THE LET AMERICA VOTE ACT! ASK CONGRESS FOR EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOTS NOW!

[BradBlog]

More to come later today, but nothing likely as important as the following. So I am posting it here in full!

-- Brad

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URL: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3495

THE LET AMERICA VOTE ACT!
CALL ON CONGRESS TO PASS 'EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT LEGISLATION' NOW!
Every Registered American Voter Must Be Allowed to Vote This November!

Given this year's primary election meltdowns and train wrecks that we've been reporting since March 7th of this year, in which electronic voting machines have failed to start up and thousands of American voters have been turned away from the polls when they came to vote, but couldn't…

Given the fact that one such meltdown occurred last Tuesday in Maryland, where many of the DC media and politicos live…

Given VelvetRevolution's new Princeton Diebold Virus Hack report demonstrating conclusively that electronic voting machines may be hacked in a minute's time resulting in flipped elections without a trace left behind…

Giving that American democracy and the right to vote in that democracy ought to be a beacon to the world…

It is NOW time for Emergency Paper Ballot Legislation to be brought and passed immediately by both houses of the U.S. Congress, in order to at least mitigate the coming train wreck this November 7th.

Call it the Let America Vote Act (LAVA) of 2006…Let democracy flow!

The legislation can, and should be, as short as a single paragraph so that it can be read and passed quickly by every U.S. Congress member. It can apply only to this November's general election, if that is needed to get it passed and signed quickly.

It should read something like this…

LET AMERICA VOTE ACT
(EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT MANDATE OF 2006)

Emergency paper ballots shall be made available at every voting jurisdiction in the United States during the November 7th, 2006 General Election. These paper ballots shall be available in sufficient numbers for optional use by voters who prefer to use them, and by all voters in the event of voting machine failure or unavailability. These paper ballots are not to be provisional ballots, but regular paper ballots that shall be counted immediately upon the close of polls on election night along with all other votes cast by properly registered voters.

Note: At this point, I don't give a damn how the Emergency Paper Ballots will be counted; by hand, by optical scanner, whatever. So long as voters are not disenfranchised by the millions — as thousands have already been so far in this year's primary elections across the country — by showing up to the polling place only to be told they can't vote at all, or by being told they must vote provisionally (provisional ballots are not counted on election night, and frequently not at all) because the new voting machines are broken or otherwise unavailable.

States such as Texas, Arkansas and other have already had to do this this year when Secretaries of State put out emergency notices to Elections Administrators to create such Emergency Paper Ballots after the voting machine companies failed to provide programmed ballots or working machines.

All states are already required by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to have such paper ballots available at every polling place as Provisional Ballots, so those can be copied NOW if need be for use as Emergency Paper Ballots (which is better than the scraps of paper some counties reportedly have tried to use in emergency situations so far this year!)

BOTTOM LINE: With the passage of this Emergency Legislation, at least properly registered American citizens will be able to cast a vote on Election Day if they choose to!

Feel free to call it the "Hail Mary Emergency Election Protection Act" if you want. I don't much care, so long as it's passed by Congress in time to ensure that voters can actually vote this November!

I've spoken with a number of people on the Hill and within the Election Integrity movement…scientists, activists, politicians, in DC and around the country, and they have all been in favor of this legislation and have pledged their support.

I am attemping to find sponsorship for this bill in Congress, and I'm calling on all Election Integrity organizations and concerned citizens who may have better connections than I to help find such Congressional sponsorship immediately.

I am calling on these same people to then call on Congress to pass this legislation immediately!

I am hoping to have an official version/wording of the bill posted shortly. It will, of course, be available as a new item here at The BRAD BLOG no later than tomorrow. It will spell out, in official "bill-like" language, precisely what I've posted above.

Democracy is at stake. After at least two years of reporting in exhaustive details on these matters here, and at this late stage of the game, I believe the above "reform" is, unfortunately, the most we can likely hope for in time to have any real impact in mitigating a full-on train wreck during this November's crucial excercise of the rite of democracy.

Please forward this item to everybody you know, cross-post it or link to it as you see fit (this is the URL: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3495)…And please contact your Congress person and ask them to support and/or sponsor this initiative today!

URL: http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3495

---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION - The revolution begins...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us

[Nutmegger]

1. You rock BB!

:kick: and :thumbsup:!!!

[cal04]

2. thank you Brad

will do!

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Paper Ballots or Bust

Way to go. You guys rock.

[mod mom]

4. Yah! Hand counted paper at the precinct level w full public witness

rec'd.

[mom cat]

5. You are the best. Crank it out and we will get behind you!

[seafan]

6. Brad, we MUST demand hand-counts ONLY! No optical scans!

Optical scanning machines send vote tallies to a central vote tabulator that can easily be tampered with as well.


We must require pen and paper ballots, hand-counted at the precincts at the close of the poll, with direct public observation, and with the tallies telephoned in to the Secretary of State's office.



In Florida, Jeb Bush and his former Secretary of State Glenda Hood have conveniently made it illegal to hand-recount any votes that have already been counted by a machine.

By instituting a Congressional move for emergency pen and paper ballots nationwide as described above, we can and we must restore fair and accurate elections to The People.

Keep us all posted!

[BradBlog]

7. Seafan, at this point, I'll just take a piece of paper!

At this point, we can fight about how to count these Emergency Paper Ballots (or any others) later. I simply want to make sure that people will be able to vote if they bother to show up and do so!

Anything in the legislation more contentious than what is there in my proposal -- essentially: "Make paper ballots available if folks want them or the machines don't work" -- would make it impossible to get through congress at this late in the game.

Frankly, it's already nearly impossible. But we can try. Gonna need a LOT of folks on the ground making noise, however, demanding it! NOW! Please help!

Brad

[BeFree]

17. an idea about Florida, et al

If we can get the emergency LAVA passed, the next step after the ballots are marked would be to audit the counts.

The simplest of audits would be to stack the ballots in two separate piles: one for the republican candidate, the other for the democratic candidate.

Eyeballing the size of the stacks would tell you which candidate has the most votes.

The key in Florida would be to do this simple audit BEFORE the machine count!

Once stacked, the ballots would be fed into the machine one stack at a time, ie, all the republican votes together.

That should give you a pure count of one candidate. If there is a discrepancy (say 100 votes out of line) then you can demand the machine never be used again and force a hand count of all the ballots.

[seafan]

25. We need to establish hand counts as the gold standard for tallying votes.

All machines that register votes or count ballots should be banned.

Also, the hand-counted paper ballot should be used nationwide to standardize the voting method everywhere.


Can you imagine a bank, never balancing the transactions from day to day... "Oh, we've got all your money safe, don't worry!"

Well, that's just what the GOP-owned voting machine companies are putting over on us. Remember Rep. Peter King, R-NY saying in 2003, "It's all over but the counting.... and WE'LL do the counting." Yeah, right, Pete.

In the summer of 2003, Representative Peter King (R., N.Y.) was interviewed by Alexandra Pelosi at a barbecue on the White House lawn for her HBO documentary Diary of a Political Tourist. “It's already over. The election's over. We won,” King exulted more than a year before the election. When asked by Pelosi—the daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi—how he knew that Bush would win, he answered, “It's all over but the counting. And we'll take care of the counting.”

From Harper's Magazine: None Dare Call It Stolen



Congress, local and state election officials had better get with it. We the people are coming.

[Peace Patriot]

8. And if Congress doesn't act, VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT THIS FALL!

Recommended by the Colorado Democratic Party, in the face of huge problems with the electronic voting system.

1. It's paper. Better than not paper (paperless e-voting). AB votes were very important to several 2004 election studies (showed bias toward Bush in e-voting results vs. paper). They will help in challenges, recounts, and studies checking for fraud. It provides a record of your vote.

2. IT'S A PROTEST!!!! Americans NEED TO protest! Why is our government so fucked up? THIS IS WHY. Rigged e-voting machines. BOYCOTT the machines. DON'T vote on them!

3. If the PROTEST is big enough--if everybody in the country who despises the Bush Junta (60% to 70%) votes by Absentee Ballot--the reign of these rigged voting machines is OVER!

4. It's easy. Everybody can do it. (Most states have some form of AB voting.) It's a maximum participation protest. It will HELP turnout. To those disillusioned persons who say "it's all rigged" and don't want to vote, we can say: But this is a PROTEST aimed at UN-rigging the system! No excuse not to vote. It's a great motivator.

5. It turns voting into an active PROTEST, rather than a passive act of despair and hoping against hope.

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Cautions: Fill your ballot and its envelope out very carefully (to avoid disqualification). Hand-deliver it to registrar's office or polling place (check local rules), or send it registered mail/ return receipt requested, or Fed Ex (to have a record that it was received). The least secure thing to do is simply to mail it regular USPS. More you can do: Take election day off and go demand to SEE where the AB votes are and how they are counted. (Document everything--if they're scanning the AB votes into the rigged electronics, take pix; if they're dumping them in a back room and reporting e-voting totals first, take pix, write good doc notes, etc. Precede this with a separate letter (separate from you ballot) to your registrar/sec of state, demanding TRANSPARENT vote counting, and also proper handling, counting and reporting of AB votes. Tell them you'll be there and you'll be watching! (--with your lawyer!).

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THE EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT BILL

If we are to back an emergency paper ballot bill, then I think it must say that all paper ballots must be counted BY HAND and RESULTS POSTED AT THE PRECINCT LEVEL, before ANY totals are released; or, if they want to do a partial count, and release the results, those results must be composed of the same percentage of AB paper ballots (and other real paper ballots--not provisional, and not mixed up together) as the e-voting percentage. 50% report on e-voting must be equaled by 50% report of AB votes, and 50% report of real paper ballots. In other words, they must be counted TOGETHER. No shunting the AB votes or other paper ballots aside for e-vote totals, and thus election officials and corporate news monopolies "calling" elections on the e-votes alone. This is a simple provision. And it is a matter of justice.

BRAD, I think it's very important that this emergency bill NOT permit the use of "provisional" ballots as a sub. Much too much disenfranchisement has occurred with "provisional" ballots. I think it should be specifically forbidden. Let election officials do some leg work. They CAN get real ballots printed. (Maybe the bill should include some money for it.)

I AGREE WITH THIS: "These paper ballots are not to be provisional ballots, but regular paper ballots that shall be counted immediately upon the close of polls on election night along with all other votes cast by properly registered voters."

BUT I WOULD AMEND IT THIS WAY: "These paper ballots are not to be provisional ballots, but regular paper ballots that shall be HAND-counted IN PUBLIC immediately upon the close of polls on election night, AND THE RESULTS OF THIS HAND-COUNT POSTED AT THE PRECINCT LEVEL, BEFORE ANY ELECTRONICS ARE INVOLVED. ABSENTEE BALLOTS SHALL ALSO BE HAND-COUNTED AND THE RESULTS POSTED ON ELECTION NIGHT, BEFORE ANY ELECTRONICS ARE INVOLVED. THESE HAND-COUNTS AND POSTINGS SHALL OCCUR along with THE COUNTING OR TABULATION of all other votes cast by properly registered voters. IF PARTIAL RESULTS ARE REPORTED TO THE PUBLIC, THESE RESULTS MUST PROPORTIONATELY REPRESENT THE ABOVE-DESCRIBED PAPER BALLOTS along with electronic voting totals."

I would like to include a hand-count and posting of all optiscan ballots--but that might be too much for this emergency bill. But on the above items, I think we had better be concerned with setting precedents. If they are required to "count" the paper ballots but not to "post the results," then many will not post them--or will only post ELECTRONIC totals AFTER they have scanned these ballots into the rigged electronics. And many corrupt officials will STILL report only e-voting totals to the media and to the public, thus creating DIFFICULT conditions for challenges and getting a recount (--if the election has already been "called"). So why not set the precedent--and make it the law--that paper ballots must be hand-counted and results posted BEFORE they do anything else with them?

Also, so many people are now planning to vote by Absentee Ballot, that we MUST include AB's in the requirement to count them on election night. Election officials have been very abusive about this--and sometimes don't count AB votes until days later, in their PRESUMPTION that the AB votes will reflect the e-vote. THIS TIME that may NOT be true! If you're going to tell them what they have to do with paper ballots, this should INCLUDE Absentee Ballot votes!

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I don't have lot of faith that Congress will act (or will do the RIGHT THING--another worry!). This is the "Diebold Congress"--the Congress (s)elected by Diebold, ES&S and brethren. They have no reason to give us back our right to vote. The Emergency Paper Ballot Bill is a righteous bill. Who could oppose it? But do remember what this Congress has been up to! Spending a week on flag-burning. Trying to find a way to let Bush torture people (and free a whole lot of torturers from any criminal liability, past or future). NOT responding to numerous calls for withdrawal from Iraq, and the clear will of the American people that we do so. Passing the bankruptcy bill. Etc. Etc. It's ALWAYS worth it to try--for educational purposes, if nothing else (with AB voting as the backup suggestion). I DO think it's important to get the public's outrage about this rigged voting system across; to show our strength; and to put these Bush toadies on the spot. All to the good. But just don't count on it. AND DON'T FORGET THE BACKUP PLAN: MASSIVE AB VOTING TO FORCE REFORM AT THE STATE/LOCAL LEVEL (probably the only level where it's still possible).

If we FLOOD election officials with MOUNTAINS of Absentee Ballots--and BOYCOTT their diabolical machines--I believe it will create sufficient panic and crisis at the local level to put you and other election reformers at the table, with our demand for TRANSPARENT vote counting.

[BradBlog]

11. See my previously reply...

Everything in your amended version is great, Peace Patriot. And I agree with the hopes. But it'll make the next-to-impossible into the completely-impossible.

We can give them NOTHING to fight about here, because the legislation simply won't then stand a chance of passing.

Let's give them the simplest possible thing here at this point: Emergency Paper Ballots shall be available to anybody who wants them!!

Fight about everything else (and we will!) later...

[Peace Patriot]

13. Well, at the very least, they shouldn't be allowed to sub "provisional"

ballots, cuz you KNOW what they'll do! All the e-voting machines in black and poor and Dem districts will "break down," all will have to vote on "provisional" ballots and all or many will be tossed.

I don't think I could support it, if it allowed "provisional" ballots to be a sub for a real ballot. The result could be WORSE than the current circumstance. And you KNOW they would use "prov" ballots, not real ones.

[BradBlog]

20. Agreed Peace Patriot...

...And thank language will be quite clear in the suggested language of the bill that I'll post in full tomorrow. (Essentially the same text I posted today, but all legaleese-like)

Brad

[emmadoggy]

27. I mailed my request for an absentee ballot today.

I voted absentee in the last election as well. This is only my second opportunity to vote since moving here and I don't even know if my precinct HAS voting machines but they probably use optical scanners. Voting absentee is easy, convenient, and I love knowing that my vote is ON PAPER.

If BradBlog's LAVA doesn't go through, I hope that many, many people would vote absentee.

[BradBlog]

36. Then your vote will be electronically scanned as well...

Just so you know, if you use absentee, your vote will likely be optically-scanned as well. If your jurisdiction uses Op-Scan machines at the polls, your vote is FAR more likely to be counted if you vote on election day in that case.

If you're only choice is touch-screen, then I'd recommend absentee. But I'd also recommend photocopying the ballot first, and then delivering it in person on election day (if allowed) to either your polling place or your board of elections (check local rules on that).

[emmadoggy]

40. Thanks, Brad!

That is great info to know. I really need to call and find out exactly what the system is here. I really like voting absentee for the reasons already stated, especially if they do have the touch-screens, since then I know my vote is on paper. However, I hadn't considered the possibility of my absentee ballot sitting around not getting counted if they are opti-scanning votes. Geez, this situation is such mess, you have to be so on-your-game to stay on top of it and make sure you do all you can to vote in the way that will be most effective!! Democracy should not be this way!!!!! :banghead:

Thanks again for the heads-up!! And thanks for all you are doing!! :hi:

[leftchick]

9. you are so great Brad!

thank you!

[Peace Patriot]

10. I love your title, by the way: The "Let America Vote Act"--LAVA!

Har-har-har!

[In Truth We Trust]

12. K&R- Hand counts NOW!!! Democracy NOW!!!

[mom cat]

34. And random audits for ALL races!

[cyberpj]

14. Tell them to look to Canada as an example. That's what they DO always! nt

[texpatriot2004]

15. No Transparency = No Democracy nt

[BeFree]

16. I approve

It is only logical.

This is an emergency. Putting all your eggs in one basket, like folks do with Direct Recording Electronic, or DREs, will be a failure of some magnitude. Failure is not an option, but with a paper ballot, failure can be deemed to be averted.

Congress is allowed by the constitution to describe the manner, place and time of federal elections. The place and time is accounted for leaving just the manner to be resolved.

Being that federal elections have a direct impact upon all citizens, it is only logical that all federal elections are done in a similar manner.

Indeed, a recent court ruling did declare that it is constitutionally correct that the manner of counting the votes be similar across all political boundaries.

Paper ballots for everyone is this year's solution to this year's emergency.

[Laurab]

18. Thank you, Brad K & R n/t

[AntiFascist]

19. K&R n/t

[Imagevision]

21. You want paper ballots? pull Bush's finger...

[McCamy Taylor]

22. K&R

[Octafish]

23. Keep this kicked until the crazy monkey is kicked out.

And that goes for the rest of the treasonous bums.

[understandinglife]

24. "Not One Line Of Software Between A Voter And A Valid Election."

Recommended.


Peace.

[Imagevision]

26. The fact that Diebold refuses to incorporate paper receipt says it all!!

[Gregorian]

28. This is a brilliant act all Americans will get behind.

This is how it's going to happen.

[emmadoggy]

29. Thank you, Brad!

I won't get my hopes up too much, but I REALLY hope this has a chance of working.

K&R :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[emlev]

30. 92% of USAmericans support election transparency!

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3276

[ooglymoogly]

31. k&r...i voted today with a paper ballot and it was so easy

i went to my precinct walked in and since i am registered as an independent and a liberal one at that they gave me a choice of ballots and of course i chose democrat...i went to a simple wooden booth and connected the lines with a felt pen provided...the ballot was simple and on good stock...no butterflies or chances of hanging chads elegant in its simplicity...it was just all so simple...by the time i left there were three records of my vote including the paper one that is immutable. why is this so hard for the rest of the country. why do they make it so complicated especially in crooked places like fl. and ohio to name a few.(rhetorical) at the three stations i visited on my way to the ballot i looked into honest faces who took the fact that democracy lay in their hands very seriously. there was not a hint of bias or good IL boy slicing and dicing of the vote...it is so clear that the complication around the country is planned for vote stealing since the process can be so simple and easy and run without a hitch. the whole thing took 3 minutes and though there was a line it went as quickly as you can walk. i guess this is what it could be all across the country if integrity were still the norm. when i left the precinct i felt clean and proud...not at all like i needed a bath like when reading about ohio and fl and georgia and ad finite

[Peace Patriot]

35. It's not just the notorious states-FLA, OH. It's EVERYWHERE!

California (a great liberal state, under threat of Dieboldizatio now), Minnesota (once a great LIBERAL state!), New Mexico, Utah, Pennsylvania--EVERYWHERE--with few exceptions (ORE has all mail-in, a pretty good system; NY has the old reliable, unriggable lever machines).

Diebold and ES&S (two brethren Bushites corps) "counted" EIGHTY-PERCENT of the nation's vote in 2004. 80%! It's a damn coup!

[BradBlog]

37. But was it counted correctly?

Not sure what state you're in ooglymoogly, but before you get too comfortable with what happened, remember just because it's "easy" doesn't mean it's accurate!

Sounds like you used a paper ballot that was optically-scanned?

Well, we've one problem after another this year with such ballots, including some 9 races in Iowa's primary where the results of the optically-scanned election was reversed after a handcount occured. The handcount only happened because a sharp elections director there realized something was amiss when a 19-year old school kid nobody had heard of, defeated a popular 23-year incumbent.

As well, in December of 2005, a mock-election on a Diebold op-scan system had it's results flipped, without a trace left behind, after hackers got to it.

So remember: Comfort, ease-of-use at the polls, has little to do with accuracy or integrity at those polls!

[ooglymoogly]

39. but but but...if the machine tries to cheat and the pols show

a different result...there are clearly marked ballots to count.

[Wilms]

32. 50

10-4

[liberal N proud]

33. Your efforts are appreciated

Thanks

[redqueen]

38. CALL NOW!

888-355-3588

:kick:

I told the staffer that there wasn't much time, but if they made this a priority like they did with the Schiavo case, that they could do something!

And I told her it would save them from being referred to as the "Do Nothing" congress! :rofl:

Can you tell I live in a red state? :7