Media Trolls Starting Up - Robo Calls - Fun;) Election Reform News 11/6

[autorank]

Media Trolls Hard at Work: Excuses for a “Miracle” Victory.

They’re hauling out a PEW and ABC poll that shows a closing margin in the generic preference for congress. Of course, there are nine other polls out at the same time and they all contradict this notion.

Summary of 11 Most Recent Polls (including ABC and PEW)

Here are the numbers

DON’T LET THE TROLLS GET YOU DOWN.
GO VOTE, WATCH THE VOTE, DRIVE OTHERS TO THE POLLS, “DRAG AND DRIVE,” (drive in drag, we don’t care)….JUST DO IT TOMORROW. CELEBRATE DEMOCRACY AND LET THEM KNOW YOU THERE: ASK QUESTIONS ON ELECTION DAY AND THE DAYS AFTER. MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOU. WHY? YOU’RE THE BOSS – THE CITIZEN VOTER..

Never forget the pursuit of Truth.
Only the deluded & complicit accept election results on blind faith.

Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News November 6,2006

All members welcome and encouraged to participate.

Please post Election Reform, Fraud, & Related News on this thread.
Please

"Recommend"

for the Greatest Page (it's the link just below).

Check www.electionfraudnews.com every now and then.

[autorank]

1. NYT - New lows in robo calling - sodomy questions...

November 6, 2006
New Telemarketing Ploy Steers Voters on Republican Path
By CHRISTOPHER DREW

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/us/politics/06push.html?pagewanted=print
An automated voice at the other end of the telephone line asks whether you believe that judges who “push homosexual marriage and create new rights like abortion and sodomy” should be controlled. If your reply is “yes,” the voice lets you know that the Democratic candidate in the Senate race in Montana, Jon Tester, is not your man.

In Maryland, a similar question-and-answer sequence suggests that only the Republican Senate candidate would keep the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. In Tennessee, another paints the Democrat as wanting to give foreign terrorists “the same legal rights and privileges” as Americans.

Using a telemarketing tactic that is best known for steering consumers to buy products, the organizers of the political telephone calls say they have reached hundreds of thousands of homes in five states over the last several weeks in a push to win votes for Republicans. Democrats say the calls present a distorted picture.

The Ohio-based conservatives behind the new campaign, who include current and former Procter & Gamble managers, say the automated system can reach vast numbers of people at a fraction of the cost of traditional volunteer phone banks and is the most ambitious political use of the telemarketing technology ever undertaken.

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2. How to fight Robo Calls (very good stuff from DKos)

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/5/212753/967

Fighting RoboCalls. Expert advice. Multiple updates.
by G2geek
Sun Nov 05, 2006 at 06:27:53 PM PST

Desperate Republicans across the country are using robo-calls (automated dialing systems that play recorded messages) to harass voters. Your phone rings, there's a brief recorded intro that makes it appear the call is from a Democratic campaign or related group, and then a pause, and then a recorded message. If you hang up it calls you back six or seven times or more. The goal is to make people think they are being harassed by the Democrats, and piss them off enough to change their votes. It works well enough to potentially flip some close races.

This is clearly illegal under some statutes & regulations, arguably illegal under others. It appears to be going on across the US, using the same format and methods. If we pursue this nationally, we could bankrupt the GOP.

I'm a PBX engineer (design & program commercial telephone systems), with over 20 years in the industry. Here's what you need to know, and how we can fight back.

* G2geek's diary :: ::
*

This is a slightly expanded version of a posting I made in Kos' diary about this issue.

FCC regulations: automated callers must hang up when the called party hangs up.

This became an issue after robo-caller systems were preventing people calling 911 in emergencies. In some cases people died because they could not hang up and get a dialtone because the robocaller would not let go of them.

[Amaryllis]

17. Hey Auto- this not clear:

"Here's what you need to know, and how we can fight back."

Then there is nothing, no link, no nothing that tells you how to fight back.

[katinmn]

3. First nom! Great post.

:) Don't let the bastards get you down.

[autorank]

4. Philly geting "sick" on robo diet...

Jill Porter | GOP 'robocall' tactics make me sick
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15898729.htm

BEING SICK in bed, which I was for the past couple of weeks, is bad enough.

But being sick in bed while living in a political combat zone - in this case, the 6th Congressional District - is enough to MAKE YOU WANT TO KILL SOMEBODY.

My God, the phone calls! Just as I'd begin to drift off to sleep, the phone would ring and it would be YET ANOTHER DAMN COMPUTERIZED MESSAGE ABOUT LOIS MURPHY.

One, two, three, four times a day it seemed, the phone rang with "robocalls" about the Democratic challenger to incumbent GOP Rep. Jim Gerlach in one of the nastiest races in the country.

I never listened to one word of it, just slammed the phone down and seethed with resentment.

Now, there's an effective campaign strategy, I thought: Infuriate the voters so much that they won't vote.

What part of "Do Not Call" don't campaign advisers get?

[autorank]

5. NH - Political soliciting may be ILLEGAL...move there now...;)

http://www.wmur.com/news/10239713/detail.html

Investigators: Political Phone Messages May Be Illegal In N.H.

POSTED: 11:48 pm EST November 3, 2006
UPDATED: 12:09 am EST November 4, 2006
Email This Story | Print This Story
Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts
CONCORD, N.H. -- It turns out that some of the political phone messages Granite Staters are receiving as Election Day nears may be illegal. The issue revolves around the national Do Not Call registry.

A homeowner in Hillsboro received the same message several times in one day. It began by stating it had information about Paul Hodes, the Democratic challenger for the 2nd Congressional District.

After a few seconds, the ad turns on the attack. It isn't until the end that you find out it was sponsored by the Republican National Congressional Committee.

"I think this is wrong," said Martha Child. "When you go out to campaign, you say what you believe. You use radio, TV and other things. I don't think you call up and say, 'So-and-so is nasty' on someone's private line."

Child's frustration with the ad caused her to file a complaint with the New Hampshire attorney general's office. Her telephone number is listed on the Do Not Call registry, and she felt that she shouldn't have received the calls.

"It is not permissable to send prerecorded political calls to individuals who are on the Do Not Call list in New Hampshire," said Assistant Attorney General Jim Ke

[autorank]

6. "All of our political calls are in compliance w/the law" - How about good taste?

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001912.php

AP: Republicans Heart Robo Calls
By Paul Kiel - November 1, 2006, 11:14 AM

From the Associated Press:

In at least 53 competitive House races, the National Republican Campaign Committee has launched hundreds of thousands of automated telephone calls, known as "robo calls."....

Bruce Jacobson, a software engineer from Ardmore, Pa., received three prerecorded messages in four hours. Each began, "Hello, I'm calling with information about Lois Murphy," the Democrat running against two-term incumbent Rep. Jim Gerlach in the Philadelphia-area district.

"Basically, they go on to slam Lois," said Jacobson, who has filed a complaint with the FCC because the source of the call isn't immediately known.

FCC rules say all prerecorded messages must "at the beginning of the message, state clearly the identity of the business, individual, or other entity that is responsible for initiating the call." During or after the message, they must give the telephone number of the caller.

"The way they're sent is deceptive. The number of calls is harassing. The way her stances are presented in these stories is deliberately misleading and deceptive," said Karlyn Messinger, another Murphy supporter from Penn Valley, Pa., who filed a complaint with the FCC.

NRCC spokesman Ed Patru denied any illegal intent.

"All of our political calls are in compliance with the law," Patru said.

Not so, said the Democrats.

"They are violating the regulations that were set up," said Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who said the DCCC employed one robocall this cycle and paid $500 for it.

[autorank]

7. People are suing over this crap - phones;)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/04/us/politics/04lawyers.html

As Vote Nears, Parties Prepare for Legal Fights
Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/04/us/politics/04lawyers.html

A Democratic volunteer in Detroit, Jordan Rossen, 21, preparing bibs Friday for volunteers who will be at polling stations on Election Day.

Article Tools Sponsored By
By IAN URBINA
Published: November 4, 2006

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 — A team of lawyers for the Democratic Party has been arguing with postal officials in Columbus, Ohio, trying to persuade them to process thousands of absentee ballots that have arrived with insufficient postage.
Skip to next paragraph
New Politics Blog
Politics Blog

News, updates and insights on the midterm elections, the race for 2008 and everything in-between.

In Pennsylvania, the Republican Party has opened a “recount account” and set aside $500,000 to pay lawyers who will answer telephones on Election Day and monitor polls to see whether officials demand proper voters’ identification. In Maryland, lawyers representing candidates for senator and governor from both parties met recently and swapped cellphone numbers and e-mail addresses to smooth out the logistics of potential litigation.

Several days from what Republican and Democratic campaign strategists expect to be a close election, the legal machinery of a messy fight is shifting into high gear.

Democrats say they are most concerned that voters will be prevented from voting by long lines or poll workers’ demanding unnecessary forms of identification.

Republicans say they are guarding against ineligible people trying to vote.

The parties are sending their largest concentrations of lawyers to states with the tightest races like Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee. Most of them are unpaid volunteers, though many from large firms are working pro bono to meet their firms’ expectation for hours of public service.

[autorank]

8. Bob Fertik on Carl Rove -- Very good stuff.

me » Blogs » Bob Fertik's blog
Karl Rove's LAST Dirty Trick: RoboLies
Submitted by Bob Fertik on November 6, 2006 - 1:22am.2006 GOP Dirty Tricks
http://www.democrats.com/robolies
Karl Rove has been bragging for weeks about his "72-hour program" to swing the elections, which predict a Democratic takeover of Congress.

Now we know what it is: a dirty trick campaign using robocalls.

The calls are made to Democrats and swing voters at all times of day or night to make them angry. And they pretend to be from the Democrat ("Hello, I'm calling with information about Lois Murphy"). If you hang up, they call back 7-8 times, and each time you hear the Democrat's name, to get you angry at him or her. If you stay on, you get to hear a scathing attack on the Democrat.

Karl Rove's whole career has been devoted to dirty tricks. In 2002, his dirty trick was to force Congress to vote shortly before Election Day for the Iraq War based on two months of White House lies about WMD's and Al Qaeda ties. That dirty trick has cost the lives of 2,834 brave young Americans (16 so far in November), $2 trillion in debt to our children and grandchildren, and unleashed massive bloodshed in Iraq.

It's too late for legal action or even newspaper stories. If you receive one of these calls, write down the time and candidate and call every radio and TV show you can and urge everyone listening to vote against the disgusting Republican dirty tricksters. And forward this email to everyone you know so they aren't fooled by Karl Rove's dirty trick.

Let's make this Karl Rove's LAST campaign by voting ALL Republicans out of office.

More details:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com
http://dailykos.com

[autorank]

9. Haggard Stuff ... The Rev & the Body Builder....

Revealed: The 'masseur' who brought down an evangelical

RAW STORY
Published: Sunday November 5, 2006

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Revealed_The_masseuse_who_brought_down_1105.html

"Voted best massage and personal trainer for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 by readers of the community newspaper Out Front Colorado," begins the personal ad on Mike Jones' AOL Hometown web page, the escort who revealed he had sex with evangelical leader Rev. Ted Haggard.

One of Jones' other advertisements, at left, was found by gay blogger Towleroad.

Jones, whose revelation subsequently led to Haggard's confession that he had enjoyed a "massage" and bought methamphetamines, still has a bio at AOL Hometown, which is viewable here.

"I offer a deep tissue and swedish style massage with the pleasure of the man in mind," Jones writes on his profile. "If you like a strong muscle man to bring pleasure to you then please call me. I am a muscle stud with a friendly personality and a caring heart. When the Broadway shows play in town the cast and crew call upon me for massage."

[autorank]

10. Thank these folks - they're Election Night Fraud Busters ---

Election Night FRAUD Busters – Give them a hand + a few volunteers still needed

These great DUers volunteered to help monitor key races for Democrats – those where Democrats are in a tight race with INCUMBENT Republicans. The basis for monitoring is the ASSUMPTION that where the margin is smallest the opportunities for marginal but effective fraud are largest.

These DUers will report election returns and news links election eve. The returns will be analyzed by TruthIsAll and we’ll report on them RIGHT HERE,

We still need some volunteers. If you can, up here and I’ll get in touch with you. This is not time intensive and can be done on your compouter. But the IMPACT can be huge. Let them know we’re watching and THANK YOU to those who signed up

Seats open - Volunteers needed in: CT, IL, IN, KY, NH, NM, NY OH, PA, WI

ARIZONA

Senate: DEM Pederson versus Kyl
Web Site http://www.pederson2006.com/index.cfm

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

8th Congressional District: Dem Giffords versus Graf
Info Giffords http://tinyurl.com/yasr95
Information online http://www.congress.org/congressorg/e4/rlist/?state=az

BushDespiser12

– Election returns

pirhana

- Links/articles

CALIFORNIA

11th Congressional District DEM McNerney versus Pombo
Web site http://www.jerrymcnerney.org /

sfexpat2000]

COLORADO

7th Cong District DEM Permutter versus O’Donnell
Web site http://www.perlmutter2006.com /

eleny

CONNECTICUT

Both OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

2nd Congressional District: DEM Courtney versus Simmons
Web site http://www.joecourtney.com/about.php

4th Congressional District: DEM Farrell versus Shays
Web site http://www.farrellforcongress.com /

FLORIDA

13th Congressional District: DEM Jennings versus Buchanan
Web site http://www.christinejenningsforcongress.com /

Artiechoke

16th Congressional District: DEM Mahoney versus Negron
Web site http://www.timmahoneyforflorida.com/showpage.asp?page=d...

24th Congressional District: Dem Curtis versus Feeney
http://www.clintcurtis.com /

Nashville brook

ILLINOIS

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

10th Congressional District: DEM Seals versus Kirk
Web site http://www.dansealsforcongress.com/about.php

INDIANA

2nd Congressional District 2 DEM Donnelly versus Chocola
Web site: http://www.donnellyforuscongress.com /

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

8th Congressional District 8 DEM Ellsworth versus Hostettler
Web site: http://www.ellsworthforcongress.com /

IAmJacksSmirkingRevenge

IOWA

Congressional District 2 Dem Loebsack versus Leach
Web site http://www.loebsackforcongress.org
<[h3>OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

KENTUCKY

Both OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

3rd Congressional District 3 DEM Yarmuth versus Northrup
Web site http://www.yarmuthforcongress.com /

4th Congressional District 4 DEM Lucas versus Davis
Web site http://www.weneedkenlucas.com /

MINNESOTA

1st Congressional District DEM Walz versus Gil Gutknecht
Web site http://www.timwalz.org /

katinmn

MISSOURI

Senate Dem. McCaskill versus Talent
http://www.timwalz.org /

galloglass

MONTANA

Senate DEM Tester versus Burns
web site http://www.testerforsenate.com /

John Q. Citizen

NEW HAMPSHIRE

2nd Congressional District DEM Hodes versus Bass
Web site http://www.hodesforcongress.com /

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

NEW JERSEY

Senate DEM Menendez versus Keane
http://www.menendez2006.com /

Faye

NEW MEXICO

Congressional District 1 Dem Madrid versus Wilson
http://www.madridforcongress.com /

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

NEW YORK

19th Congressional District DEM Hall versus Kelly
Web Site http://www.johnhallforcongress.com /

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

24th Congressional District DEM Arcuri versus Meier
Web Site http://www.arcuriforcongress.com/issues/issues_index.ph...

Deb

NORTH CAROLINA

8th Congressional District DEM Kissell versus Hayes
Web site http://www.larrykissell.com /

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

11th Congressional District DEM Shuler versus Taylor
http://www.heathshuler.com /

starmaker

OHIO

All three OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

Senate DEM Brown versus DeWine

1ST Congressional District DEM Cranley versus Chabot
Web site http://www.johncranley.com /

18TH Congressional District DEM Space versus Padgett
Website http://www.zackspace.org /

still cool47<47>

PENNSYLVANIA

Three of four OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

6th Congressional District 6 DEM Lois Murphy versus Gerlach
Web site: http://www.loismurphy.org /

7th Congressional District 7 DEM Sestak versus Weldon
Web site: http://www.sestakforcongress.com /

8th Congressional District DEM Murphy versus Fitzpatrick
Web site: http://www.murphy06.net/index.php

10th Congressional District DEM Carney versus Sherwood
Web site: http://www.carneyforcongress.com /

Marnieworld

RHODE ISLAND

Senate DEM Whitehouse versus Chafee
Web site http://www.whitehouseforsenate.com /

mom cat

TENNESSEE

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

Senate DEM Ford versus Coker
Web site http://www.fordfortennessee.com /

TEXAS

DeLay’s old seat (not on the big list but we’ll cover it just for old times sale

elehhhhna

VIRGINIA

Senate DEM Webb versus Allen

autorank

Could use some help with Richmond & Tidewater cities – which are extremely important…little help here Virginia

WISCONSIN

8th Congressional District DEM Wall versus Green
Web Site http://www.wallforcongress.com/district

OPEN, Sign up by posting to this message.

San Diego

[autorank]

11. TruthIsAll-Michael Collins have an article being finished right now.

Watch for it;)

[bleever]

21. Watching

with eye wide open. ;)


:thumbsup:

[texpatriot2004]

12. K & R nm

[rosesaylavee]

13. K & R

Thank you!

[texpatriot2004]

14. Hey AutoRank, what's you take on the Media factor in this?

I'm a bit worried as I remember the way the media did their spin bs in 2000 and 2004. Due to Dem leads and the "plausibility" factor in this "election" the media is my major threat.

Your thoughts?

[autorank]

18. Thats a tough question and I'm asking myself the same thing.

Larry King rarely does political shows anymore. Last night he had Frist and some other Republicans as guests. I watched for about 3 minutes. They talked about the "tightening," Frist in particular. I thought what many here thought when they heard Blitzer - oh, great this is the set up for the robbery tomorrow. The polls got closer, etc etc.

They may do this out of desperation but I reminded myself, Frist was just busted for lying to his medical board about continuing education...he had none apparently and claimed the requisite hours. So he's not to be believed. However, they are setting out a rationale.

i think a big part of the media is going after Bush because they've been unleashed. Who ever did that doesn't control all the media or even all of one companies media program. Look at CNN, part of TIME yet kissing up to Bush. TIME, however, ran that elephants behind cover about the Republicans. Look at ABC. They just ran that poll yet Brian Ross, their toughest reporter (e.g., I'd be very happy with him covering election fraud) started in on the House Republicans on September 28th with a barrage of stories that made them suspect whenever they open their mouths. His story took away anti gay marriage from them.

Some very positive things are going on in that the media is going after Bush. At the same time it's for things like Foley rather than turing the country into a dictatorship, starting wars, and letting Americans suffer for all to see (NOLA).

The tale will be told after tomorrow. How do they react to the mess that it will be? Do they blame "both parties?" Will somebody get indicted?

I'd say its a set of difficult to understand but recently encouraging contradictory behaviors that must have one heck of a back story.

[texpatriot2004]

26. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. We'll see eh. nm

[rumpel]

15. Conyers Message: One More Day Until Victory

A President Hand-picked by Katherine Harris and the Supreme Court
Misleading a Nation into War.

Outing an undercover CIA operative.


<http://www.dccc.org/vtf_conyers>
Sign up to volunteer <http://www.dccc.org/vtf_conyers> for election day and help get all our supporters to the polls.
<https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contribution.aspx?X=GrX400TqbazLFNDUm9E7jg%3d%3d&m=johnconyers>
<https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/contribution.aspx?X=GrX400TqbazLFNDUm9E7jg%3d%3d&m=johnconyers>

Forward this email to friends <https://www.myngp.com/ngpweb/app/tools/broadcast/broadcastforward.aspx?value1=3005890&value2=1601&value3=10632> committed to a Democratic victory.


Smearing a Vietnam Veteran Senator who lost his limbs in combat.

No bid contracts.

Swiftboating.

Another Presidential Election Decided by Unanswered Irregularties.

Terri Schiavo.

New Orleans.

Jack Abramoff.

Cronyism.

Releasing nuclear secrets on the web.

Abuse of Power.

XXXXX, what is the Bush Administration going to do next? The only way to restore checks and balances is by electing a Democratic Congress. Here is what you can do to help:

First, Vote.

Second, make sure everyone in your family and your friends vote. Call them now.

Third, if you can, help us on our final drive to Get Out the Vote. To volunteer to help out today or on election day, you can e-mail [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> , or go to the DCCC volunteer site <http://www.dccc.org/vtf_conyers> .

You can also contact your local Democratic Campaign to see how you can help on election day. Karl Rove just dismissed Democratic GOTV efforts as "sporadic and episodic" -- lets prove him wrong on election day.

Fourth, if you experience or see any irregularities, immediately call 1-888-DEM-VOTE (1-888-336-8683). You can also call this number to obtain information on poll locations. We're not going to sit by and let anyone steal our votes this time.

Finally, lets check out the returns together. Tomorrow on my web site <http://johnconyers.com/> I will post information on how you can get breaking news on the election returns.


Thank you for your support. And please vote.

Your Friend,

John Conyers, Jr.


johnconyers.com <http://johnconyers.com/>


Conyers for Congress
PO Box 17204
Alexandria, VA 22314

[autorank]

19. ...and 12 months of Hell for the "crooks & liars." n/t

[rumpel]

22. .....

:applause:

[rumpel]

16. CA: MoveOn: BEWARE: PHONY VOTING GUIDE IN CALIFORNIA (e-mail)

Don't Be Fooled.
Big Oil paid for
this bogus voting guide.

Spread the word.

Dear MoveOn member,

I just received an election ballot slate card in the mail called "Information Guide for Democrats." I'll bet you have too. Look for it. Then throw it away. It's pure deception. And then get mad. Pretending to be a Democratic slate, this mailer recommends against Propositions 87 and 89, the Clean Energy and Clean Money Initiatives. There's a picture of this mailer in the sidebar to the right, so you can identify it. (Can't find it on their site - rumpel's note):shrug:

Corporate interests are spending tens of millions of dollars to defeat these two initiatives. And they don't mind lying and cheating to get what they want. We have to fight this with the simple truth. And with word of mouth. Please pass this email on to all your friends and relatives in California. We've got to get out to vote and defeat these guys.

Here's the slate of endorsements made by MoveOn members themselves:

MOVEON MEMBERS
CALIFORNIA ENDORSEMENTS
(based on member votes)

NO on Proposition 85:
Parental Notification for Abortion
http://www.noon85.com/
YES on Proposition 86:
Fund Health Care / Cigarette Tax
http://www.yesprop86.com/
YES on Proposition 87:
Clean Energy
http://www.yeson87.com/
YES on Proposition 89:
Clean Money / Public Financing
http://www.cleanmoneyelections.org/
NO on Proposition 90:
Regulatory Takings
http://www.noprop90.com/

This is a REAL progressive slate. We've included a copy of this slate designed for printing and taking to the polls, after this email below. Or go online and check out the endorsements of any public interest organization.

The fact is, the Democratic Party, every major Democratic leader in the state, and the most prominent Democrats nationally including President Clinton and Vice President Gore all strongly support the Clean Energy Initiative, Proposition 87. Of course, big oil is absolutely determined to kill it.

And every major civic organization supports the Clean Money initiative, Proposition 89, including Common Cause and the League of Women Voters. You can check out the endorsements in the links for each proposition above.

Why are big oil and other big money interests working so hard to defeat these progressive initiatives? Because if the truth gets out, they lose. Because if the Clean Money initiative, Proposition 89, passes, they won't be able to do deceptive mailers like this one. So they're pulling out all the stops.

We have to counter their lying with truth. We have to counter their money with passion and word of mouth.

Please pass this email on to everyone you know.

And please vote on November 7th.

Thanks,

–Wes Boyd and Joan Blades
November 5, 2006

P.S. Speak Out California has produced an excellent progressive voter guide that summarizes the initiatives and key endorsements:

http://speakoutca.org/now/2006general.php

[Algorem]

20. Cuyahoga vote audit Thursday

http://www.wcpn.org/news/2006/10-12/1106audit.html

Watchdogs Over Election
Aired November 6, 2006

An extra set of eyes will be watching Cuyahoga County's election tomorrow. A collaboration of several watchdog groups has been formed with the blessings of the Board of Elections. ideastream's David C. Barnett has more.

Listen to the MP3 ( http://www.wcpn.org/mp3/2006/1106audit.mp3 )

CPAs from both major political parties will work together with local election reform groups in going over the numbers generated by the County's new electronic voting machines. Last month, the Board of Elections authorized the committee just to audit the numbers generated by the touch-screen units. The group has now requested that to be extended to the absentee ballots, as well. Candace Hoke of Cleveland State's Center for Election Integrity is a member of the Public Audit Committee and she says the bi-partisan group is working on a long-neglected problem.

Candace Hoke: It's not going to have as much to do with generating a successful election as to provide the checks and verifications that we as a public should have been demanding for decades, instead of a "trust us" approach.

The New York-based Brennan Center for Justice will serve as a consultant for the public audit, due to its expertise in electronic voting. The audit is scheduled to start on Thursday - two days after the election. David C. Barnett, 90.3.


http://www.wcpn.org/

[Pooka Fey]

23. K&R

[rumpel]

24. Democrats.com: Karl Rove's LAST Dirty Trick: RoboLies (e-mail)

Dear xxxx, Karl Rove has been bragging for weeks about his "72-hour program" to swing the elections, which predict a Democratic takeover of Congress. Now we know what it is: a dirty trick campaign using robocalls. The calls are made to Democrats and swing voters at all times of day or night to make them angry. And they pretend to be from the Democrat ("Hello, I'm calling with information about Lois Murphy"). If you hang up, they call back 7-8 times, and each time you hear the Democrat's name, to get you angry at him or her. If you stay on, you get to hear a scathing attack on the Democrat. Karl Rove's whole career has been devoted to dirty tricks. In 2002, his dirty trick was to force Congress to vote shortly before Election Day for the Iraq War based on two months of White House lies about WMD's and Al Qaeda ties. That dirty trick has cost the lives of 2,834 brave young Americans (16 so far in November), $2 trillion in debt to our children and grandchildren, and unleashed massive bloodshed in Iraq. It's too late for legal action or even newspaper stories. If you receive one of these calls, write down the time and candidate and call every radio and TV show you can and urge everyone listening to vote against the disgusting Republican dirty tricksters. And forward this email to everyone you know so they aren't fooled by Karl Rove's dirty trick. Let's make this Karl Rove's LAST campaign by voting ALL Republicans out of office. More details:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com <http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com>
http://dailykos.com <http://dailykos.com> ____________________________ BlueRevolution.us <http://bluerevolution.us> vigils are now planned for 29 counties! Bring a candle and a "count every vote" sign to your County Election Offices right after the polls close on Election Night:
http://bluerevolution.us <http://bluerevolution.us> If your county is listed at the top of BlueRevolution.us <http://bluerevolution.us/> , please join the vigil!
Login to Democrats.com and click the "local" link:
http://democrats.com/local <http://democrats.com/local>
Then click the Forum Topic announcing your county's "Blue Revolution" vigil and post a reply saying you'll be there with a candle and a sign. If your county is not listed BlueRevolution.us <http://bluerevolution.us/> , please start a vigil!
Login to Democrats.com and click the "local" link:
http://democrats.com/local <http://democrats.com/local>
Then create a New Forum Topic <http://democrats.com/node/add/forum/0> coded "Blue Revolution," select "County," post the location of your County Election Office, and spread the word to your friends. ____________________________ Stop Fraud in Your Precinct Upload Results for Real-Time Election Forensics on Election Night! Go to http://www.electiondefense.net <http://www.electiondefense.net> (1) Download and print the data collection form (2) Go to your local poll at close of election, and copy data from the publicly-posted poll tally tapes (3) Return to http://www.electiondefense.net <http://www.electiondefense.net/> , enter your data in webform, and send Election Day Rapid Response Data Analysis Project will compare precinct results to county tabulator results and flag discrepancies. ____________________________ Be Prepared for Election Day Problems! Make sure your voter registration has not been purged - "google" your registration:
http://myDem.com <http://myDem.com> Verify the location of your polling place:
https://electionimpact.votenet.com/pfawf/pollboothlocator/index.cfm <https://electionimpact.votenet.com/pfawf/pollboothlocator/index.cfm> Bring the following to your precinct when you go to vote:
A photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID
Any mailings you received from your County Election Office (voter card, polling place locations, etc.)
A cell phone so you can call 1-(866) Our-Vote / 1-[phone] for English and español, or 1-(888) Vey-Vota / 1-[phone] para la ayuda en español
Read the latest election theft exposes at BradBlog.com <http://bradblog.com/> . Prepare for other election-stealing strategies at ProtectMyVote.org <http://protectmyvote.org/> and EP365.org <http://ep365.org/> and Vote411.org <http://www.vote411.org/> . Listen to http://www.airamerica.com <http://www.airamerica.com/> for breaking coverage of election problems. Volunteer to stop election fraud at:
http://electiondefensealliance.org/election_day_rapid_response_0 <http://electiondefensealliance.org/election_day_rapid_response_0>
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/electionstrikeforce/ <http://www.velvetrevolution.us/electionstrikeforce/>
http://verifiedvoting.org <http://verifiedvoting.org> Report election fraud to 1-888-VOTETIP or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> and you might collect a reward of up to $500,000 for information leading to overturning a House or Senate race and conviction of the person or persons responsible. Lots more tips from Cactus Pat:
http://www.democrats.com/Make-Them-Steal-Your-Vote <http://www.democrats.com/Make-Them-Steal-Your-Vote> ____________________________ Use Pre-Election Polls to Verify Election Results How will we know if Republicans steal elections on Tuesday? The best way is to study the pre-election polls for your Senate <http://pollster.com/senate.php> , House <http://pollster.com/house.php> , and Governor's <http://pollster.com/governor.php> race. Pre-election polls were highly accurate in past elections <http://mydd.com/story/2006/11/4/133827/823> and there are far more polls in 2006 than ever before. So any large difference between these predictions (based if possible on multiple polls) and Election Night results should be viewed as a strong indicator of fraud or malfunction. As of Saturday, these polls predict Democratic gains of 18-45 seats in the House <http://pollster.com/house.php> and 3-6 seats in the Senate <http://pollster.com/senate.php> , with some of these polls extremely close. Incredibly, Republicans plan to scream "election fraud" if these pre-election polls prove true. As we all know, Republicans have run the country since they stole the 2000 election. And they only made voting worse by appointing corrupt election administrators like Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell, and by bribing counties to buy fraud-prone electronic systems through HAVA. Yet these same Republicans plan to scream "election fraud" when they get clobbered on Tuesday to challenge legitimate Democratic victories in key races. That makes it essential to study pre-election polls to rebut Republican charges. ____________________________ First 100 Days: What Changes Should Democrats Make? Nancy Pelosi has a plan for the first 100 hours if Democrats win on 11/7/06. Let's think bigger: What should Democrats do in the first 100 days? Vote for up to 20 choices here:
http://democrats.com/change <http://democrats.com/change>

[Algorem]

25. Cuyahoga-"No Major Glitches Encountered In Absentee Ballot Scanning"

http://www.newsnet5.com/politics/10258441/detail.htmlv

BOE Workers Scan 70,000 Ballots Before Election Day

POSTED: 5:56 pm EST November 6, 2006
UPDATED: 7:32 pm EST November 6, 2006

CLEVELAND -- With the polls just a few short hours away from opening, workers at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections have been busy scanning absentee ballots early to help things go smoothly on Election Day.

NewsChannel5's Duane Pohlman reported that the Board of Elections is running ahead of schedule, and Board of Elections Director Michael Vu said he anticipates the scanning to be complete Monday evening.

More than 100 workers have been scanning thousands of ballots since 7 a.m. Monday, and has proceeded nearly flawlessly, officials said.

More than 70,000 ballots have been sent in so far and nearly all of them have been scanned. Elections officials believe the count will be on time this year...


November 6, 2006

Uncle Tom’s hack job

http://www.clevescene.com/blogs/?p=232


...A recent study by Princeton researchers found that Diebold memory cards could be hacked easier than your friend’s MySpace page. And just one virus-infected card could spread to every machine it’s connected with, causing a chain reaction.

So many were legitimately concerned when it was discovered recently that, months before this year’s primary election, a mysterious shipment of 32 memory cards for absentee ballot scanning machines arrived at Secretary of State Uncle Tom Blackwell’s office.

Blackwell’s office is mum on why the cards, bound for Lucas, Montgomery, and other counties around Ohio, got mailed to him, and not directly to the county elections boards, as is normally done. But the memory cards sat in Blackwell’s office a whole month before getting shipped out, according to recently released e-mails between the Secretary of State’s office and Diebold.

“One infected memory card could infect all these machines, and no one would know it,” says state Senator Teresa Fedor, whose Lucas County district received most of the sketchy cards. “Anyone’s capable, if they have a motive, and they want to.”...