Okay, so how's Kerry going to keep them from stealing it?

[JackRiddler]

Wonderful, Kerry's ahead of Bush in some poll.

Has he ever said anything about BBV? Diebold? The Holt bill? The idea that all methods of voting should produce a voter-verified paper trail?

When was the last time he mentioned the minor matter that 2000 was a stolen election?

What will be his strategy if there is another fix?

Let's say the Republicans steal it again, this time electronically. Let's say this can be proven to within a small margin of doubt, by demonstrating dramatic differences between the margins of victory in paper-ballot counties, as opposed to electronic counties...

What is Kerry going to do then? Be magnanimous and urge unity in his concession speech?

Or is Kerry going to address this now, while there is still time to assure the election will be honest?

Can anyone here tell us his position? Is anyone in his campaign thinking about this?

[yowzayowzayowza]

1. I've been interested in the same issue...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=334231

Still wondering if any of the Kerry campaign can shed any light on this topic.

[emulatorloo]

2. Call your local campaign and ask . . .

He has spoken about BBV on a few occasions, you can find links on his website at johnkerry.com

I remember at a debate around Iowa Caucus time he spoke about setting up a committee if he was nominee to ensure all votes counted re BBV. I have not been able to remember which debate it was, so I haven't been able to find the quote.

[SaddenedDem]

3. Iowa Black and Brown Presidential Debate Jan. 11, 2004

VIGIL-GIRON: Well, actually, these are directed to two people, if you don't mind, because this is very crucial, Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry. On the Help America Vote Act, Congress last year passed the Help America Vote Act, a bill designed to address the electoral problems that arose from the 2000 presidential election. While the states have the responsibility of implementing many of the provisions of the bill, the federal government has a key oversight and financial role to play in 2005 and beyond.

Secretaries of states, state legislators and elections officials across the country have already complained that many of the provisions of HAVA are unfunded mandates.

What will you do as president to assure elections officials that the federal government is committed to making the Help America Vote Act work as Congress intended?

Senator Edwards and then Senator Kerry.

EDWARDS: What I'll do as president is, first of all, fund the legislation, and second, make sure that every single person in America gets a chance to be on a voter registration roll and that they get a chance to vote no matter what the level of the community that they live in because we know what's happening here: President Bush has figured out -- you know, he had to go along with election reform, he didn't have any choice about that because he got dragged kicking and screaming to that. But he knows if this bill is funded, we're going to have people, particularly in poor areas, poor voting districts all over America who actually get a chance to exercise their right in this democracy. And I think he's got a pretty good idea of who they are going to vote for, don't you?

So it is critically important that we make the changes that need to be made to make sure everybody gets an opportunity to both register and vote and we don't have happen what happened in Florida in 2000.

HOLT: Senator Kerry, your response to that question?

KERRY: Thank you.

Madam Secretary, I should thank you for letting me get back in the debate, I appreciate it.

(LAUGHTER)

I will not only do what John has said, but I am not going to wait until I'm president.

KERRY: When I'm the nominee of the party, I intend to put together a legal team across this country. And we are going to prechallenge some of these automatic machines -- the Diebold machines -- where there have already been problems. And we're going to prechallenge and have a team across this country who are focused on those particular areas of the country where they are notorious about switching addresses, telling people they're not registered, intimidating people, and we will have the strongest democracy poll- watching effort in the history of this country so that every vote is counted so I can become president of the United States.

http://www.bbpresforum.org/2004forumtranscript.html

(and it's complete bullshit - way too little, way too late)

[emulatorloo]

4. THNX

It does sound pretty un-doable during 2004 election --- I can't imagine that any of the candidates can actually do something like this *until after* being elected.

[SaddenedDem]

5. They just don't GET it

They simply don't care to understand 2 things:

1. We can stand there all day long and watch the machines do nothing. You can no longer SEE THEM STEAL THE VOTES.

2. They simply will never be elected while these machines are in place.

With all the information available on this, with all the scientists who have spoken to this issue, with all the studies that have been done, the Democratic candidates (except Dennis Kucinich) don't care enough to find the FACTS.

There is simply no excuse for this.

[JackRiddler]

6. No, no it's better than nothing...

but "prechallenge" is vague. Keeping in mind this was a debate, has he made or will he make longer statements on the following?

1. Will he call for open source on all software involved?

2. Under what circumstances will he call for recounts?

3. Will he demand a verified paper trail for every vote?

4. What are the criteria for determining anomalies, fraud?

These are key questions. Furthermore:

5. What has he said about Coup 2000?

6. I'm kind of surprised at the lack of response to this thread. This is a big issue for DUers. Where are all the Kerry supporters?

I don't even know how the others stand. I know DK has been strong and HD has made some kind of similarly vague statement (his loss).

[yowzayowzayowza]

7. It does need to be fleshed out....

Once he is the presumptive nominee, Kerry will have moral standing to ask some the same questions of the ENTIRE electoral system that the current two BBV lawsuits are doing in WA and CA. By stating the need for "pre-challenge" he obviously is quite aware of what is at stake as well as what we are up against. Whether you agree with him on other issues or not, he needs ALL OR OUR SUPPORT on this one.

"It's easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar." -- Isaiah 7:18.

[yowzayowzayowza]

8. From Kerry website:

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_1206b.html

In light of the recent lawsuit regarding the Diebold Elections System, John Kerry also pledged to protect voter’s rights. During the 2000 election, 185,000 Florida ballots were not counted and voting machines armed with faulty technology failed to count the votes of 2,085 of its citizens.


"In 2000, here in Florida, democracy was trampled on, constitutional rights were denied and now heading into this election, we find out that Diebold Elections System, the maker of faulty high-tech voting machines, is promising to deliver Ohio its electoral votes to George W. Bush and the Republicans next year," said John Kerry. "Let me make it clear, we’re the Democratic Party that stands up for civil rights. We didn’t break the back of Jim Crow to have the Republicans give us JimCrow.com. In 2004, we will make sure that every vote is counted and we will win."

Emphasis mine. That's all I've found on his website....

[Duder]

9. According to Aljazeerah:

...

So, when people start mentioning Votescam and rigged elections in the November election, all I can say is: why should the Controllers bother? Both of their candidates are already in the bag and will carry out the aims of those who are pulling their strings from behind the scenes. It’s good to have friends in all the right places, don’t you think?

George Bush & John Kerry: Blood Brothers

[maxanne]

10. every ballot

should be a paper ballot, counted by hand.


I hope we'll get some UN observers to come in and supervise the GE. They do it in other banana republics.

[dontstopthere]

11. bush refused to let the

UN inspect the 2002 voting.

[JackRiddler]

12. I see this is not inspiring a flood of concern

from the Kerry supporters. Why not?

[maxanne]

14. I hate to say it Jack

but it is possible that right now Kerry is benefiting from BBV.

[JackRiddler]

15. oh, I have considered that...

However, this would hardly implicate the majority of his real supporters on this site, would it? And on this site, everyone tends to be aware of the BBV problem. So why so few reactions?

[revcarol]

13. It seems that only Kucinich has taken the time to be informed on this

DISASTROUS problem in the making.

Kerry's gonna appoint a committee...now doesn't that just thrill you...when the KNOWN problems are already out there?

The more I look at this man the more I think he lives in an alternate universe.

[yowzayowzayowza]

16. Really?

"Kerry's gonna appoint a committee."

Naw, I'm sure hez gunna do it all personally. :eyes:

Gotta link or just more inane banter?