Taking Back Our Elections, One Precinct at a Time (w/poll)

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Taking Back Our Elections, One Precinct at a Time (w/poll)

by Free Spirit
Mon Jul 24, 2006 at 10:57:41 AM PDT

A lot of people are worried about election fraud these days.
Me too. But I think staffing issues (number, quality, and training)
represent a bigger...and certainly a far more widespread...threat to the
integrity of our elections than Diebold. In addition, is undoubtedly easier to
commit fraud in a precinct that is understaffed and/or staffed with
marginally qualified and/or marginally trained elections workers.

First, let me clarify some terminology, as it varies from state to state.
In my state, a Precinct Official is someone who works at the polls during elections.
They are paid (nominally) for their time, but most of them are not employees
of the board of elections. It is much more like a volunteer position than a job...
no one does it for the money. Precinct Officials serve two-year terms.
They must attend a 2-hour training class each year, usually work 2-4 election
days per year (depending on how many runoff elections there are), and
help set things up at the poll the night before the election.
Precinct officials include Chief Judges, Judges, and Precinct Assistants:

Free Spirit's diary ::

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/24/135741/177

[BeFree]

1. What a fool!

A Diebold fool, at that.

She complains that poll workers are not trained enough, but then ignores the fact that election officials are totally incompetent around the Diebold machines.

Do they really allow that type of crap at Dkos? What a bunch of idiots! I'll stick to DU, thank you very much.

[IndyOp]

2. Pollworkers make sure that voters aren't disenfranchised,

they are also responsible for checking and signing receipts from machines (so they would see if candidates were left off), for securing and taking opscan ballots from precincts to the clerks, and more.

In small counties in red states there often aren't ANY Dems in the precincts and the GOP is free to do anything they like. The theft of 2004 included ballot box stuffing and shifting ballots between polls - GOPer's putting boxes of ballots in their cars and driving off to who knows where.

Election officials don't realize that massive fraud could occur under their noses and they would never know. We have to teach them.

And we have to cover all of the other bases, too. All of them. That includes knowing about ways that GOP can steal elections by old-fashioned ways and being there to stop it.

[BeFree]

3. Agreed

But the statement about Diebold....c'mon!

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

4. I take it that you won't be working at the polls

BE Free, does that mean you don't plan to work at the polls?

If you go to canvassing meetings of your local BOE,
you will learn that well trained poll workers can
make a big difference. You would hear of all of the
things that could have been prevented by a well trained
person handling things.

At least this lady is getting her hands dirty.

This puts her in a better position to make recommendations,
to be heard by lawmakers, to inform others.

The fact is, we all have whatever voting systems we are going
to have for this November, and only New York is an unknown
beyond that.

So that leaves risk mitigation, and an opportunity to monitor
the polls by being right smack dab there.

I don't care about her comments r/e Diebold,
I care about the effort to mobilize people to participate.

[BeFree]

5. I'll be there

But I fully expect that they won't be happy with me questioning authority. And raising suspicions about how the damn machine counts, or more accurately, miscounts.

Nope, they ain't gonna like it, just like they don't like the questions I've already asked. F'em.