What should be our top priorities between now and November?

[AtLiberty]

We reformists have been working very hard to improve the electoral process in recent years. We're making progress, but the process is painfully slow and the clock keeps ticking. The reality check is that we cannot accomplish everything by the general election in November.

Given our limited amount of time left, what should be our top priorities? Is it possible to come together on a few priorities? How can we realistically make a positive impact?

I'll go first. Number one should be to protect the voter registration database. This includes investigating and exposing voter caging across the country, alerting voters not to take their registrations for granted, making noise about the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on mandatory voter I.D., and pressuring authorities and leaders to put the brakes on massive purges taking place until questions are addressed and problems are fixed.

[LakeSamish706]

1. One of the big issues (Probably to late now) is that Congress should have...

taken up the problem with touch screen voting machines with no paper trail on a huge scale following the Democrats take over of both houses. Since this has not been accomplished, who knows what kind of a debacle we may face in the November GE.

[cliffordu]

2. How about we not go to war with Iran??

[Wilms]

3. I think you're right on.

We get a bit hung up on the machine side of things. The voter reggie database and other disenfranchisement schemes is no small problem.

Despite "Diebold" and "exit polls" in OH '04, and Nader/The Supremes in FL 2000, the biggest hurt put on Kerry and Gore may well have been rooted in the challenges you cite.

[AtLiberty]

4. Wilms...

Do you agree that it is possible to secure enough registered voters to make a difference in November?

Partisan corporations are training election officials around the country on how to purge voters from the registration database.

[Wilms]

5. I haven't followed that area well enough to know.

But voter outreach as you suggest seems an important idea.

Poll watching...having someone to challenge the challengers...could be considered in areas know to be problematic or contentious.

Swing states are of particular interest. FL, OH, and PA might need the most care.

[EFerrari]

11. Black, military and student precincts in swing states.

We KNOW EXACTLY where they will strike. We focus there, imho.

[EFerrari]

10. Late to the party, but couldn't agree more. n/t

[leaningprog]

6. Out the Clash Vampires

Politics exists to attempt to peacefully resolve issues without violence
and warfare between opposing poles of an issue. The magnitude and distance
between opposing sides in human differences creates a source of power that
can be tapped to resolve the issue as best as possible, to incite and
inflame the dispute for destructive purposes, or to tap in and steal the
power inherent in the issue to steal it for financial or personal gains
and leave the issue depleted of energy and hopelessly polarized.
We see this being done by radio talk shows, media pundits, candidates,
and even nations who realize steady income from sources who would fund
an effort for conflict resolution, but who turn into cash cows for
parties who maintain the conflict to maintain the income.

I call this energy pilfering from issues for creating income and power
for outside parties, CLASH VAMPIRE behavior. It is going to be hard enough
to heal our party and the legitimate yearnings of our women and minority
partners for their legitimate share of power, without watching our disputes getting bled of power instead of moved towards resolution.

I would love to see some of the purveyors of this robbery called out on
it and be asked to explain themselves instead of running the table.

[AtLiberty]

7. The topic is election reform

I started this thread in election reform.

Please keep responses on topic.

Thank you.

I'm hoping we can agree on a handful of actions to target. I fear that we're spreading ourselves too thin and trying to accomplish too much or the impossible. We have just seven months left to make a difference.

[Kurovski]

8. I've read of both SenatorsClinton and Obama

having people out watching the polls on election days.

Redouble those efforts in the general election.

People keep their cell phone cams handy to document "events"

[AtLiberty]

9. Kurovski...

That's great, but usually that's too late. We had many documented incidents in 2004, but Kerry conceded too soon...

However, this *does* bring up another key initiative. That is to persuade Democratic candidates, not just for U.S. president, but also in state and local races to NOT CONCEDE right away until there is time to evaluate what really happened on election day. You'd think this would be a no brainer, but it isn't. It's a very hard concept for Democrats to grasp.

[kster]

12. Get a bunch of our vote/count machine hackers to do battle with their vote/count machine hackers

being as we all know that the vote COUNTING is all a scam and the politicians remain silent about the scam, I say may the best hackers win...

[Melissa G]

13. Just thinking along these lines myself! Good idea!

Here is the issue that got me thinking...Party Platforms. IF we can manage to NOT get bogged down in infighting... (And that is a huge IF) we should attempt to educate the folks writing the party platforms. It is too late for resolutions for most states and platforms are better anyway.
I agree about voter registration databases. That seems a no brainer for both camps.

As I hear it, we have mostly two camps in the reform category. The HCPB folks who want absolutely no machines and the machine/opscan paper trail contingent. Audits are needed on both sides but meaningful audits seem to have a lot of places for holes. Chain of custody issues must also be focused on.
That is my short list. I wish the two camps had solid, complete resolutions ready to go within the two lines of thought so we could get these docs into both party platforms and (even better) state laws.