Rage Against the Machine! VOTE ABSENTEE!

[kster]

I think Peace Patriots Absentee Ballot protest needs a lot more discussion.

These are from past discussions:

AutoRank suggests this about the protest: Pair showing up at where ever they count these with voting absentee and also with a notice letter. Then you've satisfied as much as you can.

Make them sweat a whole lot to steal the thing this time, anywhere they try to steal it.
Thank you, Autorank

helderheid : even so - if everyone voted absentee in protest of the machines, think of the extra work it would make them have to do and the message it would send. Can't hurt since our votes aren't counted anyway.
Thank you, heldereid

Dean: The Governor then went on to talk about voting machines saying, “We are also going to talk about the machines. I don’t think these machines work. If they do work, the public has no way to verify that they work, and I don’t understand why people in Washington aren’t more concerned. I believe that these things can not be relied on and we do need to spend time and energy on this.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=435488
Thank you, Kpete, and Mr. Dean


Another DUer, Wilms--who opposes the AB voting protest--says this about the trade secret code in the electronic voting machine

"to count our ballots in secret is immoral, unethical, unverifiable, fraud-prone, generally stupid, and right to be made ILLEGAL".
Thank you, Wilms

I think that, if all Wilms says about secret vote counting is true, and I believe it is--then we must find a way to protest the use of these machines in voting and vote counting. AB voting does not make your vote safe, but it is a protest that a lot of ordinary citizens are using, to register their distrust of the machines.


Peace Patriot A thought on the slogan:

Vote Absentee, its the message that counts!

[Peace Patriot]

1. 50% Absentee Ballot voting in Los Angeles! What are people SAYING!

Well, I HEARD what they're trying to say, from a co-worker last week. She views her Absentee Ballot voting as a PROTEST AGAINST THE RIGGABLE VOTING MACHINES!

Think about it! What if everybody did this? What if 60%? --70%? --90% of the people voted Absentee--as a protest against the machines?

Goodbye, machines!

I think we election reform activists have MISSED SOMETHING. We ALREADY HAVE a protest happening! So far, it's been a dispersed, individual protest--ordinary people thinking what they can do to get around this rigged election system. What they want is a paper ballot, hand counted. They trust that. They don't know all the in's and out's, and complications. (--for instance, that AB votes are ALSO scanned into the electronic system, thus turning their vote into electrons, and separating it from the tangible evidence). But clearly many of them are lodging a protest against this riggable system.

So, let's BUILD ON that protest. Let's promote it and make it even bigger.

I think we're gotten too technical. We get all involved in the esoterica of this business--especially the electronic esoterica--and the many ways it's rigged. We start sounding like Connie McCormack--the L.A. county elections head (and Diebold shill) who said, of citizen activist Kim Alexander, who runs a web site on electronics in government, and who criticized paperless voting, "She's not an expert!"

What the hell? You have to be an expert now, to understand vote counting?

Let's turn this paradigm around. It is the VOTER who is the expert. It is the ordinary citizen whose opinion counts. It is your average Joe and Jane who is SOVEREIGN IN THIS LAND.

And from THEM--from the members of this Sovereign People--has come a bit a wisdom. When you don't like something, BOYCOTT IT!

And they are RIGHT. If we all vote Absentee, then all these expensive, shiny, new, election theft machines are DEAD.

First the voting machines themselves. Then the central tabulators, which I don't think will survive a massive AB voting protest.

We don't have to put a million people in the streets. We DO have to monitor the (s)elections closely, and be prepared to challenge them. But we don't have to do anything strenuous to END THIS VOTE RIGGING SYSTEM, if everybody boycotts the machines by voting Absentee.

There isn't time to fix this election system by November. How to protest it? Here it is. Right under our noses. Something EVERYBODY can do.

With just a bit of leadership--some press releases, some bumper stickers--I think we've got it. I think we've got how to get rid of electronic vote rigging.

My favorite bumper sticker so far: "BUST THE MACHINES--VOTE ABSENTEE!"

[eomer]

4. How are absentee ballots counted, if at all? (eom)

[kster]

7. "BUST THE MACHINES--VOTE ABSENTEE!" I like that....nt

[timewellspent]

27. I agree, let it bee

[no_hypocrisy]

2. One side issue.

I don't recall hearing or reading about republicans having a problem with the touchscreens and computer hacking as they benefit from the results. Therefore, if there is a plethora of paper/absentee ballots, it can be a safe bet for which party a majority of them is supporting. And therefore, the "disappearance" of many of these ballots, if not outright destruction, cannot be dismissed.

My point: If there are absentee ballots, then there must be accountability, i.e., they are placed in a locked container or whatever and given the security afforded to legal tender being transported by Well Fargo and/or other armored cars or evidence from a crime scene by police, i.e., a chain of custody.

[Peace Patriot]

5. I totally agree that Absentee Ballots need strong security. They are

often treated casually (and sometimes outrageously), and are disregarded in many ways (including not counting them until after electronic "votes" are tallied and reported). However, this protest is only indirectly aimed at improving procedures. (And it may well do so. With 60% or 70% Absentee Ballot voting, there will be a lot more pressure on election officials to improve AB vote counting procedures). Neither is the protest aimed at getting an accurate vote count THIS TIME. Voting Absentee, in and of itself, will not guarantee that. NOTHING, at this point, can guarantee that. The protest is aimed at getting rid of electronic voting systems--the worst aspect of the election theft system--because of their INHERENT insecurity, their "trade secret," proprietary programming code and other corruptions of our election system (such as partisan vendors).

I'm going to repeat this, because it's very important. I am NOT saying that Absentee Ballot voting will give us accurate counts in November! I am urging Absentee Ballot voting as a PROTEST against the machines that could potentially make the machines obsolete. If no one will vote on them--what good are they?

If the percentage of people voting Absentee gets really big, it will also become obvious as a REBELLION. That's what we want, isn't it? We want the voters--the citizens--to rebel against this rigged system. Well, many already are rebelling! Their AB vote is not safe. But it is STILL a protest--or, at the least, an expression of what they want: paper ballot, hand counted! Distrust of the machines is high. AB voting is on the rise. What this means is that...

a) (and this should be heartening) They have heard something about it! They know there is a problem; and

b) They are taking the best action they can think of. Maybe their lives are such that they can't go to meetings, and can't protest in other ways.

Another thing: The bigger the AB vote, the more potential protesters there are, participating in the voting system. If they're taking the step of AB voting, in an effort to get their vote counted, they may be more ready to join the election reform movement in an active way.

AND, if we help spread this and promote it (with our caveats, of course), we are helping to EXPAND the already on-going citizen rebellion against the machines. We also, in fact, NEED to participate in this, and provide leadership for it, so that our caveat is heard. This is NOT the answer--because rigged electronics is still part of the system, even with AB voting. What we need is to make AB voting so big that the electronics can be eliminated--because people don't trust and don't want these machines.

AB votes can be lost in the mail. AB votes can be stolen in the mail. AB voting can get rigged in various ways. AB votes can be thrown into the dustbin at the Registrar's office. AB votes can be disqualified for minor mistakes. AB votes can be back-burnered in the vote tally. And AB votes can be improperly scanned into the electronic system. Lots of things can happen to AB votes. But most of them are similar to what could happen to ballots in the old paper ballot system--and, compared to electronics, the scale of potential fraud is much, much lower. The potential fraud is HUMAN scale. With electronics, millions of votes can be switched, stolen or 'disappeared,' by one hacker, in a couple of minutes, leaving no trace.

One other thing that needs to be mentioned is that AB votes provide a paper ballot record for comparison with electronic voting machine results. AB votes were very important to several 2004 investigations, for just this reason. (In electronic vs. paper, electronic always favored Bush.) They are especially critical in paperless voting systems.

[eomer]

6. compared to electronics, the scale of potential fraud is much, much lower

On the contrary, absentee ballots (which are always counted electronically) are probably more susceptible to the electronic scaling of fraud than DREs are. By rigging just one absentee ballot scanner a hacker can affect many more votes than he can by rigging just one DRE.

Absentee ballot scanners are operated in a private area of the county BOE and are sometimes even operated by Diebold, ES&S, Triad or other vendor's employee rather than by county employees or volunteers.

The protocol for absentee ballots is even worse than that of DREs. With DREs there is at least a book of signatures that can be compared with the total number of ballots counted. With absentee ballots there is no redundant record. Absentee ballots thrown in the garbage do not create a visible discrepancy with any other record like DRE ballots thrown in the virtual garbage do.

I think this amounts to protesting the slaughter of cattle by eating pigs.

[eomer]

3. Framing problem: it's not just about the DREs.

How many here think that if we get rid of DREs then we will have fixed the problem?

Aside from the practical concerns about the many scenarios where voters would subject themselves to more risk in order to participate (which has been covered in previous threads), are we sure this is the framing of the issue that we want?

Almost every aspect of our system is f-ed up in every which way you can imagine. We need a total overhaul from top to bottom that has a design and an implementation that can deliver verifiability and security and that is worthy of the trust of the American people. We don't need to just get rid of the DREs.

I can prove my position with two words: Ohio 2004.

So I'm not going to RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES!

I'm going to RAGE AGAINST THE STEALING OF ELECTIONS IN EACH AND EVERY FORM IT MAY TAKE AND BY WHATEVER MECHANISM IT MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED, INCLUDING HIGH-TECH, LOW-TECH AND NO-TECH! And I'm going to RAGE IN FAVOR OF AN ELECTION SYSTEM THAT IS SIMPLE, ELEGANT, VERIFIABLE, TRUSTWORTHY AND CONSISTENTLY IMPLEMENTED ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY!

Granted, the slogan needs work.

[Peace Patriot]

8. DREs (touchscreens), Optiscans and Central Tabulators all must go.

I don't think AB voters make a distinction. They think AB voting gives them a paper ballot and a hand count. It's not true--and it's not a safe vote--but I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about what they INTEND, and what it could RESULT IN.

It's a PROTEST--that, like the Montgomery bus boycott, and Gandhi's salt tax protest, and other effective protests, COULD BRING THE WHOLE SYSTEM DOWN.

Eomer, what do YOU propose, as a method of reforming this election system, that can bring about any change by this November? I see nothing on the horizon--nothing that big. But THIS protest COULD BE that big.

How silly Gandhi looked, going down to a beach to get his own salt, when he could buy it for a penny from the British Raj! But his point wasn't practical in the immedate case. It was LONG TERM--to achieve Indian independence.

The same with AB voting. It doesn't solve the problem, in and of itself. But if enough people did it--and many are inclined to--IT COULD BE A HUGE STATEMENT OF DISTRUST IN OUR ELECTION SYSTEM. And, it would, in fact, make these shiny new voting machines, and those who bought them, look absurd.

Think 90%. 90% Absentee Ballot voting. Think if that actually happened--what it would say, what it would MEAN. Total distrust in the machines! And it's so easy! Anybody can do it. And a lot of people want to do SOMETHING. Maybe they can't go to protests, or don't have energy or money for doing a lot. But they CAN get an Absentee Ballot.

It does not solve all of election fraud. It does not create a safe vote. But it is a protest that COULD happen on a large scale, very quickly--and snowball around the country. I think it is a short step from that--if it gets up into the 60%-70% range--to bringing the whole fraudulent election system down.

[eomer]

15. It's true that it COULD do the things you say.

It COULD, on the other hand, be the very thing that keeps us from taking back one of the houses in November. It seems quite possible that more Democrats than Republicans would join in. That could mean defeat even without fraud since absentee ballots can have a high "spoilage" rate. Add in how easy it is to commit fraud with absentee ballots and the possibility that the protest could be the means of our defeat seems real. It won't in any event do what you challenged me to do -- bring about change by November -- since the protest would be staged in November and the effect would come after.

I'm not one (usually) to argue against the efforts of other activists when I disagree on strategy. This particular tactic, though, strikes me as especially wrong since it has as its foundation a grossly incorrect assumption on the part of those we would ask to participate in it. I can't in good conscience be an advocate of this protest because it seems too much like I am fooling the very people who I wish would pay more attention to details and not allow themselves to be fooled.

But just so it is clear: I have utmost respect for your motives and do allow the possibility that you are right and I am wrong. The only way I'll express my disagreement is in threads like this. If this protest turns out to be the thing that brings about the change we are all striving for then I will cheer alongside you and you can even tell me "I told you so".

Cheers,
eomer

[timewellspent]

28. Don't let the absentee thing get in your way

The problem with absentee i not giving the voter a second chance. It doesn;t allow you to correct a mistake.

[Febble]

13. But I like it all the same (your slogan) n/t

[BeFree]

9. In some places...

...AB voting would make a good statement. In others, it wouldn't amount to a hill of beans.

Two examples of places I know of: At the the first AB were cast on paper, and hand counted. This place had nearly 1/6 of the total votes on paper AB and hand counted.
Also here the early votes separate from AB were on a DRE at 1/6 of total votes. Kerry lost the AB by the same margin as total but barely lost the early.

The other place had AB and early votes combined and both cast on a paperless DRE. These votes came to 1/3 of the total. The workers were happy. Early votes on DRE - Kerry won the early handily. On the paper AB he lost, and in both places, he lost the final day cast on DREs, and lost in cumulative totals.

Off hand, I'd say the early DREs were not programmed to steal, therefore the votes were counted as cast, but on final day the program kicked in and wholesale theft happened.

So what does all this mean as to AB voting? I dunno. After spending another 30 minutes looking at NUMBers, I am numb. I'll have to get back to yall. <grin>

[kster]

10. If we combine voting Absentee

with showing up at wherever they count those votes with a notice letter stating your objection to electronic voting and its "trade secret" code. Don't just vote Absentee. Let them know it's a protest. Here's a sample letter

Provided by Autorank: Send you state a "notice" letter http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0604/S00233.htm#5 It's all outlined
at that link. Tell them what you want and if you want this state it:

"In order for me as a citizen to know that the elections are really meaningful, I need to know that they are fair. Therefore, I expect to hear about a non partisan method of taking, tabulating, and reporting voting that can be observed by the public. Touch screens that have no access to software are clearly unacceptable because they don't allow this. Touch screens and other electronic devices that do allow access to software and methods are clearly too numerous to monitor unless you can tell me that we have a protocol and enough computer experts to look at every voting machine. Short of being able to guarantee something that you probably cannot, I, as a citizen, expect to have the ability to know that the election was meaningful, meaning fair and accurate. If not, then the elections are not valid. There is no need for a law to guarantee this. It is fundamental to the election process being fair. It's like saying we need a law that airlines actually are able to fly the plains once they're off the ground, that they really intend to get passengers safely to their destination alive. You don't need laws to provide me guarantees that my rights are taken care of.

Please let me know how you will guarantee my rights to know that the elections were conducted fairly.

Very truly yours,

Mr/Mrs./Ms X"

If the machines are rigged from the GET-GO what do we have to lose?

Thank you BeFree..............

[BeFree]

11. My point? Early voting is cool. Still numb

Just read this from the Holcomb website listed in the Georgia thread

1. Addressing Security Vulnerabilities in Absentee Balloting

* The Problem: Absentee ballot fraud is, unfortunately, not uncommon in Georgia. This method of fraud compromises the integrity of our elections.

* Holcomb's Solution: Extend early voting periods to reduce the number of mail-in ballots. Appoint a Special Commission to study ways to verify mail-in ballots without unduly burdening voters.

* The Rationale: Extending early voting, a step which has been taken in a number of states, including Florida, has proven successful in cutting down the number of mail-in absentee ballots — the types of ballots most associated with ballot fraud. On mail-in ballots, over nineteen states have developed mail-in absentee balloting systems in which the signature of a witness or notary public is required on the ballot in order for it to be accepted. The Commission, among other tasks, would be charged with determining whether the implementation of such a system would unduly burden voters.

[kster]

12. Early voting using their secret vote counting machines?

I'm talking about a protest that sends a message, that we have had enough of their secret vote counting machines.

If we vote early using their pre-selection voting machines what do we gain?

What did we gain in 2000,2002 and or 2004 by using their pre-selection machines. NADA........

With all the evidence of electronic manipulation, not one politician, not one, has spoken ON TV about it.

Its to bad that this discussion, for some reason, has to be played out online ONLY, but its all we got for now, being as our Politicians are TOTALLY ignoring us, for some reason.


So why should I feel safe by voting early, or at all, on one of their pre-selection voting machines?

[BeFree]

16. Why vote early?

I have this feeling that the machines are not programmed to steal the early vote. The program would be sitting there on the machine for too long and someone might get wise.

See, when the program is set to run for just one day in the midst of a frantic election day, the miscounting goes un-noticed and the program erases itself. But running for three or four weeks in early mode the miscounting is more liable to get noticed.

I base all this on looking at the early returns from around the country... votes that went for Kerry nearly across the boards, AFAICT.

Kster, as you well know, I am not in favor of the machines, but there they are and despite our efforts there they will be come November. I agree that this AB action that PP has proposed has merit -- in some places.

[autorank]

14. Notice letter to state - local board of elections - model letter

Certified Delivery, Receipt

Edna Smith
Secretary of Elections
Capital City, State of Denial(SD)

Dear Secretary Smith:

I am writing to outline my concerns about violations of my rights and the rights of all citizens of SD. Specifically, I'm referring to the use of electronic voting machines. Touch screens are used in my precinct and throughout the state. (if it's optical scan in your precinct, just stay optical scan tabulators).

These touch screens take and count votes without any human intervention and without the ability of citizens to observe the process. In addition, it is my understanding that the state/locality is barred by contract from intense examination of the electronic voting machines software and methods.

Essentially, citizens are voting in a way that constitutes a secret election, the real process of which are beyond our examination; a secret election the operations and actual results of which are available only to the vendors providing the equipment. Recounts, audits, etc. rely on the basic programming of the voting machines. This is not available to you or any citizen. Beyond that, even if it were, the auditing of every single machine in the state/locality would require an excessive number of computer security experts.

Electronic voting takes away our rights to observe and audit elections in a meaningful way and creates requirements that would make such an audit onerous. To add insult to injury, my understanding is that there is no vendor guarantee of "fitness for merchantability" by electronic voting equipment manufacturers. They won't even promise their equipment works.

Proven alternatives are available that answer all of the concerns experssed in this letter. England and Canada conduct paper ballot elections, count the votes in putlic places for all to see, and open the process for full inspection.

In sum, we really don't know who is actually elected since there is no basis at all for confidence in the voting process now in place.

I respectfully and strongly object to the removal of my rights as a citizen. I ask what you are doing about this?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,


Mr. X

N.B. The two documents should be of interest.

General Accounting Office Report on Electronic Voting
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05956.pdf

Zero Guarantee from Voting Machine Vendors
http://electionfraudnews.com/LegDoc/ZeroGuarantee.pdf



***********
Helpful reference for writing the letter:

CITIZEN ACTION NOW

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/print.html?path=HL0604/S00233.htm#5
The EAC may have opened up the opportunity for civil rights litigation against government officials, forcing this dark age for democracy and leaving no basis for public confidence in elections. Concerning the civil rights of citizens, the United States Code says:

Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress

- United States Code, Title 42, Chapter 21, Civil Rights, Subchapter I-
Generally. Section 1983. Civil action for deprivation of rights.

When deprived of their rights by statute, regulation, or other means, individuals or groups of citizens can take their case to court. Citizens can defend democracy by reminding their elected officials and their bureaucratic employees of two important points. First, governments are instituted solely to secure and protect the rights and well-being of citizens. Second, it is the role of elected officials to be the guardians of democracy at all times. The necessary effects of EAC- and HAVA-driven purchase contracts for DREs should be noted clearly. If you complain about losing your rights through DRE secrecy and your government officials persist in instituting technology with secret vote counting, their behavior constitutes a violation of public rights that is then intentional, not simply negligent, because you have put them on notice.A certified letter pointing out some of the facts and legal realities here or those located in the complaint in the following link should suffice for starters and can be adapted to your jurisdiction by a lawyer if a lawsuit becomes necessary. Check and inquire about your state law as part of the process. See www.votersunite.org/info/lehtolawsuit.asp (complaint link).

[kster]

17. Thank you, Autorank

a back up letter is a great idea. Make em nervous.

[autorank]

18. These are useful when things go wrong and ongoing.

There is no reason to believe election results on touch screen or optical scan or anyother computerized device, let alone tabulation programs...none. Somebody, many have to say that the emperor has no clothes.

[Blue Shark]

19. OK...so you vote absentee...

...then the election officials take that ballot and feed it, and thousands of other "protest" ballots into a damn machine.

...Machine spits out a 51% to 49% Republican Win, everybody talks about a failed Democratic Message ad nauseum.

...Been there...done that.

[kster]

20. So do you want to

take the ballot and feed it in to the optiscan machines for them, so that at the end of the day all they need to do is click and ship it off to the tabulator.

....Machine still spits out a 51% to 49% Republican Win, everybody talks about a failed Democratic Message ad nauseum.

The protest at least makes them have to work a little to steal it, and sends a good message in the mean time.

[Blue Shark]

25. No...

...I want a paper ballot, hand counted.

...Its not so hard, it is done all the time in countries that still have democracies.

[SnoopDog]

21. Here is an idea about Absentee Voting....

One idea is to make two photo copies of your vote. Hand walk the original absentee vote to the County and get your receipt. Keep one copy for yourself. Submit the other copy to the "Citizens vote box' to be counted with Dems, Reps, and Independents present.



What do you think about this?

[kster]

22. Why thats a brilliant idea

:toast:

[Einsteinia]

23. Absentees are counted on MACHINES &

many use vote spoilage devices such as the "Vote Remote," a signature matching technology that can be adjusted up or down--depending on how close a match you desire.

Also, it is inherently dependent on the US Post Office.

And even where it is done best, in Oregon, its accuracy has never been tested.

Let's not repeat the pattern of punchcards to DRES to Absentees. We can no longer afford to fix a problem by trading those problems in for a new set of problems.

Absentees are for the absented minded!!!

[kster]

24. This idea could possible solve

the problem

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=439351&mesg_id=439875

The politicians (Dem's and Repubs) who remain silent and or refuse to go ON TV to discuss this issue are being absented minded, they leave us with no choice, but to fight these secret vote counting machines, by any means necessary.

[diva77]

26. We need to DECENTRALIZE the vote count for added protection. The only

way I know of to do this is to have PHYSICAL PRECINCTS. Absentee ballots, in addition to flaws listed by other posts, are tabulated centrally. Not good. Yes, they're paper. But that's the only advantage I can think of for advocating their use

[kster]

29. kick...nt

[kster]

30. kick.nt

[Cookie wookie]

31. We have an absentee voting campaign in Georgia

See: http://www.gaforverifiedvoting.org - middle of "about gavv" page.

In our state paper absentee ballots are counted by the same GEMS code as that which is on the DREs. But, because we have a paperless electronic voting system, absentee ballots give us some paper record of citizens votes. Otherwise, there is nothing that has even the promise of a means to an independent audit. The paper absentee ballots offer forensic evidence of votes. It's also legal in GA to vote paper absentee via mail, it's called "no excuses" absentee voting.

[BillORightsMan]

32. Absentee Ballot is no help

I think using absentee ballots may be WORSE than using the touch-screens with thermal paper trails!

Let me remind you of the Central Tabulator GEMS hack. See "The Howard Dean Demo" In Still Images as was shown on CNBC. This hack can be done WEEKS in advance and can potentially affect THOUSANDS of votes per machine.

Also, from the Conyers report Executive Summary:

• There were 93,000 spoiled ballots where no vote was cast for president, the vast majority of which have yet to be inspected.
  
• ...arbitrary review standards significantly contributed to the fact that 8,099 out of 24,472 provisional ballots were ruled invalid
  

Who is to say that the absentee ballots may be deemed spoiled? Or get "lost" in the US Mail? Or secured and, in fact, counted at the BoE? What about the precinct header card problems uncovered by the Free Press (see Free Press uncovers evidence of ballot tampering in Warren County, Ohio )? I've read reports on the DU-OH board about a number of polling places across Ohio being closed for the first time this year, too. We're really stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one.

What I'm advising people to do is (if they can) go down to their BoE during the absentee window, show ID and cast their ballot there. I recommend writing your name, your Driver's License No. or address or any other ID mark and signing the ballot in an area that the optical scanner will not read (perhaps on the back or top margin). Save a hand counting of paper ballots we have few options under the schemes set up now. At least with an absentee ballot there is a hard copy of your votes.

Perhaps our best option would be to set up tables outside EVERY precinct and run a "parallel" election, where people can sign an affidavit stating who they voted for, a kind of "exit" poll, if you will. Sure there are plenty of flaws and logistics issues with a parallel election, but I'm open for suggestions!

Voting Absentee is NOT a solution to the problem of electronic tabulation! In fact, perhaps because of all the scrutiny being put on the INDIVIDUAL DRE's the absentee-ballot is a look-over-here ploy playing RIGHT INTO THEIR HANDS.

Why steal a few hundred votes on a DRE when you can steal THOUSANDS via the Central Tabulator???

Hand-Counted Paper Ballots with 'net-cams set up so ANYBODY can watch the count:
Paper, Pen and People!
Any other method is all electrons in a mysterious machine.

imbillorightsmanandiapprovethismessage

[kster]

33. Absentee voting is not safe,and may not be counted, it is only a protest

against the SECRET VOTE COUNTING MACHINE. Just wanted to make that point.