Work the Vote LA ROCKS!!! Read on to see why! Come to craft sale 11/7 to help support their work!

[diva77]

Congrats to Robinlynne & Sheri Myers! This is their announcement:

Why should you bother to support our Craft Sale (Fundraiser) on 11/07? Because our democracy in LA County is at stake.

Please take just five minutes to read:

As you may know, Work the Vote monitored the L.A. County polls during the 2008 General Election. The reports from the voters and poll monitors showed many problems, unmentioned in the media. The most glaring problem was the huge number of voters who were not listed on the roster, or listed with the wrong status. They had to vote a provisional ballot.

Here is what we are finding, and investigating:

Our Registrar Dean Logan said the high number of voters left off the rosters was due to unprecedented new voter registration that our County just couldn’t handle. And yet, our research shows that almost half of those removed from the rosters, interviewed by our monitors, were long time voters. How did that happen?

Many voters were given sample ballots directing them to precincts, only to find their names not on the roster. How is that possible?

Why are 95% of the the high-provisional precincts located in high democratic precincts?

And we are finding voters who are listed as VBM (vote by mail,) who never requested and never received VBM ballots. Who listed them as VBM, and why?

FYI: Our vote-by-mail system, and voter registration are outsourced to Diebold/Premier, now owned by ES&S.

Work the Vote is investigating other problems too:

A group of volunteers read all of the largest election contracts in our County. They discovered outsourcing our elections to Diebold, ES&S, etc. does not guarantee accuracy in our elections, and is costing us millions of dollars. (Tidbit: Did you know that one of our most important contracts named a convicted felon as the vendor’s officer of oversight?)

We are currently requesting documents and looking into the bidding process itself. We are looking into details to see if the law is in fact, being followed.

Why we MUST fundraise:

We just don’t have the resources without your help. All of our work is volunteer. However, we must spend hundreds of dollars to do document requests, make Xeroxes, and rent spaces for larger meetings when necessary. So far it has been Sheri and Robin’s personal financing, with a few donations.

We hope to provide a large public forum where we can present the results of this research to the public and to lawmakers, to learn about what is happening right here in our own County, and to change it! That will cost at least 1500.00.

It's worth it, isn’t it? Don’t we need to know that our votes are counted as cast? Two controversial Propositions, 8 & 11, were passed in 2008. 2010 will feature some key races – Governor, Attorney General, CA Senate, Harman vs. Winograd…

Please give what you can - cookies, brownies, items to sell, your time. Volunteer. Or come to shop! Buy some lovely, low-priced gifts.

YOUR DEMOCRACY THANKS YOU!! FORWARD THIS EMAIL

SEEKING DONATIONS & HELP CALL [phone]

Saturday, Nov. 7th 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 11411 Charnock Rd. LA 90066

Crafts, baked goods, new or nearly new items that would make nice gifts... Gift certificates for your services...

VOLUNTEER...Lend a hand pricing, or putting up posters on Friday 11/06 or Help manage the tables on Saturday

[EFerrari]

1. diva! Look at the work you're doing! I'm absolutely humbled!

L.A. NEEDS this so much!

:woohoo:

[diva77]

2. Actually, I can't take any credit at all on this one. Robinlynne (on DU) and Sheri Myers

are the masterminds & workerbees on this one!:blush: I'll let them know about your thanks!!! :hi:

[EFerrari]

3. This is as important as possible. We win or lose in L. A. County

in this state. Thanks.

[Land Shark]

4. K&R for all the LA work being done! It looks/sounds/is great from all I know and hear! nt

[emlev]

5. Support 'em!

[robinlynne]

6. All voters who had problems during the 08 presidential election, please come

on by on Saturday, and tell us your story. I mean really tell us your story, be interviewed by one of us, and we will find out exactly what happened to your vote/ and or your registration. All LA people interested in protecting our elections, please come by and meet other volunteers, find out how you can help. We will have a large volunteer organizing meeting on November 21. there are simple tasks you can do at home for an hour or two a week. Come on down and meet like-minded people! We will have coffee and freshly baked goods in a tent. hand made succulent arrangements in antique pots you can give as gifts selling for 10.00, photographs, clothing, so many amazing things.
Thank-you diva, emlev, landshark, eferrari!

[autorank]

7. LA is a big prize. k*r

Quite a history there of people in charge who had long histories of being in chage
elsewhere and not doing so well.

Excellent post.

[Wilms]

8. Great stuff. Is there a link? An Address for where to send a check?? That sort of thing.

Thanks.

[diva77]

9. here is their website www.workthevotela.org

they are not an official organization with a 501c3 - just citizens working hard!

[Wilms]

11. 501c3 is a good idea.

I'd say hook up with that through another organization.

It'll make donating a bit easier.

[robinlynne]

12. hi Wilms. write to me privately if you like. We jsut have more work to do than time

so we don't have a 501c. We would love any donation. basically two of us are paying for everything with money we don't have. hence the fundraiser. We really want to finish the research and then put together a public meeting to show all the results. It will be a presentation we can do over and over. Anyway, very busy today and tomorrow, but can write on Sunday. Sorry we are not tax deductible.

[BeFree]

10. Good stuff

Grassroots activism that is important. Much appreciated.

The system is stacked against a true vote outcome and folks are working to make it more level. Democracy in action!! I love it!

Great to see the great names of DU ERer's here. We've come a long way
and this here little forum played a large part in that progress.