can become a permanent absentee ballot voter, so you don't have to re-apply each time. No matter what anybody tells you, a paper ballot is better than no paper ballot, and keeping your vote out of that election theft machinery for as long as possible is a good idea. They may scan and computerize your vote, even if it's an absentee paper ballot, but I know for a fact that HAVING absentee ballots to compare to electronic vote tallies was critically important to several post-2004 election data studies--(it established a big bias to Bush in electronic voting, in at least two studies)--and could be critically important in challenges of suspicious results and requested recounts. It also may be a deterrent to fraud. If you have sent them a solid paper record of your vote--a legal ballot--or you take advantage of a paper ballot option at the polling booth (if it is provided), then there is always the possibility that fraud can be detected. This is doubly true if your precinct has touchscreens (the worst) or machines with a mere "paper trail" (which election authorities can discount in favor of machine results). If you can get a real paper ballot, get it!
The touchscreens are just an open invitation to election fraud. They can EASILY be programmed to switch your vote. But even with optiscans, in which you vote on paper, the machine scans your vote, and the paper is retained for potential recounts (and which were found to be easily hackable in Florida), or other methods, including absentee and paper option, the real problem may be the central tabulators. Paper can be tracked back; so paper is good. But still, the central tabulators can avoid miscounting paper ballots, and only steal from the less verifiable votes (those from touchscreens and optiscans), or only steal from Republican precincts where election officials may look the other way on suspicious totals. (I suspect that both things were true in California in 2004--that votes were stolen from Kerry and given to Bush at the central tabulator level, and only in Republican precincts.)
A couple of thoughts. I strongly suspect that the election fraud has to be pre-programmed, that it's not so easy to adjust stolen percentages on election day (to meet the situation, say a Dem surge). Also, it's not all that safe for them to flip elections in a situation where the Dem is blowing the Repub away. Although we had an example of a big flipover in Ohio recently, on four election reform initiatives*, Ohio may be a special case of Republican tyranny. What happened with the Ohio initiatives would most likely raise eyebrows elsewhere, and could be used afterwards to, a) challenge the result, or b) at least use as strong evidence in a subsequent election reform campaign.
What I'm saying is that I think we can swamp them with sheer numbers. The Dems currently have a 10% advantage in the polls in people's preference for November. I'd say that's the minimum we need to overcome the fraud. We should push for a 20% advantage and a huge turnout. And I think we can do that by being HONEST. Do not lie to people! Tell them the goddamned machines ARE very riggable and are controlled by Bushite corporations. Tell them the TRUTH! And that we're trying to beat them with the numbers. That way, they won't be discouraged and depressed about losses. And they can HELP, in a situation of truthfulness and light! They can help us beat these bastards. I think people will be so relieved. It's a great relief to know WHY something is happening. And I think people will take to this come from behind, underdog situation, and get involved in trying to beat it, like trying to beat the odds in Vegas!
And do remember this. Saving our democracy is not a matter of this one election, in '06. It may be a longer term project than that. So, if nothing else, we MUST use this election to GATHER EVIDENCE. It must be the most carefully watched election in our history. NOTHING they do should go unobserved and unrecorded. Nothing! If they turn a tabulator view screen away from the public, that should be recorded. If they should so much as breathe wrong on these machines, it should be noted, dated and signed by an observer.
Meanwhile, we need to get the Democratic Party to fund INDEPENDENT EXIT POLLS. The war profiteering corporate news monopoly exit polls are not to be trusted. (They DOCTORED their exit polls in 2004, late on election day, on everybody's TV screens--falsely changing the result of the exit polls from Kerry to Bush.) (--biggest journalistic crime I ever witnessed!)
The Dems have been so bad about this! Call them on it! Embarrass them! MAKE THEM DO SOMETHING!
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Some election resources:
www.votersunite.org
www.verfiedvoting.org
www.UScountvotes.org
www.freepress.org
www.TruthIsAll.net
www.solarbus.org/election/index.shtml
*Also of interest: Robert Koehler's article on the Ohio initiatives:
www.tmsfeatures.com/tmsfeatures/subcategory.jsp?file=20051124ctnbk-a.txt&catid=1824&code=ctnbk
Sign the petition for HR 550 (it would really help):
http://www.rushholt.com/petition.html
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