from:

Mark Crispin Miller
http://www.washingtonspectator.com/printArticle.cfm

snip

Chance, accident, imperial over-reaching and/or popular resistance can thwart the best-laid plans. If that should happen, though, the (Republican) party has a plan to fix the problem; and the press's eerie silence on the danger of election fraud could help that strategy succeed.

If the GOP should lose the House or Senate, its troops will mount a noisy propaganda drive accusing their opponents of election fraud. This is no mere speculation, according to a well-placed party operative who lately told talk radio host Thom Hartmann, off the record, that the game will be to shriek indignantly that those dark-hearted Democrats have fixed the race. We will hear endlessly of Democratic "voter fraud" through phantom ballots, rigged machines, intimidation tactics, and all the other tricks whereby the Bush regime has come to power.

The regime will, in short, deploy the ultimate Swift Boat maneuver to turn around as many races as they need so as to nullify the will of the electorate.

Of course, the Democrats themselves have a rich history of election fraud, but there's no evidence of much, if any, since Bush came upon the scene; and yet with very few exceptions, they have doggedly refused to speak about the growing danger of such fraud, so that the GOP—the very perpetrators of that fraud—will be the first to make an issue of it. The press too has ignored the issue, other than to bleat, from time to time, that such malfeasance has been common "on both sides." Thus this besieged democracy appears now to have no defenders but ourselves.

But we can do that vital work if we will only face what's happening and spread the word, and stand united not as party members, or as liberals, moderates and conservatives, but as Americans.

snip

Films

Hacking Democracy, premieres on HBO on November 2, 2006.

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/hackingdemocracy/index.html
Help America Vote on Paper, available on DVD

http://www.eon3.net/pages/main.html
Stealing America: Vote by Vote, available on DVD
http://stealingamerica.org

.......

And, Republicans have already falsely blamed American Voters with "Voter Fraud" in order to exonerate themselves and to require more ID (which Republicans are disastrous at protecting) which disenfranchises Democratic Voters--the elderly, poor and Hispanics. They hid the real research which proved Republicans wrong again in order to deflect blame and reduce Democratic voters.

via:
http://markcrispinmiller.blogspot.com/2006/10/eac-learns-that-theres-no-voter-fraud.html
from:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20061011/1a_lede11.art.htm

Report skeptical of fraud at polls

Little evidence found despite pending bills

By Richard Wolf
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - At a time when many states are instituting new requirements for voter registration and identification, a preliminary report to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has found little evidence of the type of polling-place fraud those measures seek to stop.

USA TODAY obtained the report from the commission four months after it was delivered by two consultants hired to write it. The commission has not distributed it publicly.

At least 11 states have approved new rules for independent voter-registration drives or requirements that voters produce specific forms of photo ID at polling places. Several of those laws have been blocked in court, most recently in Arizona last week. The House of Representatives last month approved a photo-ID law, now pending in the Senate.

The bipartisan report by two consultants to the election commission casts doubt on the problem those laws are intended to address. "There is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling-place fraud, or at least much less than is claimed, including voter impersonation, 'dead' voters, non-citizen voting and felon voters," the report says.

..........

from:
http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/8/44498.html
(From BBV):

Love this quote from Avi Rubin, about what we should do when we dump all these security-defective voting machines:

I recommended to them [state officials] that they give these thirty, forty thousand machines that they have to the schools, attach a mouse and a keyboard, they’re Windows machines, let the kids use them, said Avi Rubin, who votes in Maryland. Or give them to a country whose government we want to control.

Penetrating the Voting Vortex

snip

When Black Box Voting has gotten the records in the past, typically the records do not support the results. They don't match; they show all kinds of anomalies, she said.

A bevy of recent problems in 2006 primaries support Harris' concerns:

--In Pottawattamie County, Iowa, the June primary election results of nine races were reversed when a hand count of ballots tabulated by an ES & S manufactured optical scanner revealed that all the winners were, in fact, losers.

--100,000 extra votes appeared on a HartIntercivic paperless Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) machine in a March primary race in Tarrant County, Texas, earlier this year despite the fact that there were only 58,000 registered voters.

..........

A beginning thanks to two great Texas Congresswomen:

http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/44399.html

Now we're getting somewhere --
Congressional hand counted paper ballots bill introduced in U.S. Congress

Bev Harris
Board Administrator Posted on Sunday, October 15, 2006 - 05:00 pm:

Here is the text of the bill, courtesy of Paul Lehto:

Paper Ballot Act of 2006 (Introduced in House)
HR 6200 IH

109th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6200

To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to conduct Presidential elections using paper ballots and to count those ballots by hand, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 27, 2006

Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. FILNER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. LEE, Mr.MCDERMOTT, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. SOLIS, Ms. WATERS, and Ms. WOOLSEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

A BILL
To amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require States to conduct Presidential elections using paper ballots and to count those ballots by hand, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Paper Ballot Act of 2006'.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING USE OF HAND-COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.

Section 301(a) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15481(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(7) SPECIAL RULES FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS- Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, in the case of a regularly scheduled general election for the electors of President and Vice President (beginning with the election in November 2008), the following rules shall apply:

`(A) The State shall conduct the election using only paper ballots.

`(B) The State shall ensure that the number of ballots cast at a precinct or equivalent location which are placed inside a single box or similar container does not exceed 500.

`(C) The ballots cast at a precinct or equivalent location shall be counted by hand by election officials at the precinct, and a representative of each political party with a candidate on the ballot, as well as any interested member of the public, may observe the officials as they count the ballots. The previous sentence shall not apply with respect to provisional ballots cast under section 302 a).'.

SEC. 3. MOVING OBSERVATION OF WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY TO ELECTION DAY DURING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION YEARS.

Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended--

(1) by inserting `the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2008 and every fourth year thereafter, and' after `Washington's Birthday,'; and

(2) by inserting `in any other year' after `February'.

………………

The progress of which (or lack thereof) may be monitored at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?&bill=h109-6200&tab=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?&bill=h109-6200&tab=

................

For the 2006 election:

http://www.electiondefensealliance.org/citizen_activism_tools

Citizen Activism Tools

Democracy is not for spectators. This is where you will find tools to help empower you, your friends and your fellow citizens take back control of our public election process.

* Verified Voting Transparency Project: Election Monitoring Checklists
* Download the Black Box Voting Citizen's Tool Kit
* Join Pollworkers for Democracy
* State Open Records Law Request Letter Generator
* New Progressive Coalition Fundraising Press Kit
* CA Election Monitoring --A Training Manual
* Communication & Framing Tools
* Get the Solarbus DVD featuring the Lou Dobbs "Democracy at Risk" Series!
* Learn the Basics
* Explore Resources

................

Also, if you follow the money...why would anyone even try to get comfortable with HAVA and No Evidence E-Voting brought about by the partisan crooks Abramoff and Ney for Abramoff's client Diebold, while at the same time they were jilting American Indians and Evangelicals?

And, if you follow the evidence...there is no evidence there...there is no there there.

..........

from:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12055360/cover_story_time_to_go_inside_the_worst_congress_ever

The Worst Congress Ever

How our national legislature has become a stable of thieves and perverts -- in five easy steps

MATT TAIBBI

Step One: Rule by Cabal

Step Two: Work as Little as Possible - And Screw Up Whatever You Do

Step Three: Let the President Do Whatever He Wants

Step Four: Spend, Spend, Spend

Step Five: Line Your Own Pockets

..........................

Posted by: Prove Our Democracy with Paper Ballots on October 21, 2006 7:20 PM

..........

For the 2006 election:

from: Election Defense Alliance
http://electiondefensealliance.org/book/export/html/260

Election Day Rapid Response

Election Defense Alliance has a coordinated, six-part plan for citizen direct action to defend the vote in the November midterm elections. The tactical components of the EDRR plan are:

1. Election Monitoring. Teams of trained citizen observors will monitor polls and central counting centers to document and report violations of election law, including illegal obstruction of the public's right to observe the count, failure to publicly post precinct results, and violations of election security provisions, including voting machine use procedures required as conditions of certification. Monitoring volunteers, contact Tom Courbat

2. Pre-Emptive Legal Intervention. Election monitoring teams will be accompanied by lawyers with pre-prepared court orders to enforce compliance with election laws, including public right to observe the count, public posting of precinct results, and strict adherence to election security protocols which if breached, render the voting machines out of compliance and the election results suspect and unverifiable. Legal volunteers, contact Dan Ashby

3. Exit Polling. Citizen-commissioned exit polls can provide an independent check on the validity of reported election results. The most competitive House, Senate, and statewide contests are where the threat of covert election fraud is predictably the greatest. The cost of covering the most crucial races that will determine the composition of Congress, is about $400,000--a substantial but achievable sum considering the stakes. Please go to the Independent Exit Poll donation page and send your contribution immediately. Arrangements must be made within days.

http://electiondefensealliance.org/independent_exit_polls

4. Election Data Analysis. EDA will manage an election-day data analysis operation that compares historical voting data, voter opinion tracking polls, and citizen-commissioned exit polling data, to the officially reported election results from selected, highly competitive House, Senate, and statewide races. The official election results will be processed through a battery of multiple analytic computer programs for rapid, real-time flagging of suspect patterns suggesting fraudulent manipulation of the official vote totals. Findings will be communicated via conventional press releases as well as the EDRR communications network of websites, Internet radio, and community access television networks. Data Analysis volunteers: Contact Bruce O'Dell

5. Communications. Throughout election day and night, activity at polls and election counting centers will be thoroughly documented by teams of correspondents recording and uploading live video, audio, photo, and text reports via wireless communication devices (e.g., video-enabled cellphones) to EDA and other E I web portals, bypassing the corporate newsmedia to bring breaking news of voter suppression, obstruction, security breaches, and indications of electronic vote theft direct to the public, while it is happening. To participate in shaping net-mediated communication tactics, contact Kim Grant.

Conventional press release and publicity methods will complement Net distribution. We need experienced publicists and newswriters. To help with print and radio promotion, contact Info@ElectionDefenseAlliance.org

6. Demonstrations. Public demonstrations will be organized at central counting locations, commencing at the close of polls and continuing throughout election night and beyond, demanding verified proof of reported election results. The demonstrations will be covered live via web portals and public radio and TV networks, interspersed with updates from the Election Data Analysis project reporting suspect election totals and directing increased protest turnout to those locations.
If you have experience organizing public demonstrations, or contacts with groups who do, please send message to Info@ElectionDefenseAlliance.org

The above tactics in isolation are limited or useless, but in combination, they are powerful. Many other local, regional and national groups have independently developed similar or complementary plans to those listed above. These efforts will have greatest effect if they are coordinated and focused to direct mass public attention to election obstruction and electronic fraud as it is happening.

The more volunteers and donated funds we have, the greater our chance of arresting electronic fraud and voter suppression.

We need: Organizers, publicists, fundraisers, programmers, webmasters, video and radio correspondents, writers and graphic artists, event managers, MONEY, and hundreds of citizen patriots to volunteer for election day monitoring, communications, and demonstrations.

http://electiondefensealliance.org/independent_exit_polls

Send inquiries and offers of assistance to Info@ElectionDefenseAlliance.org and check the "Take Action" and "Projects" links and the EDRR Working Group forum on this website for forthcoming directions and updates.

......................

Posted by: Prove Our Democracy with Paper Ballots on October 22, 2006 12:33 PM