Temporary Restraining Order in Hocking County Litigation Extended for 1 Month While Parties Proceed to Mediation

Agreement has been reached in the Hocking County Litigation, brought by The Alliamce for Democracy to bar Hocking County's board of elections from taking further proceedings to remove Sherole Eaton in violation of the Public Meetings Law, to extend the temporary restraining order to August 15th, while the parties proceed to seek mediation of the dispute.
http://www.ohiohonestelections.org/

'Criminal Complaint Filed in Hocking Co Against BOE Director Lisa Schwartze for Shredding Up To 10,000 Registration Documents' -Columbus Free Press

According to a report in the Columbus Free Press, a criminal complaint has been filed in Hocking County against Lisa Schwartze, the Director of the Hocking County Board of Elections, over her alleged shredding of up to 10,000 registration documents:

"Ten Thousand Voter Registration Documents May Have Been Shredded in Hocking County, Ohio

"July 13, 2005

"Members of the Progressive Ohio Backbone Campaign ... on Monday morning, July 11, ... filed criminal charges with the Hocking County Sheriff’s Department against the county’s Board of Elections (BOE) Director Lisa Schwartze.

".... The charges filed against Schwartze.... pertain to her alleged illegal shredding of election documents, the Free Press has learned.

"Sherole Eaton, the fired Hocking County BOE deputy director and Congressional whistleblower, who swore an affidavit against a Triad company technician for allegedly offering a cheat sheet and replacing the county’s central voting tabulator hard drive during last year’s presidential recount, says that Schwartze may have destroyed up to “ten thousand documents.”

"“I told her that she couldn’t shred and delete the changes of addresses that were coming in from registered voters during the election year, but she wouldn’t listen to me,” Eaton explained, “In order for Lisa to destroy those documents, she’s got to go to the Board of Elections, state officials, and then ask the Ohio Historical Society if they want them. And even then, she can only destroy them according to a public records retention schedule that requires they are kept for four years.”

"Eaton says that all investigators would have to do is ask Schwartze for hard copies of the change of address forms to verify her allegations.

For the complete text of the article go to http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2005/1164

Portland, Oregon, September 30th - October 2, 2005 - National Election Reform Conference

National Election Reform Conference in Portland

Speaker & Agenda Planning

Announcement and Call for Presenters for a National Election Reform Conference

Event Details:

--Dates: Friday, September 30, 2005 through Sunday, October 2, 2005

--Location: Portland, Oregon

--Sponsored by: Oregon Voter Rights Coalition and the Alliance for Democracy

--Hosted by: PSU Campus Pacific Greens, PSU College Democrats, PSU Democracy Matters

Conference Goals:

--To bring together grassroots election reform organizations, legislators, election officials, news media, and the general public to share best practices and innovative solutions for election reform.

--To focus on solutions and empower participants with knowledge and tools to effect real election reform.

--To provide a non-partisan and safe venue for discussing diverse opinions and alternatives for achieving clean elections.

Keynote speakers for the conference will include national leaders in the fight to restore democracy, honesty and accuracy to the American election system. The conference format will include a combination of keynote speakers, session speakers, panel presentations, training workshops, and poster presentations

For further information: http://www.oregonvrc.org

"Open Records" Request Filed in Lucas County on July 7th

An "Open Records" Request has been filed by activists with Lucas County on July 7th. For a copy of the request go to http://ohioelection2004.com/WordHost/lucascountyopenrecordsrequest_2005july7.doc

Battle in Hocking County over Sneak Meeting by Board of Elections

88 South Market Street

Logan, Ohio

11:00 am.

Progressive Ohio Backbone Campaign members will travel to Hocking County this morning to be part of complaints being filed by Hocking County Democrats against the Hocking County Board of Elections (BOE) and it's director Lisa Schwartze.

A complaint against the entire board relates to the board calling today's meeting without adequate public notification. Legal matters are the topic of today's hastily called meeting.

Last Tuesday, at a public BOE meeting, Progressive Ohio Backbone Campaign members and others from the Columbus area, witnessed the director of the BOE admit she used the BOE office for Republican Party fund-raising.

Three of these witnesses intend to join Hocking Democrats today to file affidavits with county prosecutor Larry Beal regarding complaints against BOE Director Lisa Schwartze.

In addition, the witnesses intend to take part in complaints being filed against Schwartze with the Ohio Secretary of State and federal officials.

Progressive Ohio Backbone Campaign member Ed Sisson will accompany the witnesses to document proceedings. However, all are encouraged to bring recorders and cameras, etc.

For further information contact

Clifford Arnebeck - Alliance for Democracy - (614) 224-8771

Alex Rodriguez - Ohio Honest Elections Campaign (917) 697-7922

Susan Truitt - Citizens Alliance for Secure Elections (614) 224-6734

Bob Fitrakis - Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism (614) 224-6593

Harvey Wasserman - Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism (614) 224-8021

Portland, Oregon, Saturday, July 16th, 2 PM - 5 PM. "Corporate Takeover of America's Elections -- Does Your Vote Count?"

The "End Corporate Personhood" group of First Unitarian Church presents:

A Dialogue with Thom Hartmann and Attorney Paul Lehto:
"The Corporate Takeover of America's Elections -
Does Your Vote Count?"

Date: Saturday, July 16, 2005

Time: Presentation: 2:00-4:00 p.m. / Questions: 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Price: $5-$15 suggested (No one turned away for lack of funds)

Place: First Unitarian Church, Main Street Sanctuary, corner of S.W. Main
and 12th,
Portland, OR (Allow extra time to find downtown parking)

Approximately one-third of the votes in the 2004 election were cast on
paperless electronic voting machines, leaving voters unable to know if their
vote was recorded as intended. Computers programmed by four private
corporations counted nearly 100% of votes (including Oregon's) in the 2004
election. These corporations have highly partisan political and financial
conflicts of interest, yet we are expected to trust them to count our votes.

Voting systems companies require election officials to sign contracts to
protect company trade secrets. These private contracts prohibit anyone, even
election officials, from viewing software source code used to count votes in
secret. Public monitoring of vote counting, our right by law, is eliminated.
Thousands of computer voting system irregularities were reported during the
last three elections, but evidence is kept secret on corporate hard drives
while we are told there is "no solid evidence" of problems. Meanwhile, our
election outcomes and our democracy are left in doubt.

Thom Hartmann, local KPOJ and national progressive radio talk show host, is
a best-selling author of 15 books. He has written extensively on corporate
dominance and corruption of our democratic processes, and on the serious
threat posed to democracy by corporate controlled electronic elections.

Paul Lehto is an Everett, WA attorney and author of a paper on election
irregularities in Snohomish County, WA, involving Sequoia paperless
electronic voting machines. Sequoia's claim of proprietary trade secrets
thwarted further investigation and led to his lawsuit stating the law
provides the public the right to observe and monitor vote counting.

For more information contact: Marcia Meyers, 503-665-3957
Or visit: www.thomhartmann.org or www.votersunite.org or ecporegon.org

For PDF flyer: ecporegon.org (events)

Brad Blog - A - Thon July 8th - 11th

From Friday, July 8th, to July 11th, the Brad Blog will host an online Brad Blog-A-Thon.

Kat L'Estrange, outstanding election rights activist, is working with the show, and guests will include David Cobb, Bob Fitrakis, Bernie Ellis, Clint Curtis, Robert Koehler, and others with lots of insight to share on the stolen 2004 election.

It's at www.BradBlog.com

Programming relating to the 2004 election will include:

-Saturday, July 9th

11 AM - 1 PM EDT David Cobb

-Sunday, July 10th

11 AM - 1 PM EDT Robert Koehler

1 PM - 3 PM EDT Bob Fitrakis

5 PM - 7 PM EDT Clint Curtis

Bernie Ellis date & time TBD.

Background:

First Annual Brad Blog Blogathon and Fundraiser to Occur This Coming Friday Through Monday at The Brad Blog (www.BradBlog.com)

Los Angeles, CA -- July 7, 2005 – A unique effort to combine fundraising with special guest blogging by some of the bright lights in the progressive movement will take place on the popular Brad Blog, website of investigative blogger Brad Friedman. The event will begin this Friday at 3:00 PM PDT and is scheduled to continue until the following Monday at 6:00 PM PDT. Guest bloggers will include recent Green Party Presidential candidate David Cobb; national award-winning journalist and Tribune Media Services editor Robert Koehler; whistleblower for the alleged Tom Feeney/Yang Enterprises, Inc. Vote-Rigging Scandal, Clint Curtis; and attorney, author and voting rights activist Bob Fitrakis, to name just a few of the notables who have agreed to volunteer their time and efforts to promote this novel idea. At designated times, most of these guest bloggers will be available “live” on-line at the site to respond directly to reader questions and comments.

The event was conceived and planned and will be produced on BradBlog.com by a number of fans of the the blogsite. While many blogs allow readers and guests to post their pieces and commentaries on the site, it is rather unprecedented for a blogger to turn over his entire blogsite to a group of his readers, at their request, to run an event of this fashion. The event will also attempt to provide a forum to advance issues and concerns of the progressive community that, they feel, are not being covered by the corporate owned, mainstream media, even when these issues would seem to be of critical importance in promoting an informed democracy.

While most blogsites solicit donations and advertising, very few, if any, have major corporate sponsorship, and many reject the potential compromises that might accompany such sponsorships. This can make it an ongoing struggle for bloggers to make ends meet, while trying to do the job that they feel the well-financed mainstream media is failing to do. Mr. Friedman also hosts the Brad Show on Raw Radio and is a co-founder of VelvetRevolution.us, an umbrella group designed to coordinate the actions of progressive organizations. These projects are also currently primarily reader and listener supported. It is the hope of the planners of this event that reader organized efforts of this nature will serve as a model for other progressive blogsites to raise funds and thereby help maintain the kind of independent and alternative voices that blog readers perceive as a counter to the Corporate Media.

A downloadable flyer for this event is available at: http://www.bradblog.com/Docs/BradBlogathon2005.doc (MS-Word Version) or
http://users.tm.net/vis/bradblogathon2005.html (JPEG Version)

Seattle, Washington, Thursday July 14th -- 7:00 PM -- Fair & Honest Elections Community Forum

FAIR & HONEST ELECTIONS

Community forum with

Speakers, Video, and Discussion

Thursday, July 14, 2005, 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.

Southwest Community Center, 2801 S.W. Thistle, West Seattle

FREE! Public invited! Refreshments!

Derek Stanford - Consultant with Seattle Statistical Research, volunteer lobbyist with FareStart and SEAMEC, board member of Washington Public Campaigns, www.washclean.org

Gail Jonas - Citizen activist and California attorney who led a delegation of observes to Ohio in November 2004 to investigate the National Election, and was involved with Election Protection Coalition.

Video documenting how public campaigns work, featuring Bill Moyers

Sponsored by South End Neighbors for Peace and West Seattle Neighbors for Peace and Justice. For further information contact John Repp at jmrepp@comcast.net or 206-932-9522

Flyer

Temporary Restraining Order Issued by Court in Alliance for Democracy v. Hocking County Board of Elections

A copy of the temporary restraining order issued by the court on July 5th, in Alliance for Democracy v. Hocking County Board of Elections:

http://ohioelection2004.com/PDFHost/july5th2005tro_re_sheroleeaton.pdf

Motion to Prevent Hocking County from Terminating Sherole Eaton Without Compliance with Public Meetings Law

The Alliance for Democracy has brought a lawsuit to prohibit the Hocking County Board of Elections from Attempting to Terminate Deputy Director Sherole Eaton without compliance with Ohio's Public Meetings Law.

Copy of motion papers