To those of you that are still angry with Kerry about the election ------>

[jillan]

In February, when Kerry was asking for your help to bring attention to the lack of transparency, and voting problems in the 2004 election, did you help him? Or did you just say "screw him" and ignore his request for help?

In case you have forgotten what I am talking about, I am talking about a piece of legislation that Kerry asked the grassroots community to co-sponsor...along with Barbara Boxer, Hillary, and Lautenberg.

Let me refresh your memory
Count Every Vote Act of 2005
On February 17th Senators John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer and Frank Lautenberg introduced S 450 the “Count Every Vote Act of 2005” to fully fund the Help America Vote Act, fund the activities of the Election Assistance Commission, and help states invest in better voting machines with paper trails.

The Count Every Vote Act of 2005 seeks to address concerns about the security of voting machines and the inability of the majority of voters who may use these machines to be able to adequately verify their vote and ensure that the vote they intended was both cast and counted. The act also addresses many other problems in our Federal election system – including long wait times in which to vote, the erroneous purging of voters, voter suppression and intimidation, and unequal access to the voting process – remain. The bill establishes, among other initiatives, a voter-verified paper trail for use by all individuals, including language minority voters, illiterate voters and voters with disabilities; and mandates national standards in a variety of areas, including the registration of voters and the counting of provisional ballots.

All provisions of this legislation are to be in effect no later than the November 2006 Federal election. The Count Every Vote Act requires that all provisions be in place for the next major election cycle in 2006.

Representatives from civil rights organizations and voting rights advocates have praised the legislation, including People For the American Way, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, NAACP, Common Cause, the National Voting Rights Institute, DEMOS and the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium.

The full text of the bill is available here.

You can find out more about this at a very familiar site
http://www.johnkerry.com/features/votingrights/

Maybe NOW would be a great time to send a message to Kerry by co-sponsoring this bill. Let him know that you agree, that something has to be done. Maybe by having alot of people sign up now, we can bring this back to the forefront.

You have to believe that Kerry didn't campaign like he did, and have moments like this to throw it all away.

[NVMojo]

1. I helped, that's why I can't figure out all the hateful anti-Kerry

accusations on this site. The freepers must be cracking up. This country is nutts.

[jillan]

2. I would like to see all this anger be used for a good cause

to stand united against voting fraud, and help Kerry with this legislation.

[seabeyond]

4. i dont get it either. i dont see anything during campaign that warrants

it. and i certainly dont see all he has done the last ten months he has done to warrant this hatred either. he has done more in congress than any three senators combined

[Canuckistanian]

3. He's going to need support on this

This doesn't sound like it's going to get support from any Republican as it is.

Education is the key. Let people know that this is important and the status quo is not acceptable.

Write your congressman. Let them know that this is NOT a "radical leftist" position. This affects every American, Republican or Democrat.
Lord knows, they'd be the ones screaming if they were on the losing end.

These are all issues of fairness and transparency that is desperately needed.

[elshiva]

5. Hiya. Thanks for the reminder.

I was never angry at Kerry. Still think he would have been the greatest president FOR GAY RIGHTS SO FAR, but that is one of the reasons he did not win. :(

[jillan]

6. More from Kerry asking for our help

Institute Ohio Report
Excerpts of Official Senate Statement

“It couldn't be more clear from this far reaching study that America has some serious work to do to strengthen our democracy and secure the fundamental rights of all our citizens. The findings of the Ohio Election Report strike at the core of our most cherished values of freedom and equal opportunity, and should concern every American no matter their political party, who they voted for or their racial and economic backgrounds.

“As we head into the 20005 and 2006 elections, I will work with the DNC and Democratic, Republican and Independent leaders across the country to implement the recommendations of this report and restore faith in American democracy. We must insist on reform at every level to stop voter suppression, strengthen voting rights and secure funding for election officials to purchase reliable and verifiable voting machines so that the discrepancies the voting rights team found in Ohio do not occur again.

“Protecting the right to vote isn't a Democratic or Republican value, it's an American value. Washington must pass reform like the Count Every Act of 2005, but we must also build a groundswell of support in communities across the country to hold elected leaders accountable for failing to protect the right to vote.

“I will share the results of this study with elected leaders across the country and the hundreds of thousands of Americans who volunteered on my campaign in 2004. I am also committed to working with civil rights leaders and community activists across the country to secure real investments of time and resources for voter education and training.

“Forty years ago, in August 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed by President Johnson. It was a landmark bi-partisan bill that allowed millions of Americans a true voice in our democracy. Forty years later as American troops put their lives on the line every day in the name of democracy across the world, we here at home must do everything we can to strengthen our democracy for all Americans.”

To view the full report from the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute on Conduct of 2004 Election in Ohio report, click here
http://www.johnkerry.com/features/count/dnc.html

[politicasista]

7. kick

:kick:

[jillan]

8. Kerry even spoke about this when he spoke at Rosa Parks funeral

"“It is our time to demand that every vote be counted and no voters be discounted because of the color of their skin - for Rosa Parks and for our country"

Wed. 11/02/05
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1032

[sepia_steel]

9. Ohhh watch out.

I got pretty much fried by a few for making a similar post earlier today.

edit: or rather, asking a similar question.

[kerrygoddess]

10. LOL!

The oil from deep frying is good for the skin! It makes it tough...

[zann725]

11. He needs to FIRST step forward NOW and admit the Election was stolen.

No more denial. THe timing is right.

Then I'll sign for support of his Election Reform bill. NOT before.

And that's NOT Kerry-bashing. It's taking the power of the Present, and using it. Instead of projecting to '06 or '08.

If he and GOre stepped forward NOW and spoke the truth about the TRUE '00 and '04 election results, that would do far more to a 35% approval rating Admin. than a bill 'hoping' to make future elections "fair."

"Speaking Truth to Authority (is Democracy)" Teresa said at Dem '04 Convention. And it's THAT time NOW.

[MH1]

13. He has spoken about Fraud. You are looking for EXACT WORDS

that meet your specific script? Otherwise you won't support him?

January, 2005 -
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=273&topic_id=49116&mesg_id=49130

Also posts elsewhere in this thread (and similar threads all over DU today) about more recent remarks.

[MH1]

12. EXACTLY. n/t