Invest in the beast... then starve it

[cvoogt]

Private companies have no business in voting. Republicans like to privatize and outsource, but our elections have to be beyond doubt or reproach. The companies making these machines (at least Diebold) are publicly held stocks.

Punish them.

Instead of NOT spending money on red states or Repub. companies, buy shares of the companies in question. This would have to be agreed on on a massive scale, and when the timing is right (which needs to be determined by better financial minds than myself), sell. We'd obviously need to collectively hold enough of a share to have an impact.

I also think one strategy might be to simultaneously sell our shares at a loss, at a lower price, to drive the value of their stock down. Think of it as a negative donation to Diebold. Anyone think there'd be a chance in a million years of this working? I'm no financial guru, but it seemed a more direct way of affecting companies we want to affect than the method of not spending on any GOP contributors, which is certainly also effective.

They seem to have done alright this week:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=DBD&t=5d

[ngant17]

1. diebold more that vote machines

Diebold also makes the equipment that banks use, for example, in the outside teller machines.

[Amigust]

2. Chance of working? No.

It would be only a temporary hit and would possibly cause a lot of good folks to lose money.

Better to look for ways to contribute that money to organizations fighting to save America from the new fascists.

[cvoogt]

4. good folks?

People should know what they're investing in. If they do, then they're complicit in any electoral fraud the company in question might engage in. If they don't, it's their own fault if they lose.

Instead of buying then selling, owning enough shares could mean having some influence on the company, having something to hold over their heads. We'd never be able to have a controlling share by ANY means, but could maybe exert some influence. Still, I'd prefer a way to knock them out entirely. That said, the valuation is huge and shares are $50 each (hey, that's about the price of a barrel of black gold) .

[Amigust]

5. "Good folks" was a reference to the people you are encouraging

to participate.

[Amigust]

3. "They seem to have done alright this week"

BushCo reliably rewards its friends.

[zacho]

6. Takeover

I thought of this on Wednesday. It would be difficult because its market cap. is $3.8 billion so we'd have to invest $3.8 billion for a takeover, then the new stockholders can fire the current board of directors.

[cvoogt]

7. Yeah, big market cap

and of course not all their shares are public either, meaning we'd have to take over ALL those public shares. A very very long shot, but I think this might work on some of these companies. For instance, we could target whichever one has the smallest market cap, and if we can drive its stock down or otherwise impact the company, it could spill over to the other e-voting companies since they're in the same market. I.e. if one e-voting company's stock plunges it could take others with it.

[Baja Margie]

8. kick