BBV: Does this mean the League Of Woman Voters have joined....

[althecat]

.. the good guys.. ... from a closer look I think not... that said some people should turn up to this event and attempt to open these people's eyes... or at the very least find out who closed them... (tip. look for the guy in the dark suit who hides from the camera... and whispers into the boss woman's ear...)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lyndsey Farrington

May 24, 2004
202-263-1332


www.lwv.org
<mailto:[e-mail]> [e-mail]



CIVIL RIGHTS COMMUNITY SOUNDS ALARM FOR 2004 ELECTION
Identifies Top Five Risks To Eligible Voters In 2004

Washington, DC - Leading civil rights organizations will gather this
week to raise awareness among election officials, the media and the
voting public that the 2004 election is in danger.

The League of Women Voters and members of the Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights will announce the "Top Five Risks to Eligible Voters in
2004" and offer realistic steps that can be taken now to protect the
2004 vote at a press conference on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 at 10:00 am
at the League's national office, 1730 M Street, NW, 10th floor
conference room.

Citizen concern about the security of voting systems, access to the
vote, and the counting of votes threatens the upcoming election. It is
crucial that voters understand the risks as well as what can be done now
to ensure every vote is counted in November. Because the 2004 election
is just months away, it is time to focus on the immediate problems and
possible solutions. Now is the time for management and operational
changes that can be absorbed before November 2004.

WHO: Kay Maxwell, League of Women Voters of the United
States (LWVUS)
Wade Henderson, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR)
Hilary Shelton, NAACP
Larry Gonzalez, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed
Officials Educational Fund (NALEO)
Jim Dickson, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)

WHERE: League of Women Voters of the U.S.
1730 M Street, NW
10th floor conference room
Washington, DC

WHEN: Wednesday, May 26, 2004
10:00 am

Press inquiries should be directed to Lyndsey Farrington at 202-263-1332
or [e-mail].







TOP FIVE RISKS TO ELIGIBLE VOTERS IN 2004

1. VOTER REGISTRATION PROBLEMS
2. ERRONEOUS PURGING
3. PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW ID REQUIREMENT
4. DIFFICULTIES WITH VOTING SYSTEMS
5. FAILURE TO COUNT PROVISIONAL BALLOTS











1. VOTER REGISTRATION PROBLEMS
These problems include citizens who apply to register to vote through
the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or other agencies under the
National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) but whose applications have not
been properly forwarded to or acted on by registrars; incomplete voter
lists at polling places; and voters going to the "wrong" polling place
due to inadequate communication of polling place locations or because
they have moved within a jurisdiction.

2. ERRONEOUS PURGING
In addition to troubles in getting on the registration rolls, many
voters will find they have been erroneously removed from the list. In
the 2000 election, hundreds of eligible Florida citizens were mistakenly
identified as felons and were removed from registration lists because of
flawed data and a faulty data matching process.

3. PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW ID REQUIREMENT
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires that first-time applicants who
register by mail present ID prior to voting on Election Day unless the
state has already verified their identity. While HAVA says that the
application of the new requirement must be "uniform and
non-discriminatory," many states have yet to establish mechanisms for
ensuring uniform and non-discriminatory application. New procedures can
lead to confusion and, ultimately, wrongful disenfranchisement on
Election Day. The new requirement opens the door to unequal and
discriminatory treatment.

4. DIFFICULTIES WITH VOTING SYSTEMS
Unfamiliarity with a voting system on the part of voters, election
administrators or poll workers can lead to confusion on Election Day.
Most jurisdictions will not be switching to new voting machines in 2004
so many voters will vote on the same systems that they used previously.
This means that we can expect the same types of problems as we saw in
2000: confusing ballot design, machines that don't work and votes that
are never counted.

5. FAILURE TO COUNT PROVISIONAL BALLOTS
Provisional ballots are intended as a safeguard for voters whose
eligibility is in question on Election Day, including those whose voter
registration is in doubt, who may have been erroneously purged, or who
have ID problems (See items 1, 2 and 3). HAVA requires that povisional
ballots must be counted if the voter is eligible to vote. However, some
election officials have chosen to apply standards for counting
provisional ballots that are unrelated to voter eligibility. In a
recent Illinois primary, one jurisdiction rejected 93 percent of the
provisional ballots cast. Most were rejected because poll workers
failed to notify voters that they had to cast these votes in their
assigned precinct in order to be counted under state law.


*****************************************
Kelly L. Ceballos
Senior Director of Communications
League of Women Voters of the United States
1730 M Street, NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Email: [e-mail]

Sign up for our LeaguE-Voice monthly e-newsletter at
http://www.lwv.org/forms/leaguevoice_join.cfm

[Eric J in MN]

1. No, Kay Maxwell says we shouldn't worry about machines being

No, Kay Maxwell says we shouldn't worry about machines being rigged, and the lack of paper ballots for auditing.

If voters are educated, then supposedly the machines being rigged won't matter.

[Eric J in MN]

3. here is an editorial against The League of Women Voters

http://www.verifiedvoting.org/article.asp?id=1792

The secretaries of state in California and Missouri have ordered paper trails for their elections; Illinois passed a law mandating the backups last year. But such changes take time to implement. So as a consequence of Mr. Heller's insistence, Nevada will be the only state with such paper trails attached to some of its machines in 2004.

Good. Assuring the integrity of the election process should be a no-brainer.

For reasons that defy logic, however, the League of Women Voters and some state election officials oppose these paper trails, arguing that they divert attention from more "important" issues, such as voter education, increasing voter registration numbers, and improving access to the ballot box by the disabled and those who don't speak English.

The league and its allies need to get their priorities straight. The integrity of our elections is crucial if Americans are to have any faith in their civic institutions. If the voting process is an easy mark for tampering or manipulation, then all the hand-wringing about access to the polls is nothing more than a sideshow.

[BevHarris]

28. Hah! Good one, Eric.

"If voters were educated then rigged machines wouldn't matter."

This event sounds very much like the press conference held by the county registrars in California on April 21. One courageous registrar, though, stepped outside and participated instead in the True Majority press conference, along with Verified Voting, Electronic Frontier Foundation, California Voter Foundation, SAVE Democracy. The gutsy Freddie Oakley said something like this: "Some of these registrars act like holding an election is rocket science. Well, it's not, and if it were, they'd all lose their jobs because they aren't smart enough."

The above press conference is damage control. I am extremely disappointed to see the NAACP and the Latino groups participating. That will change -- or those groups will go to war with their own membership, just like the League is about to do on June 12.

Bev

[Eric J in MN]

30. What happens on June 12? nt

nt

[BevHarris]

32. National League of Women Voters conference in Washington DC

and trouble is a'brewin among the membership.

[Andy_Stephenson]

34. Sounds like a fun meeting...

Bev...we should attend.

:evilgrin:

[ParanoidPat]

2. Look closely at the list,. Jim Dickson, AAPD!

The blind can't 'see' a ballot therefore no one should! :puke:

Yeah, time to lay into the LWV once again. :eyes:

Thanks for the heads up Al. :hi:

[althecat]

4. ... as an aside... Howard Dean Lauunches E-Voting Petitiion

http://petition.democracyforamerica.com/page/p/verify

[althecat]

5. Yip.. this is a nest of vipers....ideally it ought to be picketed..

We need some Washington BBVers to turn up to this event... ideally it ought to be picketed..

al

[RedEagle]

6. The League Was Hijacked

And the rank and file are none too happy about it.

LWV national meeting coming up soon, I think.

The "League's" anti-BBV position was arrived at by a select few- totally un-league.

I'd get ring side seats at national this year. Fur should fly.

[Andy_Stephenson]

10. But he is calling for a F'ing

papertrail!

No PAPERTRAILS!!! Ballots ONLY will do!

[burrowowl]

7. At the local level

here in NM, the LWV is really pissed off at National and some say that this is nation-wide. WHAT IN THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO NATIONAL!?!?!?

[ParanoidPat]

8. You make an important point!

Everyone who really cares about the future of our elections should contact their local LWV chapter and voice their concerns as well as threaten to pull their support or worse yet, threaten to fight their further involvement in our elections! That seems to get the most positive feedback from the local LWV officials. :)

R. Doug Lewis has been using the LWV and AAPD as dupes for a couple of years now. :(

(Yo! Mike! Have you looked into old RDL yet? :shrug: )

[Kanary]

21. What has gotten into "National"?

Infiltrated with Reich Wing?

gee.....

Kanary

[eridani]

26. Ditto WA state

The Seattle local passed a very strong resolution against BBV and the undemocratic policymaking of the national organization.

[althecat]

9. Someone should also get along and at least piggy-back on this presser...

...is two days away.. are there many D.C. BBVers

WHERE: League of Women Voters of the U.S.
1730 M Street, NW
10th floor conference room
Washington, DC

WHEN: Wednesday, May 26, 2004
10:00 am

[ParanoidPat]

11. Thanks again Al!

:kick:

If only more Americans were as concerned as you are. :toast:

[althecat]

12. I just don't like the idea of these morons making press statements

.. that have been jacked up by Harris Miller and the ITAA, presumably with the use of some fairly liberal expenses policies if not outright bribery...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0308/S00175.htm

[Andy_Stephenson]

13. **Throwing hands up**

Screw it...they have more money...time...and lackeys.

I give up...I can't do this anymore! To hell with it all. If people want facism who am I to stop it?

[althecat]

14. How's the campaign going Andy...

Have there been any polls?

[Andy_Stephenson]

15. Fuck IT!

I don't care anymore. They win...I lose...New Zeland here I come.


I am not viable...unelectable. Horse shit! If the fucking party leadership had gotten behind me...I would be viable. Instead they are pushing papertrails on us. Ok fine...papertrails it is.

[althecat]

16. Don't be dispirted Andy... we have come a long way in a very short time...

And even if Washington intends to stick its heads between its legs... some other States do seem to have a few clues.

Regarding Paper trails vs Paper Ballots.... it is a shame there are so many morons out there who can't tell when they've bought a pup.

I have been thinking about the Maine legislation... even that is insufficient in terms of auditing. It is not the close races that need auditing... it is Chuck Hagel's race in Nebraska that needs checking.

Meantime Andy... chin up there are dragons to slay and walls that need to be torn down...

P.S. Did you see the report just in that 216 counties have more registered voters than they have adults.

[Andy_Stephenson]

17. Thanks for the pep talk!

But tonight I am wallowing in self pity.

:yourock:

Regarding the morons...I have been warning them for a long damned time... about paper trails vs ballots. I have been slapped down over my position. Told to be quiet...get in line accept it.

[Eric J in MN]

18. if there is exit polling, then a discrepancy between the electronic

If there is exit polling, then a discrepancy between the electronic vote and exit polls can be an argument for a recount.

[Andy_Stephenson]

19. Exit polling went the way of th DoDo

bird. For the very reasons mentioned.

[eridani]

27. Bleep the party leadership

As long as you keep after Laura's slick little ass, people will be informed and energized about the issue. Don't quit now!

[Andy_Stephenson]

20. When no statutory definition for a term exists,

the first fallback in all courts is to consult the definition in Blacks Law Dictionary, a compelling case can be made for the fact that ballot is defined in Blacks Law Dictionary...Paper is defined in Blacks Law Dictionary but "Trail" is completely absent. Collectively the definition for ballot and the definition for paper generate a clear and easily understood legal definition of the paper ballot needed to ensure the integrity of our vote. Paper trail produces no such record and is undefined.

Think about that...Paper trail could be a happy face printed on a reciept with the words "I Voted" on it. Since paper trail is not defined it is open to definition.

But no one listens to me anyway...so go ahead...wander down the paper trail...but when the rules change on you, don't say I didn't warn you all.

[Eric J in MN]

22. a petition isn't legislation

We should only support legislation which says that the paper is the official election record (as The Voter Confidence Act does).

If a petition has mediocre wording (as this petition does) we can sign it anyway since it's just a petition.

[Andy_Stephenson]

23. It sends the wrong message Eric...

it says we are ok with paper trails...I am not! You should know that by now. I will accept nothing less than a ballot. Call it my line in the sand..

[althecat]

24. What petition... are we talking about Howard Dean's?

[Andy_Stephenson]

25. Yes...it sends the exact wrong message.

papertrails papertrails papertrails. Argh!

[BevHarris]

29. Eric's deal allows a bogus solution like VoteHere

Paper is the legal record

no.

The paper BALLOT is the legal record.

Otherwise, the idiotic secret code on the VoteHere receipt can become the "legal record of the vote."

You are right on this one, Andy.

[Eric J in MN]

31. I'm against VoteHere and so is "The Voter Confidence Act"

`(i) The voting system shall produce a permanent paper record, each individual paper record of which shall be made available for inspection and verification by the voter at the time the vote is cast, and preserved within the polling place in the manner in which all other paper ballots are preserved within the polling place on Election Day for later use in any manual audit.

`(ii) The voting system shall provide the voter with an opportunity to correct any error made by the system before the permanent record is preserved for use in any manual audit.

`(iii) The voter verified paper record produced under subparagraph (A) and this subparagraph shall be available as an official record and shall be the official record used for any recount conducted with respect to any election in which the system is used.

[Andy_Stephenson]

33. I have a novel idea...

lets call it what it is...Ballot.

[Merlin]

35. Here's Maxwell's position on VVPBs (LWV calls them VVPTs)

“The League takes quite seriously the questions raised about DRE security, and the management and operational practices that affect DRE performance in the real world. It is vitally important to ensure that DRE systems, as well as other systems, are properly managed,” she said. “Some have proposed a particular solution – the so-called voter-verified paper trail (VVPT). There are many questions to be answered before we go down the VVPT route. After careful examination of these questions, the League has not been persuaded of the wisdom of the voter-verified paper trail for 2004,” Maxwell said.

from an LWV article entitled "2004 ELECTION IS IN DANGER"
May 4, 2004
http://interactive.lwv.org/News/News.cfm?ID=1169&c=1

[Merlin]

36. Let''s all go to the LWV convention and lobby the attendees.

June 12-15 in DC.

Surely we must have LWV members on DU.

The LWV position MUST BE REVERSED. It is way too damaging to our position. Imagine trying to argue our view in front of an election commission against some machine mfg reps. All they have to say is the LWV opposes our VVPBs and we are dead.

Can anybody confirm the suspicion that there is much dissention in the LWV ranks over this, and that it was a decision made by their exec committee, not by a broader vote?

[Andy_Stephenson]

37. Let's join en masse...

and all go.

[BevHarris]

38. My plan exactly. I'm joining and attending the conference

as a member.

Let's go raise some hell.

Bev

[Andy_Stephenson]

39. Can I tag along?

never been to DC...But I draw the line on wearing a girdle and dress to the meeting.