Notes from The WeCount2006 Conference on fair elections

[Melissa G]

by Joan Brunwasser

http://www.opednews.com



The WeCount2006 Conference on fair elections


I just came back yesterday from the WeCount2006 Conference on fair elections and democracy. It was held in Cleveland over the weekend. I felt impelled to go despite the fact that it involved more than twelve hours of driving, a weekend away from my family and timing that was very inconvenient. I can't express how glad I am that I attended this event. Kudos to Victoria Lovegren, who organized a very well-run event, heavy with terrific speakers and workshops on practical steps to take prior to the November elections and beyond. I have invited many of the participants to submit articles about their workshops and experiences and will post them as they come in. It was an exciting and energizing experience. A lot was concentrated in a short period of time: Friday evening until late and all day Saturday until almost midnight with activists getting together after hours as well.

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I drove to and from the conference with Bob Koehler, a Chicago-based syndicated columnist. We knew one another slightly, mostly via email and I was unsure how it would be to spend twelve hours or more in a small, enclosed capsule with nowhere to hide. What if he were boring? Or had bad breath? Or had annoying personal habits? That's more time than I spend at one stretch with virtually anyone. I went to the library and took out six books on tape with a total of about one hundred hours of distraction. Talk about overkill. We never even got to examine my choices. The time flew by and if Bob's work is suddenly peppered with Yiddish, the inside skedooley is that they didn't spring from his Lutheran upbringing in Michigan. Besides for playing with words, we did a lot of talking. One of the topics we explored was the solitary nature of our given roles. Bob was the one who coined the term "army of one" to describe his view of himself. Both of us appreciated the conference as a way for us to break out of that isolation and to feel a part of something larger and more dynamic.

One of the speakers was Jonathan Simon, co-founder of the Election Defense Alliance, a national coordinating body for citizen electoral integrity groups and individuals. He made several interesting points in a speech he made Saturday night at the conference. He reminded us of what Mark C. Miller had said earlier: that democracy is historically fragile. Simon added that these times are reminiscent of 1937 Germany. "You have freedom until the day, the minute, you don't. " Talk about a strong opening.

People need to recognize that without free, fair, accurate and transparent elections, everyone's agenda is at risk: environmentalism, anti-war, economic justice, universal health insurance, women's reproductive rights, civil libertarians, supporting our troops by keeping them from a misguided and poorly handled war. Everyone is at risk except the corporate interests and the infamous top 1% which does better and better as everyone else does worse and worse. Simply put, voting is the foundation of everything else. We need to come together for this fight. OpEdNews' readers seem to get it. Last week, I sent out an appeal for donations for the trip to cover my expenses: hotel, transportation, food, etc. I got a great response and want to thank all of you for that. I received an email from one donor. He is on social security and was awaiting his check, which was due in a few days. At the moment he had "$25 to my name" and he sent $10 of it to me. I was honored and touched by his gesture and his generosity. That vote of trust gives me an awesome responsibility.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_joan_bru_061003_notes_from_the_wecou.htm