Virginia's Constitution Prohibits Secret Vote Counting! John Edwards Can Be Of Assistance Here...

[DaLittle Kitty]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mark_ada_080201_another_open_letter_.htm

Virginia's Constitution Prohibits Secret Vote Counting

Here's a link to an article that I wrote on OpEdnews.com about the prohibition against secret vote counting in Virginia's Constitution. http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mark_ada_080201_another_open_letter_.htm

If Edwards takes action, he benefits from the support that we saw that the vast majority of voters have for making sure that our votes are counted accurately.

Please spread the word!!!


Another Open Letter to Senator John Edwards: It's Not Over Until the Votes are Cast and Counted!



by Mark Adams Page 1 of 2 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com


Senator Edwards:

I understand that you decided to drop out of the race for the Democratic nomination for President, but you’re still on the ballot, and that gives you the unique power to do something to really help save America.


Most of your supporters are very disappointed in your decision. They hoped that you would stay in the race and keep raising the issues that most of the other candidates and the corporate media conveniently choose to ignore. You can still do something to help that they cannot ignore!

Your loyal supporters felt that you were the Democratic candidate who would really stand up to those who have run our country into the ground. They supported you because they believed that you were the one who would stand up to those who have trashed our Constitutional rights and to those who have sent far too many American jobs overseas to countries that prohibit unions, allow unsafe working conditions, allow child labor, and even allow the equivalent of slave labor. Many truly believed that you were America’s best hope.



Many heard your call for eliminating touch screen voting machines, and they supported your efforts because they thought that you understood the dangers of secret vote counting and had the courage to take a stand to restore public vote counting. After all, the evidence shows that you should have served as Vice-President for the last three years.



Take a minute and think about how different and how much better everything might be if the votes had been counted in 2004, or even more importantly, if the votes had been counted in 2000.



If our leaders were worried about getting thrown out of office by the voters if they made bad decisions, would we be at war? Would four major oil companies have been allowed to merge and use their consolidated market power, their cartel power, to drive up gas prices and reap record breaking profits? Would gas prices have tripled? Would the value of our dollar have fallen by more than 50%? Would millions of Americans be facing foreclosure and the loss of their homes?



I think that most Americans with half a brain now understand that everything would have been handled differently and that we would not be facing all of the horrible negative consequences brought upon us by the lies and abuses of power of the Bush regime.



Many of your supporters feel that you have let them down. Many felt that you missed an opportunity to take the lead in the race when you failed to heed the call to restore public vote counting by taking action in South Carolina. The vast majority of Americans are concerned about the dangers of secret vote counting. They understand that fair and honest elections give the people the power to control our government, and they have seen the harm which has been caused when the will of the voters was ignored.



The Americans who have lost their jobs, their homes, and their family members understand that the Bush regime and Congress have made some very bad choices over the last seven years. Most thinking Americans truly want change. They don’t want more of the same, and they don’t want someone who just says that they want change. They want leaders who will speak out, who will take action! They want to make sure that their votes are counted and that they retain their power to remove corrupt leaders from office. They want someone who will step up and lead in the fight to restore public vote counting!



As a Zogby poll shows, 92% of Americans are intelligent enough to understand that counting votes in secret is dangerous. This is why nearly 10,000 Floridians participated in exit polls conducted by Project Vote Count on election day this week at over 30 precincts in 10 counties across Florida. Thousands more mailed in affidavits to make sure that their votes were counted accurately. These concerned citizens signed affidavits to show how they voted to make sure that the machines counted accurately.



If you want to know the results, you’ll have to wait until Florida’s government certifies the official secret counts produced by the machines, on the machines, and for the machines or the corporations which program them. You’ll have to wait for the official count that is checked by no one in government! The official count that the leaders who gave us secret vote counting just want us to have faith in. These government officials say just trust us, we trust the machines, have faith in us, have faith in the machines. Most Americans see right through that line of B*ll Sh*t propaganda now!



Some, perhaps many, perhaps even you Senator Edwards are saying, "What can I do now? I dropped out of the race." You certainly know that you are on the ballot. You certainly know that you have not filed papers officially withdrawing from the race in each state. You certainly know that you could step in and be a leader. You know we need someone who will step up and take action.



The people who sent in millions of dollars to support you still believe in you. The supporters who worked hard to spread your message while the corporate media tried to ignore you still believe in you. There are messages flying around the internet urging your supporters to vote for you even though you announced that you are dropping out. Surely, you know that millions of Americans still support you and would still like to see you take a stand for their rights, like you promised to do!



They may not have an idea of how a vote for you could really change anything, but I do. A vote for you could send a message to those who gave us secret vote counting that it’s time for change.



But, you’re the one who could really send a message. You could step up and use your legendary legal skills to take legal action to demand that our elections are conducted in a Constitutional manner. That’s right, you know that counting votes in secret violates our right to make sure that our votes are counted accurately. I cited some of the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on our right to make sure that the votes are counted accurately in a comment to my open letter to you published on OpEdNews.com on January 17, 2008.



In that open letter, I pointed out that being from South Carolina you were certainly aware of its use of the notoriously unreliable iVotronic touch screen voting machines. More importantly, I pointed out that I looked into South Carolina’s use of these infamous voting machines, and I discovered that it’s PROHIBITED by South Carolina’s Constitution.



Briefly, the first sentence of Article II, § 1 of the Constitution of South Carolina states, "the ballots shall not be counted in secret." Although there is case law which supports the right to have votes counted in public, this is the election integrity jackpot, a Constitutional provision prohibiting counting votes in secret! No more need to refer to case law, evidence, or even logic to argue against secret vote counting.


Well, guess what. Virginia also has a prohibition against counting votes in secret! You could prove that you mean what you say. You could prove that you will stand up to restore Constitutional elections by taking legal action to require Virginia to count the votes in public, not in secret. You could take action in Virginia because you are still officially on the ballot there. You could show that your supporters were not fools for believing that you meant what you said when you spoke out about restoring fair elections and about making sure every vote counted!



You could heed the words of the last truly great President who said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!"



Senator Edwards, your country needs you to take a stand to restore fair elections, to protect our right to control our government! Heed the call! Step into the fray when you can do the most good! Take action in Virginia to stop secret vote counting, to protect us all from the dangers of secret vote counting, and to give us the power to choose leaders who will help heal the damage that it has caused!

Remember, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Take action! Help us end the problems caused by secret vote counting!



Carpe diem,

Mark A. Adams JD/MBA

For more information see:

Project Vote Count’s Election News and FAQ

http://www.projectvotecount.com/ElectionNews.aspx and http://www.projectvotecount.com/faq.aspx

Virginia Constitution Article II, Section 3

http://legis.state.va.us/constitution/a2s3.htm