News about the Columbus, Ohio hearings.

[life_long_dem]

sorry if this has been posted already, I have been gone all day.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1118-30.htm

[yourout]

1. If reading that does not turn your stomach.....

You are not a true American. Sick....just sick.

[MelissaB]

8. I just sent this

to Oprah with a link. It couldn't hurt.

"Most importantly, the testimony has revealed a widespread and concerted effort on the part of Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to deny primarily African-American and young voters the right to cast their ballots within a reasonable time. By depriving precincts of adequate numbers of functioning voting machines, Blackwell created waits of three to eleven hours, driving tens of thousands of likely Democratic voters away from the polls and very likely affecting the outcome of the Ohio vote count, which in turn decided the national election."

[goodboy]

2. I'm in columbus...it's all true. (nt)

[demosincebirth]

3. Ohio sounds like like a Third World country when it comes to voting

[Digit]

4. Deliberate and disgusting.

I have long since lost any respect I had for Republicans.
Values, my ass!

[GetTheRightVote]

5. Ohio is 2004's Florida, though Florida is very similiar

They do the same thing in Florida, I was a poll worker and it is just disgusting what they will do to steal a citizen's right to vote, but atleast it sounds like Ohio is going to do something about it this time around, I am very hopeful.

[99Pancakes]

6. Wow!

I am proud of these Ohio folks speaking up---still fighting.

If this doesn't sound like fraud and all kinds of criminal activity, I don't know what does. Ain't that Blackwell a dandy?

[Helga Scow Stern]

7. Is there any word of this in the mainstream media?

If not, we should start sending it out.

[BlueDog2u]

9. We need to press for federal legislation

which will make the activities Blackwell engaged in a felony.

That's the only thing which can prevent this.

Of course, we also need a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote. We need both constitutional and statutory protection. Time for everyone to join common cause with our African American brothers and sisters who have patiently endured this mistreatment and disenfranchisment for years but could not find a Senator to stand with them. For shame, Senators of America, for shame!

[mirandapriestly]

10. I just can't believe this

no one is saying anything!!!!!

[truehawk]

11. Thanks So Much!!

[Critical Thinker]

12. Franklin County vote suppression via voting machine availability

Our own jmknapp created an excellent analytical study showing the correlation between access to voting machines and turnout in Franklin County, and how voting machine allocations were used as a tool to influence voter turnout (i.e. more machines allocated to republican precincts and fewer machines allocated to democratic precincts). Posted at his website:
http://www.copperas.com/machinery/

[Action Jackson]

13. the long lines should have been a major story

Randi Roades keeps saying over and over that the long lines should be a story. She is right. We have NEVER experienced long lines just to vote like those lines. It should be very easy to prove the Blackwell purposely put less machines in minority/college campus districts and other dem districts. they had the voter rolls. they knew how many machines they needed. everyone was registered to vote. there is no excuse for having too few machines.

this jerk moved the machines out of the democratic inner cities and college campuses out to the white republican yuppie suburbs.