If Obama wins can he change election laws?

[stark6935]

I mean, we need a federal based election law reform to totally put everyone at ease about the validity of their vote. Can Obama change laws to make sure everyone is counted fairly, and in a timely mannor?

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. Let me explain...we have something called a Congress in this country

whose job it is to make the laws. The executive guy? He executes the laws.

...

[stark6935]

3. The president sets the tone.

[FrenchieCat]

2. Legislation via congress.....

and yes, it can be done.

And yes, you can look forward to some changes.....
that being one of them.

Remember that Barack was the director of Project Vote in Chicago. He knows quite well the problems. He sponsored some bill on such while in the senate, but they went nowhere. Now they will! :)

[kestrel91316]

4. He enforces laws, being the head of the Executive Branch. Laws are

made by Congress, and he either signs them into law or vetoes them. But Congress writes/passes the laws.

[snowbear]

5. You are correct .. We need to get elections OUT of the hands of privatized companies..

I hope that as President, he'll be able to bring about that change..

[Bilyb]

6. He can change a lot with the House and Senate he's gonna get!

But probably won't be taking the state's power to decide how they vote away. That's pretty high up in the Constitution I believe. Until the US figures out it's 2008 and not 1760... we'll be fighting an uphill battle!

[billyoc]

7. States run the election, and that's the way it SHOULD be.

[Gregorian]

10. Why? I was under the impression a uniform federal election system would be better.

Now I'm curious.

[billyoc]

13. It protects you from a single corrupt federal administration.

You have to have 50 bad actors to ruin it if the states are in charge.

Besides, it would take a constitutional amendment to change it, so it's moot.

[Gregorian]

21. Not really. One or two key states is all it takes.

Of course you're right about that, in general. But in the case of paper, I can't see how they could mess it up. If they mandated DRE's it could be a total disaster.

I'm sure that there are other things I don't even have a clue about. But what we have now is enough of a disaster.

[snowbear]

12. We need the same system nationally, and one that is NOT privatized!

That's all..

[billyoc]

15. I agree that privatizing the vote is impossibly wrong, but "has to be the same"? Why?

Why do the people in Dixville Notch have to vote the same way the people in Dallas-Fort Worth do?

[Eric J in MN]

8. We should look to Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN).

Minnesota has Election Day Registration at the polls.

Ellison wants to make that national.

[MadMaddie]

9. Elections have to go federal we have run tests in 2000, 2004

and 2008 and privately owned voting machines have failed all quality tests.

Federalizing it is the only way to ensure that the code that runs the machines is clean and not corrupt.

The world must see that we are serious about our voting system in America.

[JJ]

11. I guess he'll be the decider now

[scheming daemons]

14. Tomorrow is 50 separate elections... elections are decided by each state individually

It is *NOT* a federal thing.


The constitution, and supreme court precedence, says that each state shall "appoint its electors in the manner of its choosing".


Bottom line: You can work to fix your own state... but that's about it.

[stark6935]

17. I just think it would be easier for the little guy to monitor

It would be easier for people to see the inconsistencies in the voting process if everything was the same.

[Gregorian]

22. Thanks. I keep forgetting to go back to that "piece of paper".

It shows my political immaturity. But I"m learning!

[Overseas]

16. Obama can't but he can inspire coordinated efforts to improve the integrity

of our national elections.

Election integrity is complicated by the rules being made by Secretaries of State. They're the ones who have purged hundreds of thousands of voters from the voting rolls. We have caught about one third of those incidents but not all of them.

Republicans are going to steal senate seats and congressional seats too.

So we do need an inspiring figure to push the country to coordinate our efforts and establish minimum national standards for clean elections-- paper ballots and systems subjected to random audits, for starters.


So stay in touch with election integrity groups after the elections to be sure we get cleaner ones in the future.

www.stealingamericathemovie.org = free download to see what has happened before.

www.stealbackyourvote.org = free pamphlet about how to handle election fraud as an individual

[stark6935]

18. Random Audits would be good.

[Overseas]

25. They've been part of clean elections in the past.

With paper ballots and optical scanning, random audits are a good check on the process.

[davepc]

19. It would take a constitutional amendment. And President Obama has bigger battles to fight.

Grass roots 50 state strategies work

And the organization is already in place nationally.

[stark6935]

20. If he loses this one will he have bigger battles to fight?

[davepc]

23. If he loses then he wouldn't be President Obama now would he?

[stark6935]

26. Which is why he will have plenty of time to raise the troops over it... Wouldn't he?

[AtomicKitten]

24. I vote hell yes on that.