And Wilms, you continue to misunderstand the point of the Absentee Ballot Protest. Accurate vote counts ARE NOT POSSIBLE in November. BECAUSE *ALL* the votes will be "counted" on electronic voting machines, using TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by Bushite corporations.
So, WHAT DO WE DO IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE? A) Go like sheep to the slaughter, and vote on their goddamned rigged machines--thus endorsing our corrupt election officials' decision to pour billions of dollars into Bushite corporate pockets, for the favor of their rigging our elections; or B) REFUSE to vote on their goddamned machines, BOYCOTT their goddamned machines, NON-COOPERATE with their goddamned rigged system, and make it a BIG citizen "vote of no confidence" in SECRET corporate vote counting.
We cannot control what they do with our Absentee Ballot votes. And that's PART of the problem. What we CAN control is whether or not we AGREE to riggable electronics, and will PASSIVELY accept it.
I say: NO-O-O-O-O-O-O! Do NOT accept it! SUBVERT it, the only way we can. By using Absentee Ballots.
And if enough people do this--if everyone who despises the Bush Junta--60% to 70% of the American people--votes by Absentee Ballot, the reign of these diabolical machines will be OVER. They cannot maintain this rigged system if nobody will vote on their machines!
BOYCOTT THE MACHINES!
There is no downside to this protest. We vote, but we do NOT vote on the MACHINES! It will HELP turnout. It's a great motivator for disillusioned voters--to be part of protest aimed at Un-rigging the system. It makes voting into a positive protest!--instead of a passive act of despair, hoping against hope for a good outcome. It will INCREASE scrutiny of how AB votes are handled, and of the whole system. And it may well be the spark for American Revolution II. SOMETHING is going to spark it. LET IT BE VOTING!
The clock is ticking on the end of this democracy. We don't have much time. We must do something NOW. Nobody else has a plan for November. THIS is a plan! It is something everyone can do. (Most states have some form of AB voting.) And it is aimed at the right parties--local/state election officials--who will be greatly inconvenienced and embarrassed by massive Absentee Ballot voting, in the only jurisdictions where ordinary people still have some influence, where decisions about voting systems are still made (--but for how long?).
Best to hand-deliver your AB vote to the polling place on election day, or mail registered/return, or Fed Ex (to make sure it gets there). Fill out ballot and envelope carefully (to avoid disqualification).
For other advice and further discussion, see
(What do you expect from the Diebold Congress?)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2851762(Diebold is WHY Congress is so bad)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2854648(Diebold 'smoking gun' in GA! Vote Absentee this fall!)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2855386Here is a list of states and their current voting systems, for reference. All e-voting systems are run on TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code. The biggest of these democracy-killing corporations--and the most Bush friendly--are Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia.
http://electionline.org/Default.aspx?tabid=1099 Read these, and you will never again vote on an electronic voting machine:
"Was the 2004 Election Stolen?" by Robert Kennedy Jr. 6/1/06
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen The Princeton study (2006) (e-voting machines extremely hackable)
http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/(comment on the Princeton study)
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=3467"Poll Shock," by Bob Koehler (11/24/05)
http://commonwonders.com/archives/col321.htmThere is a wealth of information on why you should not vote on these machines. A whole library of it. But the above three just about sum it up. Electronic voting is a scam. It is killing our democracy. DO NOT COOPERATE WITH IT! REBEL! ALL the machines are bad--touchscreens, optiscans and central tabulators. FORCE election officials to get rid of these machines. Jumpstart reform! DO IT NOW! Vote by Absentee Ballot!