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is occurring all over the country, in the form of Absentee Ballot voting--in effect, a citizen revolt against the machines--I do see hope, and also the outlines of a strategy for achieving transparent vote counts. I think that what this huge increase in AB voting is telling us is that a lot of people are now onto the rigged electronics, and are trying to DO something about it, to get around the rigged system. The election reform movement has been very successful at raising consciousness, but it has not been successful at coming up with a STRATEGY for achieving our goal.
So here's the strategy: Mobilize all these many new rebellious voters to put pressure on LOCAL election officials to, a) HAND COUNT the Absentee Ballots, and b) POST the results BEFORE any electronics are involved. This is what Absentee Ballot voters WANT, and these are quite modest, common sense demands for this big block of voters. I think it's doable. And, as we succeed with this, more and more people will vote by AB, because that will be the only way to get your counted. (AB voting is already up to 50% and 60% in some places--in Calif, half the voters in the entire state are voting by AB!) (That's a lot of citizen clout.) Then, if necessary--and if we can--extend these two simple principles to the optiscan ballots (count the ballots, post the results before they are sent to the central electronic tabulators).
Thus, we create a paper ballot system BY DEFAULT. This strategy avoids a head-on collision with the chief obstacle to transparent vote counting, the billions of dollars in e-voting contracts (which has affected both Dem and Repub election officials and legislators). Let them keep their big contracts and lobbying perks and all the rest, but gradually erode the power of TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code--which is owned and controlled by Bushite corporations--by organized AB voting groups in each county demanding that THEIR votes be treated as the AB voters want them to be--counted and posted apart from the electronic system.
Another aspect to this Absentee Ballot rebellion that appeals to me: It's like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in the sense that, if you don't like this system that is oppressing you, STOP USING THEIR SEGREGATED BUSSES. Walk to work instead. If you don't like this rigged voting system, STOP ENDORSING IT BY VOTING ON THEIR MACHINES! Every time you willingly vote on their machines, you give more power to Diebold and ES&S to corrupt our democracy. They may be scanning your Absentee Ballot right into the rigged electronics, but why COOPERATE with this? Why endorse it? Why not fight it, REFUSE to vote on these machines, and DEMAND that YOUR ballot--and those of all other AB voters--be hand-counted?
It's a REBELLION. That's what I love about it. So let's help empower these latter day Rosa Parkses--who are refusing to vote on the goddamned rigged machines--and are doing so in such big numbers--and give this movement some leadership and focus. It is gift to election reform activists --a gift from the People.
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