Crooks and Liars
Our weekly clip series was featured today on one of the best-read national blogs - crooksandliars.com:
Each week until the election the producers of Uncounted - The New Math of American Elections, will release a clip from the film because now, more than ever, people need to see stories that will motivate them to stand up and help save our democracy.
They featured Week 3 of the series, “Why Diebold’s Disreputable Distinction is Dead On Deserved” (The Story of Bruce Funk). Week 2 was the story of Clint Curtis, aka “Million Dollar Programmer,” and Week 1 was “Whistleblowers Should Have Their Own Trading Cards. With Bubblegum,” aka the story of Steve Heller.
Add Crooksandliars.com to your list of daily blogs to visit if you don’t go there already. They do a fantastic job of pointing out the hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty of our elected officials as well as the unending failings of the corporate media.
Why Diebold’s Disreputable Distinction is Dead On Deserved
Ex-Emory County, Utah County Clerk, Bruce Funk, is the kind of man you wish was your grandfather - soft-spoken, kind, and able to recognize what has been called “the nuclear bomb of security flaws” in Diebold’s electronic voting machines.
Unfortunately, no one had Bruce Funk’s back and even though he blew the whistle and saved the 2006 election from a complete meltdown, he was treated as a pariah instead of a hero.
Citizen Funk, unfortunately, is rare bird. But imagine if he wasn’t? Imagine if every county clerk and election commissioner followed his lead and made the integrity of our elections their number one priority. Imagine if they all realized that asking pertinent and thorough questions about the security of our voting equipment is part of the awesome responsibility that is their job. Imagine if they didn’t consider the fallout from doing the right thing.
Bruce Funk has every right to be a bitter man. Instead, he can’t think of anything more important to do with his life than to continue to work to save our democracy.
See? Just like your grandfather…
Must Read: Influx of Voters Expected to Test New Technology
Ian Urbina of the New York Times has written an article about the problems that could occur during the November election. And although it doesn’t offer concrete solutions, it is a must read for every voter for it sheds some much needed light on what to expect on election day and can help us work towards alleviating some of the problems that might occur.
In the article, Urbina covers:
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Heavy turnout, Long lines, Not enough poll workers, New statewide databases to verify voter registration, Increased wait time and long lines due to electronic voting machines, Reduction of wait times and long lines due to paper ballots, Adequate number of ballots, Paper backups in case of machine malfunction, Ballot design flaws, Early voting, Purging of voter rolls, Influx of new registrations, High turnover of state election directors, Uninformed distribution of machines and ballots (esp. in swing states like Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, which lack uniform rules for distributing machines and ballots), No fault absentee voting, Lack of oversight of the purging of voter rolls
And while it is thorough, there are a few red flags:
Advocacy groups have encouraged voters to check their registration with election officials at least two weeks before the polls open.
Two weeks before the election is too late, especially in states where the cut off for registering is at least a month before the election. Please find out when voter registration ends in your state and check your registration accordingly.
I’m concerned about the weak spots,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the United States Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting. “So much depends on whether there will be enough poll workers, whether they are trained enough and whether their state and county election directors give them contingency plans and resources to handle the unexpected.
It’s always a red flag when an election official picks a particular problem to focus on because it appears to make it easier, after the election, for that official to blame any shenanigans on that particular problem. We’ve already seen Louisiana officials singling out and blaming newly registered voters for problems that might occur on election day.
But poll workers will have to explain the system to new voters and make certain to print and distribute enough paper ballots for each polling place. In the past, shortages of paper ballots or electronic machines have been a common cause of long lines and people leaving the polling places without voting, said Adam Fogel, a program director at FairVote, a voting rights advocacy group.
“For us, the issue isn’t what type of machines will be used but how they are distributed,” Mr. Fogel said.
What this excerpt leaves out is that in the past - particularly in Ohio in 2004 - voting machines were distributed in such a way as to create a modern day Jim Crow effect - systematically eliminating the votes of minorities. (Watch the Uncounted Jim Crow Segment for more detail).
Solutions that can be implemented prior to November:
- Organize or volunteer for a voter registration drive or GOTV initiative
- Encourage follow up on new registrations to make sure they have been prcessed and processed correctly
- Know the specific ID laws and other rules that govern elections in your state.
- Volunteer as a Poll Worker and know the rules.
- Volunteer as a Poll Watcher and know the rules.
- Fight back against intimidation - never let anyone tell you that you cannot vote.
Organizations mentioned in the article that can be helpful:
If you’d like to find a voting rights advocacy group in your area, Google your state and/or city and “election integrity,” “voting rights,” or “voter registration drive.”
Million Dollar Programmer
Note from David Earnhardt, “Uncounted” filmmaker: Each week until the election we will release a clip from UNCOUNTED because now, more than ever, people need to see stories that will motivate them to stand up and help save our democracy. Please spread these clips around - to the bleary-eyed and the overworked and the uninspired and the skeptical. This week we offer the story of whistleblower, Clint Curtis, who did more than simply recognize the right thing to do.
Click Here to Watch The Clint Curtis Video
“Mr. Curtis,” said the questioner at the U.S. House Judiciary Committee proceedings, “are there programs that can be used to secretly fix elections?”
And so begins the story of Clint Curtis - computer programmer, Floridian, Republican - who was asked by the company he worked for to create a vote-rigging software prototype that he assumed would be used to try and “catch” would-be fraudsters. It was a standard “opposition research” assignment - or so he was told. The truth, of course, was something completely different and weaves into a tangled web the 2000 Presidential Election debacle, a now-sitting U.S. Congressman, and the number one threat to our national security - electronic voting.
Clint’s story doesn’t end with his resignation from his former company. Nor does it end with the offer of one million dollars to simply go away.
No, Clint Curtis’ story ends with his taping up his hands, putting on his gloves, and a-bobbing and a-weaving right straight into that big ol’ boxing ring that sits smack in the middle of the political arena.
And because he grew up thinking you’re supposed to do the right thing regardless of party affiliation, Clint is still fighting to this day.
Clint Curtis knows that there are secret software programs that can be used to fix elections. How? Because he built one. And he also believes that there are people who will use these programs to try and fix elections. Why? Because he blew the whistle on one. Lastly, Clint understands that the number one threat to our democracy is electronic voting machines. Where? All over the country.
(Photo: Clint Curtis Testifies. Say it, Brother!)
Felonious Bunk
You can’t throw a rock on the information superhighway* these days without hitting a story about the troubled financial institutions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But what about Votey McVotersons and our troubled democracy? Shouldn’t we (and by “we,” I mean “we the people”) be as concerned with Votey as we are with Fannie and Freddie?
Ohio attorney Cliff Arnebeck, himself a victim of voter suppression attempts in Ohio in 2006, is very concerned. As is computer security expert and Republican, Stephen Spoonamore, who along with Cliff held a press conference yesterday that they hope will go a long way in protecting the integrity of the 2008 election.
Steve Heller listened in to the conference and has all the details cross-posted at Velvet Revolution, Velvet Revolution’s Election Protection Strike Force, and BradBlog.
Arnebeck has asked that a stay placed on an election case filed in 2004 be lifted, and Spoonamore, will serve as his expert witness, having a tremendous amount of experience in data security.
The case, as well as Arnebeck’s allegations, weave a fascinating web that involves GOP operatives in Ohio and Washington (does the name Karl Rove mean anything to you?) and both Arnebeck and Spoonamore note that the fraudulent patterns evident in the 2004 election should have triggered an investigation.
And it would have IF the state of our democracy was as important to some people as the state of our economy. Instead, the almighty dollar is protected by oversight and audits and investigations while our democracy is left to languish unprotected from the security flaws that make hijacking an election easy.
You’ve heard the proponents of electronic voting say it’s too expensive to replace the bad machines with an election system that includes oversight and audit capabilities. Who’s going to pay for it, they whine. Really? That’s the type of short-sighted nonsense you’re concerned with?
The economic health of this country is no more important than the health of our democracy. They are equally important - and seriously intertwined, as noted in the following clip - taken from the Uncounted DVD extras - of Bruce O’Dell, who is entrusted to work securing extensive financial transactions. In it, O’Dell reiterates the point Spoonamore made during yesterday’s conference - if what goes on with our election systems went on in the banking environment, alarm bells would be ringing, evidence would be collected, investigations would be flying, and the press would be on it. And why.
*Not Recommended - Monitor damage potential is high.
Have You See This Funny Bone?
In today’s National Journal, John Mercurio writes about the sense of humor gone missing from Obama campaign in light of the recent controversial New Yorker cover. Not seeing what the big whoop is, he apologizes for “weighing in at this late juncture,” writing, “Such are the perils of a weekly column. I promise to try to break new ground.”
And so he does. Unfortunately, it’s really inane ground:
There’s another reason the response could backfire. Obama’s at risk of falling into the same personality straitjacket that, rightly or wrongly, bound Gore and Kerry as humor-challenged, stiff and incapable of self-mockery. Say what you want about hanging chads in Florida or uncounted ballots in Ohio. George W. Bush never would have been president if more voters had believed Gore and Kerry had a sense of humor.
(Go ahead. Read it again. I’ll wait ’cause I know you don’t believe your eyes.)
Truth is, John, George W. Bush never would have been president if more journalists from publications like, say, the National Journal, had done more investigative reporting on the hanging chad (the plural of chad is chad) in Florida and the uncounted ballots in Ohio (Not to mention exit poll discrepancies and widespread instances of voter suppression) instead of controversial cartoons that, while interesting water cooler discussion, mean absolutely nothing for the health of our democracy. Just sayin’…
Hey! We Resemble That Remark! (And so do some of you…)
The Nashville-based alt-weekly, the Nashville Scene, released their annual, “You are So Nashville If…” issue and one particular entry caught our eye and elicited a very audible groan:
You’ll trust your vote to a computer but would rather have Ping-Pong balls for your lottery numbers.
–Ilissa Gold
The back story is that while the committed Election Integrity activists of Tennessee’s Gathering to Save Our Democracy were breaking their necks trying to get our state legislators to recognize the inherent lack of integrity of our electronic voting machines, one such state rep was more concerned with the integrity of our lottery (read about Mumpower’s Balls).
Yeah, yeah. We know.
Putting the Joy(ner) in Election Day
Radio personality Tom Joyner is urging young black Americans to volunteer to work at the polls in November.
Prospective volunteers can contact the Election Assistance Commission or call the toll-free number (1-866-747-1471) for details. Prospective poll workers can also contact their states directly.
Source: Jackie Jones, BlackAmericaWeb.com
Be the Ballot
Some used to say that the least you could do in a participatory democracy such as ours is to vote. But now, with the sharp and painful memory of 2000, 2004, and 2006 election day shenanigans still fresh in our minds, we have to do so much more. We have to be the Dr. Phils of voting and take a pro-active approach to our most precious right.
To that end, journalist and author Steve Rosenfeld has written Count My Vote – A Citizen’s Guide to Voting, a book which is sure to help people navigate through the many road blocks that have been thrown up between them and the voting booth.
Last week Joan Brunwasser of OpEdNews posted an interview with Steve and this week she posts a sneak preview:
Count My Vote Issues and Solutions
1. ISSUE: New statewide voter databases.
Voters whose names have changed as a result of marriage, divorce, or other reasons; whose names are hyphenated; or who have recently moved, cannot assume the new statewide voter lists have correctly included them. The same is true for people who have not voted in recent elections; they may have been purged from voter lists. The solution, no matter where you live, is to contact your local election office and verify your voter registration.
To do this, go this website (overseasvotefoundation.org) and use their “election official directory” to find out who to call in your locale. Verify your registration information is correct. If something is wrong, ask to fix it.
2. ISSUE: Voter ID requirements.
Voters should find out in advance what type of ID their state requires and bring it with them on Election Day. A healthy supply of patience may also come in handy, since voter hotlines during the primaries reported that some poll workers were unsure which IDs were acceptable and asked voters to wait while they checked.
3. ISSUE: Paperless electronic voting machines (DREs)
Voters can make sure their e-voting machines are working properly. The websites of many secretaries of state now have demos of voting machines so voters can get a visual preview of touch-screen voting. VerifiedVoting.org has a web-based tool that allows voters to identify the type of voting machines used in almost every county in the U.S., along with contact information for local election officials.
On Election Day, if you believe a machine is malfunctioning, you should stop and ask a poll worker for help before casting your ballot. If the problem persists, ask to use another machine. If you experience the same problem on a second DRE machine, ask to vote on a backup paper ballot, call a voter hotline for help (1-866-OUR-VOTE), and talk to a lawyer or trained staffer. You also can call the campaign office of the presidential candidate you support, since campaigns station observers in polling places. If your voting system has a VVPAT printer attached, you should verify that your vote is correctly recorded before submitting your ballot. Voters should use common sense and remember that voting is a right, not a privilege. Poll workers are there to help you—as long as they follow their state’s election laws.
4. ISSUE: Absentee ballot applications
Domestic registered voters must contact their county or state election office and request an absentee ballot. This can be done in person at county election offices or by mail. The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (nonprofitvote.org) allows people to click on their state and request absentee ballot applications. It also has instructions on how to submit those forms. Their website should be very useful for seniors. The OVF site’s directory of election officials has names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses. Applications may be available online at secretaries of state websites, and some states even attach them to sample ballots sent out before an election.
5. ISSUE: Standing up for your voting rights
Hang on to the documents you use to register, or make copies, so come Election Day you have a folder of paperwork you can grab on your way to the polls. If you are among the few who run into database errors, missing registration information, incorrect voter purges, or any other obstacle—including political party volunteers challenging your registration—you will be prepared to prove that you are a legal, registered voter.
6. ISSUE: Long lines, confused poll workers
Poll workers are ordinary citizens doing a time-consuming and tedious job. Many have been at it for years, and untold thousands across the nation do a fine job. While they undergo regular training, some are not always as competent as the public would like. The fine points of using the newest voting systems or enforcing the newest laws account for many of the “competency” complaints that voter hotlines receive during the primary season. It is important for voters, especially in a high-turnout election, to take a deep breath and be patient and polite if problems arise.
If a member of another political party challenges a voter’s registration—which has been a Republican threat in recent presidential elections and is legal in battleground states such as Ohio and Indiana—keeping one’s cool will encourage poll workers to fairly settle the matter. If your voter registration is correct and up to date, you have nothing to worry about. The goal of such challenges is as much to create bottlenecks and delays (in the hopes that frustrated people will leave without voting) as it is to validate voters’ credentials. That partisan tactic is an unfortunate residue of the era in the American South when the governing class sought to minimize minority voter turnout.
Still, staying calm and collected when your vote appears jeopardized is sometimes easier said than done.
7. ISSUE: Voting in multiple-precinct polling places.
Some states are turning to so-called voter centers to replace local polling places. Voters need to be sure and stand in the correct line at these centers. They should know their precinct number and ask to be certain they’re in the right place—otherwise they may have to wait in line all over again. Also, in some states, such as Ohio, a voter who receives a provisional ballot must turn it in at the correct precinct—which can be one of several tables in a room. Before 2004, Ohio voters could turn in provisional ballots anywhere in their county.
8. ISSUE: Voter hotlines and legal assistance
If last-minute questions arise, two hotlines are available to help: 1-866-OUR-VOTE connects callers to a lawyer or a trained volunteer, and 1-866-MYVOTE1 offers precinct location information and allows callers to leave a message for local election officials. (Don’t forget to leave your name, address, and telephone number so voter advocates or election officials can call you back.) Staffers report that most of the calls received concern registration information and poll location. Both hotlines also contact the media to publicize problems and alert voters.
On some occasions, it might be necessary to notify the local board of election or election administrator’s office to try to rectify a problem. Should a problem require court intervention, a judge will first ask if all other avenues have been explored. It is not uncommon in these circumstances for local election officials, through their lawyers, to claim they never received any complaints.
Very useful stuff. Remember our motto: Never Let Anyone Tell You That You Can’t Vote!
When is Voter Suppression Funny?
When it’s satire, of course! Trudeau’s take is almost perfect. If he had added 2004 and 2006 to the next to the last panel, it would have been.
