I have posted this before and will post it periodically again for the next two weeks.
I am proposing that we make October 1, 2008 NATIONAL CHECK IF I CAN VOTE DAY. If we can get every liberal/progressive blob, web site and organization along with all State and County Democratic Party chairs to make this declaration it would be great. It would require a commitment from those group to text, email or phone their constituents to check on their voter registrations on that day. I would like to see these organizations also encourage their supporters to have potluck house parties that evening and screen a film about electoral suppression and theft that occurred in the past two presidential elections. Just Tuesday I read about the 300,000 folks in New Jersey who thought that they were registered and found out that they were either purged or their registrations never got to the auditor in the first place. On Wednesday the Republican Auditor of Macomb County, Michigan informed folks that if their homes were going into foreclosure, he would remove them from the voting rolls. We all remember the fiasco in Florida in 2000 and the cheating in Ohio and New Mexico in 2004. Let's be pro-active this time and stop it before it is too late!!!
I feel that we would accomplish three goals by doing this. 1) the practical aspect of making sure our supporter are actually even registered to vote. By doing it on this day, it would provide time to correct any problems that might be found. Most states have a 30 or 14 day pre-registered requirement in order to be able to vote. 2) if enough of us put out this call on one day, it would achieve critical mass and MSM would pick it up and then we could once more talk about the cheating that took place in the past 8 years. 3) it would put Republican Secretary's of State, County Auditors and Poll workers on notice that the progressive movement will be much vigilant and pro--active in advocating for people's voting rights and securing the integrity of the electoral process this time around.
If you feel this has merit, please run with it, spread the word and also write to the progressive blogs that you are a part of and advocate for it! It will take a lot of groups at once to have any impact. I can be reached directly at
[email protected]Peace Mike Collier MICAH PROJECT Chair