Very important update on Ohio hearings and what folks can do!

(DUE TO THE HIGH-VOLUME OF EMAILS WE ARE RECEIVING, PLEASE SEND REPLIES TO
ohiohearings@yahoo.com ... AND PLEASE KEEP MESSAGES BRIEF)

Friends,
We in Columbus wanted to give you an update on the Ohio public hearings.

WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THIS EMAIL:
1) The momentum is growing!
2) What you can do to help
3) The latest version of the Ohio Public Hearings Call for Support

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1) The Momentum is growing!

Thank you thank you THANK YOU! We are pleased to announce that, because all of
you have done such an excellent job spreading the word, the hearings have
already attracted the attention of newspapers, journals, magazines, TV/radio
stations, online journals, etc., from around the country. The spokespeople for
the hearings have been taking interviews almost non-stop for the past week, and
we have confirmation that Pacifica Radio (http://www.pacifica.org), as well as
WVKO Columbus, will be broadcasting the hearings in their entirety. We have
also heard rumor that C-SPAN will be covering portions of the hearings - stay
tuned for confirmation on this. Also, remember to check
http://www.indyvoter.org and http://www.freepress.org for the most current
updates/announcements on the hearings.

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2) What you can do to help

There are several things that we can all do to help with the hearings:
1. Keep spreading the word! Spam your friends, family, neighbors,
acquaintances, etc. with the announcement.
2. Contact your politicians ASAP! Make sure every city, county, state, U.S.
politician/official knows about these hearings and about the deep, systematic
injustices that plague our electoral system. As of now, six members of
Congress have called for an investigation of the elections: Representatives
Conyers (D-MI), Holt (D-NJ), Nadler (D-NY), Scott (D-VA), Watt (D-NC) and
Wexler (D-FL), have demanded "an investigation of the efficacy of voting
machines and new technologies used in the 2004 election, how election officials
responded to difficulties they encountered, and what we can do in the future to
improve our election systems and administration." Contact your U.S.
Congressional representatives and urge them to support their call. Also, go to
http://www.moveon.org/investigatethevote/ to sign the MoveOn.Org petition.
3. DONATE! The public hearings are completely citizen-run, and although our
expenses have been reduced dramatically through pro bono service from the
presiding attorneys, we are still faced with the costs of flying in experts to
give testimony, hiring stenographers to transcribe the event, getting the
standard supplies needed to run the hearings (i.e., copies, pens, nametags,
etc.), and making sure people from Ohio who come to testify are treated MUCH
better than they were when they went to the polls by offering snacks and
refreshments. So please, if you would be willing to donate, it would help
tremendously. Visit http://www.indyvoter.org/ohio to give online.

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3) Here is the latest version of the "Call for Public Hearings"

Did we have free and fair elections in 2004? Here is your chance to tell us
about what happened to you on Election Day. They might have conceded - but we
haven't conceded our right to have our votes counted.

THIS IS A NONPARTISAN STATEWIDE CALL TO ACTION FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS ON OHIO
VOTING IRREGULARITIES. VOTERS AND POLL WORKERS FROM AROUND THE STATE ARE
INVITED TO TESTIFY AT ONE THE FOLLOWING TIMES:

Saturday November 13, 1-4 PM
New Faith Baptist Church
955 Oak Street
Columbus, Ohio 43205

Monday November 15, 6-9 PM,
Meeting Room A, Courthouse
373 S. High St.
Columbus, OH

We are calling for any individuals or organizations that have information about
election irregularities or voter suppression that occurred before, during or
after the elections to give their testimony.

We are calling for our public officials, community representatives and the media
to come and hear the testimony of the people.

We will document and/or videotape the testimonies for use in a report and a
formal complaint to the Franklin County Board of Elections.

This is a public space to respond to the systemic undermining of our democratic
process and assess how to respond to racial disenfranchisement and suppression
of democratic rights.

We are seeking support from US Congressional Representatives, Ohio State
Representatives, nonpartisan organizations, and community and national leaders.
Experts and investigative reporters are invited to present testimony as well.

To get involved, sponsor this call, or testify on Saturday or Monday, contact:

Columbus League of Pissed Off Voters
ohiohearings@yahoo.com Amy Kaplan and Jonathan Meier, 614-405-2160

Endorsed By:
The Ohio Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections (CASE-OH), Common Cause Ohio,
Ohio Election Reform Now, Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism, WVKO
Radio, League of Young Voters, Code Pink, Global Exchange, People for the
American Way Foundation, IPPN, Election Protection Coalition, This Time We're
Watching, Driving Votes, Truth Force Training Center, International Labor
Communications Association, No Stolen Elections Coalition, Liberty Tree,
Alliance for Democracy, Ohio Voterization Project, Black Voices for Peace,
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Global
Women's Strike, Women of Color in the Global Women's Strike, Payday, Citizens
for a Fair Vote Count, Citizens for Democracy and Ending Corporate Rule,
Cobb/Lamarche Campaign

Here are examples of the types of voter suppression/disenfranchisement that we
are hoping to call attention to:

Countdown, Keith Olberman, MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6442857/

NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/politics/campaign/06ohio.html

Machine error gives Bush 3,893 extra votes in Ohio, USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/evoting/2004-11-06-ohio-evote-trouble_x.htm

Warren's vote tally walled off, Cincinnati Enquirer
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/11/05/loc_warrenvote05.html

Kerry Won. Greg Palast, Tompaine.com
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/kerry_won_.php

Was the Ohio Election Honest and Fair? Institute for Public Accuracy
http://www.accuracy.org/press_releases/PR110304.htm

Worse Than 2000: Tuesday's Electoral Disaster, William Rivers Pitt, Truthout
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110804A.shtml

None Dare Call it Voter Suppression and Fraud, Bob Fitrakis, Free Press
http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/983

And so the sorting and discarding of Kerry votes begins, Bob Fitrakis, Free
Press http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/985

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That's all for now. Again, we in Ohio are sending our deepest love and
appreciation for everything you all have been doing to make these hearings a
success and to keep hope alive! Thank you!

In respect,
Amy and Jonathan.
614-405-2160
ohiohearings@yahoo.com