November 07, 2012

"Score one (at last) for the Election Integrity movement!" ~ Mark Crispin Miller #Ohio




Score one (at last) for the Election Integrity movement!

By Mark Crispin Miller

Late last night, after Obama took Ohio, Karl Rove was on Fox News, doggedly refusing to concede. He insisted that Ohio was still in play, as Romney was going to win in Hamilton County—where the votes were “counted” on machines made and maintained by Hart InterCivic, a company effectively controlled by Romney’s family. (The same machines were also used in Williams County.)

So it’s not surprising that the GOP’s Lord Voldemort foresaw an “upset victory” in that county. It is surprising that he said it on Fox News, and when the game was obviously lost, so that a sudden Romney “victory” in Ohio would have seemed especially suspicious—even in the eyes of Rove’s old allies on Fox News (or those not in the loop).

To those of us with vivid memories of Election Nights 2000 and 2004, it was a creepy moment—and things got even creepier when Brad Friedman reported that the website of the Ohio SoS had suddenly gone down, which had also happened at that very hour eight years before; and when it had come back on, Kerry, who had been ahead, was now behind. And—horribly—the rest was history.....

Complete article

November 06, 2012

African American voters being disenfranchised again in Columbus #Ohio ~ @freepressorg

Nearly 1000 voters forced to vote provisional in a single Franklin county precinct
by Gerry Bello and Nicole Ware
November 6, 2012
A Democratic county poll worker has estimated that over the course of Election Day, one thousand registered voters will be forced to vote provisionally in a single predominantly African American precinct in Franklin County. Discrepancies between voter ID and information in the official database, possibly caused by the June changes to BMV registration software, may have disenfranchised up to three-fourths of the 35th ward's voters.

Complete article

Video of touchscreen machine switching votes from Obama to Romney in #Pennsylvania

Message from Jill Stein & Cheri Honkala: Fighting for the Right to Vote #ohio






As Americans by the tens of millions go to the polls tomorrow, will their votes be accurately counted?

Yesterday, Robert Fitrakis took action to protect the voting rights of 4.2 million Ohio voters, and by extension, of all voters. Fitrakis, a Green Party congressional candidate and professor of political science, filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the last minute reprogramming of voting machines used by 80% of Ohio voters.

Voting_Rights_Rally.pngThat's right. In the final weeks of this election, Ohio Secretary of State Husted authorized the installation of a "software patch" that has never been publicly evaluated. This tampering with Ohio voting machines is a violation of federal law. And it is deeply troubling.

We are proud of the role Bob and other Greens are playing here. He and we are fighting for the right to vote, not just for votes. And that lawsuit will be heard in court first thing tomorrow morning.

Greens have done this before. After all, it was our 2004 presidential nominee, David Cobb, was the one who stood up for voters and filed for the presidential recount in Ohio, an essential step that led to the conviction of Ohio election officials and substantial improvements in election procedure.

We are watching Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, and other states again. And we are acting.

We urge you to join us and many notables in signing the No More Stolen Elections! pledge of action. Sign it right now.

Our campaign strongly supports this voting rights struggle. On Friday, we rallied with Ohioans in front of their state capitol. And today, Jill appeared at the National Press Club in support of the Ohio lawsuit. The press is taking notice: already over 500 media organizations have reported on it.

We ask you to sign the No More Stolen Elections! pledge of action. And of course, it is essential that you not only vote tomorrow, but that you also:
Finally, tonight we are thinking about our many friends and family members throughout the Mid Atlantic states. We urge you to support the independent, democratic relief efforts organized via Occupy - http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/

Thank you, and good luck to all of us tomorrow,
 
  ~ Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala





Please take an immediate step by making a donation: http://www.jillstein.org/donate
Authorized and paid for by Jill Stein for President
PO Box 260217, Madison, WI 53726-0217
http://www.JillStein.org 



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Jill Stein for President · United States
You can keep up with Jill Stein for President on Twitter or Facebook.

November 05, 2012

"Ohio" ~ Wil b #ohio Get Up On The Bus

From the Freedom Winter Bus Ride

Washington, DC, January 6, 2005

Now threatened: 80% of Ohio votes





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Just minutes ago, Ohio voting rights advocate Bob Fitrakis filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding the removal of secret software recently installed on all ES&S, Inc. voting machines in at least 25 Ohio counties. 

This proprietary software allows vote tabulation numbers to be wirelessly sent to the Ohio Secretary of State's office. Four million Ohio voters - that is 80% - depend on these machines to accurately report their vote. Now, those votes will be initially reported via an easily intercepted wireless transmission.

Together with Free Press and other key advocates, we released the news about the lawsuit at a press conference just now at the National Press Club in D.C.. Fitrakis Skyped-in to the press conference and gave us the latest. He called on everyone, "concerned about our democracy to call the Ohio Secretary of State's office and demand the removal of this suspicious software."

Please do it right now. Call the Ohio Secretary of State's office at 1-877-767-6446

With the clock ticking, every hour brings new reports of serious voting rights violations. We can't wait. We need your financial support and personal pledge so that we are ready to respond.

Remember:
  1. Sign the  Pledge of Action and forward it to everyone you know.
  2. Donate to our Rapid Response Fund.
  3. Organize a  Voter Assembly in your community for Nov 7th, the day after the election.
  4. Report election irregularities and voter suppression.
You can read some of the early coverage of the lawsuit by clicking here.

Yours for Democracy,

   ~ Sarah Manski
80% of Ohio votes in doubt
Call the Ohio Secretary of State:
1-877-767-6446
Tell them to stop electronic tampering with this election!

Donate Now
Please donate to our Rapid Response Fund.

Like us on Facebook
Like us on Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Twitter.

P.O. Box 260217 | Madison, WI 53726-0217 US

Urgent action notice ~ @freepressorg #ohio

From freepress.org

 URGENT ACTION NOTICE

Want to fight voter suppression and vote tampering on Election Day?
Here are some things anyone can do on Election Day:
Document any of these things and let the Free Press know during the day or immediately after the polls close:
1) Do all machines work at the beginning of the day? Were there any problems getting them to work?
2) Did any technicians come in to do any "service" on the machines during the day?
3) Are people being turned away from voting for any reason? Are many people made to vote provisionally for any reason? How many? What are the reasons?
4) Are there any people hanging around wearing suits, not identifying themselves, or challengers intimidating people, challenging their right to vote, or otherwise interfering with voters? Please take photos of them and their automobile license plates.
5) Lists of who voted are posted at 11am and 4pm at polling sites. Do those numbers match the print-out at the end of the night?
6) VERY IMPORTANT: At close of polls, the pollworkers are required to print out and post the results on the outside of the door for the public to view. Document through a photo and/or write down the final polling site results: how many people voted, who they voted for.
READ MORE AND TAKE ACTION!

"Who Counts in Ohio?" ~ @freepressorg #ohio

Who Counts in Ohio?
by Bob Fitrakis
Investigative reporter Bob Fitrakis tells what he and the FreePress.org team have found about Romney's links to the electronic voting machine company that will be counting and tabulating votes in Hamilton County, a key swing county and swing state Ohio.
COMPLETE ARTICLE

"Will your vote even get counted?" ~ @freepressorg #ohio

Will Your Vote Even Get Counted?
by Sheila Parks
In next week’s presidential elections women could, in effect, lose ownership of their bodies if the Romney-Ryan ticket, with its hard right stance wins. Even if Romney loses it will be a sad day for women in some quarters if candidates such as Akin and Mourdock, with their frightening, absurdist and fundamentalist leanings, are successful.
COMPLETE  ARTICLE

"As Ohio Faces vote-rigging lawsuit, are dems, liberals, election officials ready to safeguard votes?" ~ @freepressorg #ohio

As Ohio Faces vote-rigging lawsuit, are dems, liberals, election officials ready to safeguard votes?
by Art Levine
There's mounting fall-out from reports, first broken by The Free Press, that a Mitt Romney-linked company owns the Hart Intercivic voting machines used in key counties in Colorado, Ohio and other states. The stories have stoked new fears about a "stolen" election.
READ THE ARTICLE

"OHIO – VOTE HEIST 2012?" ~ @freepressorg #ohio

OHIO – VOTE HEIST 2012?
by Ecological Options Network
A Columbus press conference on election fraud risks with Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein, Vice Presidential candidate Cheri Honkala, and FreePress.org editor and Green senatorial candidate Bob Fitrakis at the Ohio State House, Oct. 2, 2012.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

"Another Husted dirty trick in #Ohio: SOS admits direct reporting function of untested election software" ~ @freepressorg

Another Husted dirty trick in Ohio: Secretary of State's Office admits direct reporting function of untested election software
by Gerry Bello and Bob Fitrakis
Citizen concerns about untested software have multiplied since the Columbus Free Press broke the news that Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted's office installed uncertified and untested software on the central vote tabulation machines in up to 39 counties in the state.
COMPLETE ARTICLE

November 02, 2012

Important notice from Department of Justice about Election Fraud



From: USDOJ-Office of Public Affairs (SMO) (JMD) 
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2012 2:33 PM
To: USDOJ-Office of Public Affairs (SMO) (JMD)
Subject: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR POLLS IN 23 STATES ON ELECTION DAY



________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                     CRT
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2012                                                                  (202) 514-2007
WWW.JUSTICE.GOV                                                                        TTY (866) 544-5309

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO MONITOR POLLS IN 23 STATES
ON ELECTION DAY
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that its Civil Rights Division plans to deploy more than 780 federal observers and department personnel to 51 jurisdictions in 23 states for the Nov. 6, 2012, general election.
            Although state and local governments have primary responsibility for administering elections, the Civil Rights Division is charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot on Election Day. 
            In the days leading up to and throughout Election Day, Civil Rights Division staff members will be available by telephone to receive complaints related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws (toll free 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767 or TTY 1-877-267-8971).  In addition, individuals may also report such complaints by fax to 202-307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov and by a complaint form on the department’s website: www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/.  
            Allegations of election fraud are handled by the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country and the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.  Complaints may be directed to any of the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the local FBI offices or the Public Integrity Section at 202-514-1412.
            Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the department has regularly sent observers and monitors around the country to protect the rights of voters.  The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group.  In addition, the act requires certain covered jurisdictions to provide language assistance during the election process.  Under the Voting Rights Act, the department is authorized to ask the Office of Personnel Management to send federal observers to areas that have been certified for coverage by a federal court or the attorney general.  The department also may send its own staff to monitor elections in other jurisdictions.
On Election Day, federal observers will monitor polling place activities in 17 jurisdictions:
    • Russell County, Ala.;
    • Maricopa County, Ariz.;
    • Alameda County, Calif.;
    • Riverside County, Calif.;
    • Randolph County, Ga.;
    • East Carroll Parish, La.;
    • Panola County, Miss.;
    • Colfax County, Neb.;
    • Sandoval County, N.M.;
    • Orange County, N.Y.;
    • Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
    • Lorain County, Ohio;
    • Williamsburg County, S.C.;
    • Shannon County; S.D.;
    • Dallas County, Texas;
    • Fort Bend County, Texas; and
    • Jefferson County, Texas.
Justice Department personnel will monitor the election in an additional 34 jurisdictions:
    • Mobile County, Ala.;
    • Pima County, Ariz.;
    • Arapahoe County, Colo.;
    • Denver;
    • Duval County, Fla.;
    • Hendry County, Fla.;
    • Hillsborough County, Fla.;
    • Lee County, Fla.;
    • Miami-Dade County, Fla.;
    • Orange County, Fla.;
    • Osceola County, Fla.;
    • Chicago & Cook County, Ill.;
    • LaPorte County, Ind.;
    • Finney County, Kan.;
    • Detroit & Hamtramck, Mich.;
    • Alamance County, N.C.;
    • Wake County, N.C.;
    • Bernalillo County, N.M.;
    • Cibola County, N.M.;
    • Queens County, N.Y.;
    • Franklin County, Ohio;
    • Hamilton County, Ohio;
    • Allegheny County, Pa.;
    • Chester County, Pa.;
    • Delaware County, Pa.;
    • Lehigh County, Pa.;
    • Philadelphia;
    • Richland County, S.C.;
    • Davidson County, Tenn.;
    • Shelby County, Tenn.;
    • Harris County, Texas; and
    • Milwaukee
            The observers and department personnel will gather information on, among other things, whether voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group; whether jurisdictions are complying with the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act; whether jurisdictions permit voters to receive assistance by a person of his or her choice if the voter is blind, has a disability, or is unable to read or write; whether jurisdictions allow voters with disabilities to cast a private and independent ballot; whether jurisdictions comply with the voter registration list requirements of the National Voter Registration Act; and whether jurisdictions comply with the provisional ballot requirements of the Help America Vote Act.  To assist in these inquiries, the department has deployed observers and monitors who speak Spanish and a variety of Asian and Native American languages.  Both the federal observers and department personnel will coordinate monitoring activities, and department attorneys maintain contact with local election officials.
Last month, the Justice Department announced efforts to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation or fraud in the election process.  More information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting and election-related laws is available on the Civil Rights Division’s website at www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting.
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DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE.  IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE USE THE CONTACTS IN THE MESSAGE OR CALL THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT 202-514-2007.

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