working on this). I call it the Project-Based Format.

Imagine you work in an office and your job title is Project Coordinator. At a set meeting time, the ten people who sit in the cubicles around you all file into the conference room. There you lead a discussion to clarify the goals of the next project, hash out the best strategies, divide up the work, and send people on their way. Your job is to keep it all together and bring it in on time and under budget.

Now, instead of being the Project Coordinator in an office, I want to host a radio show that streams on the web. And instead of having 10 people in a room, my team would be a global listening audience communicating in real time via the internet, phone, chat, etc. We clearly state what the goals are at the outset and we actually advance our election reform work through the most effective collaboration I've yet imagined.

Oh fairy godShark, won't you please grant me this one wish?

PS: I am just as interested in seeing someone else get up and running with a show that uses this approach as I am in doing it myself.

[Cos]

10. polling

I'd like some really good polling data, state by state, about how people feel about it, how familiar they are with it, and how they react to different messages. With crosstabs.

For example, a lot of people here on DU talk a lot about fraud. And yes, fraud is a major threat. But I think most people, not familiar with the issue, hear "fraud" and think "that couldn't be" or "conspiracy theorist" or "partisan Democrat disappointed that Bush won" or just go into denial. On the other hand, everyone knows computers have bugs, because most of them have used a computer that exhibited bugs. If you focus on that instead, they see the need for reforms to make voting more transparent and reliable as nonpartisan solid common sense.

On the other hand, some people are much more motivated by talk of fraud. And others, while not especially motived by it, aren't turned off by it quite so violently. But how many? Where? What sorts of people? How big are these groups compared to each other? How likely are people to change their opinion based on whether or not you mention fraud, and in which direction? I don't know.

That's just one example. There are many others I'd like to see polled.

[Land Shark]

12. good idea, any idea on how much this type of focused polling costs?

[BeFree]

11. Money, Guns, and Lawyers

We need some money to pay some big gun lawyers.

HAVA should be contested in every state. The money will run out this year and they will want to appropriate more funds. We need to be legally ready to stop HAVA. We need to be media ready to stop HAVA.

We need leaders ready to do what ever they can to stop future HAVA funding.

HAVA is the nightmare, the haunter of democracy. When we end HAVA, some of us can go back to sleep. Don't know 'bout yall, but I'm tired of HAVA.

[Land Shark]

13. thanks for the clarification on what you meant by "guns". : )

as in high caliber lawyers. heavy artillery. gotcha.