MONDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2008

Truthout Original
Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: “Steal Back Your Vote!”

Tuesday 14 October 2008

by: Sari Gelzer, t r u t h o u t | Report

http://www.truthout.org/101408R

I tried to find out why each voters was called in for verification. My impression was to ensure that they did not vote by mail or that every voter was being challenged by the Obama and McCain camps (both explanations were given by different people at the government center). I heard today that there were six-hour lines in California. What does it take to get fired as an election official in these states?

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Given some of our current holidays, I think your suggestion would be 1 of the 4 most important and productive holidays of all along with the Memorial, Veterans, and Independence Day Holidays.

Thanksgiving Day is a joke and since we have 2 holidays in November, TD should be changed to the Election Day Holiday earlier in the month.

As a former federal employee, we Do Not need another nonproductive holiday off! Many federal employees are unproductive enough with another excuse to slack off.

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Absolutely! It’s convenient, verifiable, efficient and timely. The rest of the U.S could learn a lot – and disenfranchise fewer voters – by adopting the Oregon model.

It is just reprehensible that there are hours-long voting processes in what professes to be the model for Western democracy.

Additionally…isn’t it time that Election Day be made a Federal and State holiday nationwide?

I’m so sad/sorry to hear what you and other voters (especially the elderly or disabled) have had to endure in order to vote.

THANK-YOU for all the good work you have done and continue to do pursuing JUSTICE FOR ALL!

How about Oregon the whole state votes entirely by mail!

Photo Finish
October 31, 2008

On election day, whether you pull the lever, touch the screen or punch the card you always pull the curtain. But a number of people this year are advocating you make your vote more public by photographing it and uploading it to the web. David Ardia of Harvard’s Citizen Media Law Project explains why this year your vote should be worth a thousand words.

For more information on recording your vote, please visit: http://www.citmedialaw.org/legal-guide/documenting-your-vote
Download MP3 |

The Da Vinci Code is on TNT now (8-11pm)
and again at 11pm-2am

I can get probably to the polls on Election Day, but given how important this election is, chose to request an Absentee Ballot weeks ago and personally deliver it.

The earliest thoughtful prediction regarding encryption technology
was that it could be readily applied to voting.

Like you, I find it amazing we’re not there – yet!

There is still something to be said for showing up, standing in line, and sharing the mutual experience of voting with your fellow community members. And people would do it willing if it were not made so unpleasant.

I agree with JT. If that was my experience, and the poll worker was rolling her eyes at me, a Constitutional law professor, I would
be making a stink – early.

Those elderly people who could not stand, for hours, should not have been simply allowed to leave without having had some reasonable accommodation made for their return at another time.

In Fairfax Country? That’s despicable!

You can get a vote-by-mail ballot just as I did. I most likely reside in a much more rural area than where you live.

Let’s all work together following this election to ensure that there are no voting irregularities whatsoever again in a Nation where registration and other problems are currently commonplace.

http://www.benjerry.com/scoop_shops/store_locator/

from electionlawblog.org/archives/012159.html

October 30, 2008
The Crotchety Spoilsport Gets Results!

Ben and Jerry’s announces: “On the evening of November 4th, from 5 — 8 pm, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream Scoop Shops will be giving away free scoops across the nation. ‘Originally, we planned to give free scoops away just to those who voted. We found out afterwards that certain laws may not allow it. So instead we’re celebrating our election with a national party,” said Walt Freese, Chief Euphoria Officer of the Vermont based ice-cream maker. ‘Democracy never tasted so sweet,’ added Freese summing up the effort. ”

My work is done.

Oh wait. My r.a., just pointed me to this Krispy Kreme giveaway.

Posted by Rick Hasen at October 30, 2008 02:50 PM

The only means by which voting irregularities are going to change after this election is to enlist the support of Constitutional scholars such as Professor Turley et al. to revamp the election process, given that voting is at the very core of preserving our Constitution. The Constitution’s failure is guaranteed when voting rights are suppressed by any means whatsoever, intentional or otherwise.

I’m glad to know that many lawyers and other citizens have mobilized to get people to the polls and to record instances of “irregularities” and such actions as JT mentioned above.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the Democrats or the Republicans doing something they shouldn’t. We cannot cede our conscience to either candidate or it truly won’t matter who is elected. The accountablity of elected officials to the people is paramount to a democracy. Please hold true to this for the sake of this nation.

Look at all we do online:

• Pay bills
• Pay taxes
• Trade multiple millions of dollars in the stock market
• Critical confidential online banking
• And many others

Therefore, voting online seems an obvious solution. We could each have a unique encrypted ID and receive a receipt of our vote. Fraud is no more likely with voting than it is with other legal and confidential transactions we current conduct online in the 21st century.

For those who did not have access to a computer at home, there are computers available at libraries and other public venues and the timeframe for voting could easily be spread over a long period.