How to Validate Your Own Elections,by Bev Harris, Black Box Voting

[kpete]

June 5, 2006

How to Validate Your Own Elections, Tips for CA Voters for tomorrow's primary
by Bev Harris, Black Box Voting

http://www.opednews.com

PERMISSION TO DISTRIBUTE AND REPRINT GRANTED, WITH LINK TO http://www.blackboxvoting.org

The California primary is Tuesday June 6. As they say, "Democracy is not a spectator sport." Dive in and do your part to oversee and document this important election.

This coming November, control of the U.S. Congress will be determined in a nationwide general election. Primary elections are your chance to practice citizen oversight activities. With its massive population, California elections will play a particularly large role in control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

When there is a lot at stake, it is especially important to exercise your civil right to oversee and validate your own elections.

Here are some things that ordinary citizens can do:

LOTS OF INFO:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bev_harr_060605_how_to_validate_your.htm

[seriousstan]

1. Yes can't do some of these things in Ohio......

"Document any of the following obstructive behaviors:

You are not allowed to watch poll closing activities
You are not allowed to watch pre-election voting machine preparation
They won't let you access public records, such as voting machine logs, reports, pollbooks
They won't tell you the names of the people working there
Gaps in the accounting for (or your ability to see) handling of voting machines, memory cards, or ballots"

Ohio Revised Code
§ 3501.35. No loitering near polls.
During an election and the counting of the ballots, no person shall loiter or congregate within the area between the polling place and the small flags of the United States placed on the thoroughfares and walkways leading to the polling place; in any manner hinder or delay an elector in reaching or leaving the place fixed for casting his ballot; within such distance give, tender, or exhibit any ballot or ticket to any person other than his own ballot to the judge of election; exhibit any ticket or ballot which he intends to cast; or solicit or in any manner attempt to influence any elector in casting his vote. No person, not an election official, employee, witness, challenger, or police officer, shall be allowed to enter the polling place during the election, except for the purpose of voting. No more electors shall be allowed to approach the voting shelves at any time than there are voting shelves provided. The judges of election and the police officer shall strictly enforce the observance of this section.


"You are not allowed to follow the ballot box, memory card, or cartridge chain of custody
Voting machines, ballot boxes or memory/cartridges sent home with poll workers"

I have worked the polls as an precinct judge for almost 28 years. We hand carry the memory cards and tapes to a centralized location. Our precinct presiding judge, for the last 15 years, has been a woman.
I think they wold find it rather unnerving to have a "mystery person" in a car, at night, following them as they leave the polls. Usually, I make sure all the other judges get in their cars and pull out of the lot.