REVOTE Rally in Sarasota this Sunday!

[emlev]

For Immediate Release: 11/28/2006
Contact: Nick Berning
People For the American Way Foundation
email: [e-mail]
phone: [phone]

Revote Rally in Sarasota

2 PM Sunday, December 3, 2006
Bayfront Park, Sarasota, Florida
Concerned citizens of Sarasota County and voters from all over Florida will gather at a REVOTE RALLY Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. in Bayfront (Island) Park, Sarasota. The entrance to the park is from the parking lot south of Marina Jack’s Restaurant, 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Guest speakers will explain Sarasota’s nearly 15% "undervote" on the touchscreen voting machines, the experts' scorecard on electronic voting systems, and the need to call upon local and state officials to honor democracy through a paper ballot revote in Sarasota County of the 13th District Congressional race. Other information and entertainment will be on hand.

On November 7, 2006, voters from all political parties were disenfranchised in a massive 18,000+ undervote on touch screen Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting machines in Sarasota County. For two weeks leading up to Election Day, the Supervisor of Elections failed to respond dutifully to scores of machine malfunction complaints. The automatic "recounts" were nothing more than a reprint, a restatement of tallies from the machines themselves, without any investigation into whether votes were properly recorded. Computer scientists have found the spectacular undervote – in one county, one race – aberrant and statistically baffling. Despite this, local and state officials have ignored voters and refused to acknowledge the possibility of machine malfunction as a cause.

On November 21, 2006, 11 Sarasota County voters, represented by VoterAction, the ACLU of Florida, People for the American Way Foundation and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, filed a lawsuit contesting the election and demanding a revote on paper ballots. One of the lawyers will give an update on the progress of the lawsuit at the rally.

Our vote is the voice in which democracies speak. The likely failure of Sarasota County’s touch screen machines silences that voice. The persistent failure of elected officials to address a likely cause of the undervote suggests at best, disinterest and, at worst, intent to deprive and silence voters. All voters must know our election processes work, and that our votes will be accurately counted.

Common Cause, Voter Action, People for the American Way Foundation, and the ACLU of Florida are sponsoring this event, together with VoteTrustUSA, the Electric Frontier Foundation, the Sarasota County NAACP, the Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections and other nonpartisan Florida election reform groups, including the Florida Fair Elections Coalition, the Voting Integrity Alliance of Tampa Bay, the Broward Election Reform Coalition, and the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition.

JOIN US ON DECEMBER 3RD, STAND AND
DEFEND DEMOCRACY, FOR SARASOTA AND ALL AMERICANS

[orleans]

1. good luck with this. (it will never happen--i say, cynically)

but if i lived in the area i'd be at the rally

[Peace Patriot]

2. Yes, yes, YES! Hang in there, Sarasota! We're all counting on you!

And to Orleans, who posted above, nice goin'! Start off this rally thread with a demoralizing, disempowering, depressing comment, "it will never happen"--which, at first glance seems to say the rally will be a flop, but probably means "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." Give up. Shut up. Don't try. Election reform will never happen. The Dark Lords are too powerful.

Really, I wish you would delete your comment. And if you do, I'll delete mine and write another, expessing what a boost these rally plans give to my spirits, and how thrilled I am that all these powerful groups are coming together over election reform. I live 3,000 thousand miles away and cannot attend. But if I was anywhere near, I would be there--with my sign and my voice.

Go, Sarasota! Give 'em hell!

We've come a lo-o-o-ong way on this vital issue, in a very short time, and we're going to win it. Jennings WILL represent Sarasota in the new Congress! And transparent vote counting WILL be restored in this country!

[emlev]

3. Yes!

[kster]

8. YES YES YES!!

Lets get this party started,

Peace Patriot said, "We've come a lo-o-o-ong way on this vital issue, in a very short time, and we're going to WIN IT!

Thats RIGHT ON, if you have sent one e-mail, one letter or 10,000 whatever it is you are doing to get the word out to other people, about these secret vote counting machines, Keep DOING IT, then WE WILL WIN!!

[kster]

4. K&R...nt

[mia]

5. At least 8 Miamians will be there too.

I'm looking forward to the rally -
the chance for a revote in Sarasota is worth the trip!

[SarasotaDem]

6. Yes

Looks like our only hope .....

[KAT119]

7. Yes!! You can do this Sarasotans!! Lead us ALL to the more trustworthy paper

ballot that is a truly reliable paper trail...the ONLY way to verifiable voting results.

Canada( and the Netherlands) have been voting by paper ballot and a #2 yellow pencil successfully for decades and the total nation's vote result is counted by the 10pm news on voting day!!

SIMPLIFY AND VERIFY...no more Proprietary/Secret computer software Codes from Republican owned voting machine manufacturers....

[mod mom]

9. I only hope you have better luck than we did in Ohio in '04. There is much

better coverage and public knowledge than then so here's hoping the best for you.