IndyOp's Journal - Inhibiting Election Fraud in 2006: Simple. Not easy. Very, very important.

I keep running into threads from people who want to know WHAT TO DO TO STOP THE THEFT OF THE 2006 elections!?!?!

Keep it simple: We want all eligible voters to vote, and for the votes to be cast and counted accurately. Stay 'on message' in everything you say and do.

It is not easy: There are many issues to think about and it can be hard knowing how to get started.

The simplest thing you can do: Donate to the excellent groups below!
To take further action, start here: Voter's Unite - Take Action!
Check for election justice groups in your state: Voter's Unite & VoteTrustUSA.org

Search for the ACLU and People for the American Way and NAACP contacts in your state -- these groups are working to enfranchise all eligible voters. (links below)

Search for the Common Cause and League of Women Voters' contacts in your state -- these groups are getting started working toward getting ballots cast and counted accurately. (links below)

Contact your local Democratic Party to find out what they know and what they are doing. They may need educating or they may already be rolling...

In my state (Indiana) ACLU and PFAW are not active in regards to elections. NAACP is working to protect voters in danger of being disenfranchised by Indiana's new Voter ID law. Common Cause-Indiana is just starting to get active. My local League of Women Voters is also just starting to learn and take action, too. I am working to get my local Democracy for America group and Democratic Party informed. They are already experts in voter registration and training people to participate as pollworkers or pollmonitors, so I am learning from them as I educate them about election fraud and voter disenfranchisement.

What if there aren't any groups in your state already working on election justice issues?

You have to jump in and start taking action without knowing everything about the subect.

Read the material on the excellent websites below.
Print out the best material and take it to your local Democratic Party, to Democratic candidates, to local progressive groups and educate them!
Contact election officials in your county or state by email, phone, private letter or LTTE to tell them your concerns, to tell them what you want.
Work with others to register eligible citizens to vote and educate them about their rights & responsibilities.
Work with others to learn about election laws & policies in your county & state.
Work with others to collaborate with/challenge election administrators in your county/state to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised, and to ensure that votes are cast and counted accurately.
Participate in elections as a pollworker or pollwatcher.
Conduct exit polls or parallel elections.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! GET EVERYONE YOU KNOW TO VOTE! We are most likely to catch cheating if there is massive, massive turnout.

Keep in mind: You cannot read everything before you begin taking action - the literature is voluminous. Also, the literature is 'general' -- you read about problems that have occurred across the nation and you read general recommendations. Then you have to educate yourself about your county/state -- and try to apply the general knowledge to your local situation. VotersUnite and VoteTrustUSA try to answer questions from people across the nation who want to be active in election justice. (If you will visit the DU Election Reform forum we will try to answer your questions, too!)

VotersUnite.org http://www.votersunite.org /
E-VOTING 2006: The Approaching Train Wreck * Mythbreakers: Facts About Electronic Elections * Voting system failures by vendor * Vote-Switching and Ballot Definition Problems * Handouts!

VoteTrustUSA.org http://www.votetrustusa.org /
Daily News * States: Indiana * Subscribe to the Election Integrity Weekly Newsletter * Poll Monitors and Poll Workers Guide to Electronic Voting

VerifiedVoting.org http://www.verifiedvoting.org /
Resolution on Electronic Voting * Election Administration Project: Best Practices for Reliable Election Systems. * Election Incident Reporting System (EIRS) * Election Protection Questionnaires: Local & State Election Officials, Pre-Election Testing

National Election Data Archive http://electionarchive.org
Democracy Will Survive If Candidates, Political Parties, and Voters Act. * For Candidates: Assure that Votes in Your Race Are Counted Accurately * For Political Parties: Synopsis: Assure Accurate Vote Counts * For Political Parties: Long: Help Ensure Vote Count Integrity * For Voters: What Voters Can Look For & Report On

ACLU: Voting Rights http://www.aclu.org/votingrights /
Working to make registration accessible and to protect minority voting rights. Tremendous legislative work on behalf of citizens impacted by gerrymandering.

NAACP: Project Vote http://projectvote.org/home.html
Check out the Election Administration Program and resources for Resources for Election Officals, Policy Makers, and Civic Participation Organizations

Voter Action http://www.voteraction.org /
Provides strategic and legal support to ensure verifiable, accurate and transparent voting systems. Has supported lawsuits in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania.

Common Cause http://www.commoncause.org /
Sponsors Vote for America, a non-partisan voter education and mobilization program. Go to the Common Cause site, locate the organizers for your state and contact them!

People for the American Way: Civic Participation http://www.pfaw.org /
Election Protection Program offers: volunteer poll monitors; civil rights lawyers and advocates who preserve access to the polls, expose and prevent voter intimidation; help working with election officials to identify and solve problems with new voting machines, technology and ballot forms.

League of Women Voters: Election Reform http://www.lwv.org /
American Democracy at Risk: Agenda for Renewal and Repair includes recommendations for election reform and advocates nonpartisan redistricting, safeguarding civil liberties; campaign finance reform.

Brennan Center for Justice http://www.brennancenter.org /
The Brennan Center report finds improper implementation of new voter registration databases could prevent millions from voting.

GET ACTIVE! You CAN make a difference!

Or - to borrow one of the credits at the end of "An Inconvenient Truth" - if you pray, keep in mind the African Proverb that says, "When you pray, move your feet!"

Edits: Grammar, spelling, bullet points!