Making it Count: How to Protect Your Vote & Spot Dirty Tricks
By Steve Hynd Monday Nov 03, 2008 7:45amI touch wood everytime I say or write that it now looks as nearly certain as it can be that Obama will be the next President of the United States. But, of course, Obama is correct that all the polling in the world is meaningless if people decide that they can stay home on Election Day because Obama is going to win anyway. So get out there.
And while you're at it, make sure you know your rights and be on the look out for vote supression tricks. The Obama campaign has a new video on the GOP's voter supression campaign - because the lower the vote the better it is for Republicans. They thrive in a climate of disenfranchisement.
Despite all their accusations, even the McCain campaign admit they can't make the voter fraud claim stick:
For weeks, Republican leaders have warned that widely reported problems with fake voter registrations could result in a flood of phony votes in pivotal states.
But Ronald Michaelson, a veteran election administrator and member of the McCain-Palin Honest and Open Election Committee, said in an interview that he could not name a single instance in which this had occurred.
“Do we have a documented instance of voting fraud that resulted from a phony registration form? No, I can’t cite one, chapter and verse,” he said.
Which makes their accusations a form of fraud in its own right, doesn't it? One that's been falsely used to fuel "Republicans’ invocation of legal power to scrutinize voters, demands for U.S. Justice Department intervention and court orders, and criminal investigations."
But make no mistake - if the Republican's can't steal the election through voter suppression and voting irregularities they'll use that failure as an excuse to accuse Democrats of stealing it. The McCain campaign and Republicans have already trotted out dozens of excuses but there's only one reason McCain will lose - Obama is the better man for the job.
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1. why do i have to log in each day?!??!
2. winning this election will not make Barack Obama "the next President of the United States."
i won't breath until january...
3. typo: "everytime I say or right that it now looks"
breathe
Do you have your security set too high? Do you have cookies turned off?
The site should remember you when you come back each day. I never have to log in (unless I go to another computer, like in an internet cafe.)
Is that where you get silicon chip cookies?
Are a little gritty.
Make sure the cookie isn't being deleted when you end your session.
thanks all... i'll check out those things...
as to "end your session"... i don't do anything but quit firefox at night...
and having to log in is not consistent... hit or miss...
last 2 days though...
i'll keep breathing... but i do believe the correct spelling is "write"
I think Obama supporters are so excited about this vote that they won't take any crap from anyone. They are going to vote!
Seems the young people down here in Florida haven't turned out for early voting the way it had been hoped they would. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
They have young people in Florida?
Don't make me come over there, young man.
I know it's not a scientific observation, but I'd say people under 25 outnumbered those over 60, at least while I was in line.
From what I am gathering, Obama supporters are out in full force and continue to do so which is great. I've already voted and most of the people that I know already have to.
I'm in PA and yesterday alone I got five phone calls and two flyers/handouts on my front door from the Obama campaign. I'd say they're getting the word out.
Orin Hatch is on Fox News going berserk! Good for those assholes! Let them freak out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NawhWb8Uu5E
If you see anything suspicious, take a picture.
They'll think ya a terrorist casing the joint.
If Palin happens to show up she will probably pose for a few pictures. She is a prima donna with her own Presidential ambitions after all.
If you see Palin at your poling station then you are probably looking at a neighborhood kids mom.
One of the reasons she was picked was because 30% of white working class mothers (soccer mom's) resemble her.
VOTE
www.gmontage.blip.tv
I can't say that I have that is for sure:
Obama camp turns to superstitions
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Barack Obama’s Ohio campaign manager has neither shaved his face in a month nor has he shown up to the office without his Columbus Clippers baseball hat.
Aaron Pickrell associated Obama’s uptick in the Ohio polls in late September with his personal hygiene and wardrobe choices at that time, so he kept the look. With only hours left in the longest presidential race in modern history, Pickrell stalked around a rally here Sunday sporting a lumberjack beard and a dog-eared cap.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081103/pl_...
but since I decided to vote Obama I haven't changed my mind.
I have not pee'd since October 4th, I'm holding it until they call the election for Obama...
And if (parrish the thought) McCain wins I'm just going to drown myself internally!
If he hadn't bathed in a month I could see him upping his ticks
Lice too.
When I hear the ACORN complaint I will ask the same question. Give me one documented example. Repigs hate that.
Mick E Mouse is registered to vote in both Florida AND California. They're going to nail that rodent if he shows up in both places.
I never want to hear "my friends" again.
Get out and vote.
It'll be in Pennsylvania. Mark my words. Pennsylvania will be this cycle's Ohio/Florida.
There have been reports of voter suppression tactics coming out of Philly all day today. Flyers left on doors late at night telling Dems. to vote Wednesday due to high voter turnout and others saying that those with unpaid parking tickets, fines, etc. will be arrested at the polls. I know this sounds ridiculous to the rest of us, but believe me, a good number of people are not savvy enough to realize these are tricks and others just won't want to be hassled. Is this how McCain/Palin think they can win this state and steal this election? If they win this state, it WILL NOT be a Bradley Effect. It will be real, good-old-fashioned Republican voter suppression. Add this to voter caging/purging in other states, and things could look decidedly different than we expected come Wednesday morning. Why are Greg Palast and RFK, Jr. the only people who have been consistently on this story for the past several years? America is desperately in need of a real investigative journalist like Palast working for one of its "premier" media outlets. I still believe Obama will pull this out, but we need to get to work immediately after the election to reform the voting process in this country.
desparate. The ReThugs are in a panic. Do you see any Obama supporters doing this sort of thing?
And who would fall for the Tuesday/Wednesday thing?
Excellent video. Just - excellent. I'mo share with everybody I know.
Make sure that your vote goes where it should.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/466.html
Athan Gibbs would be very disappointed with the current electronic voting machines. He will be missed.
The Repugs are doing exactly what I thought they would do. Pulling out the Wright card and scary robocalls. I, like many other Pa citizens are sick of this crap! Who gives a shit about Wright when you have no health Insurance and are going broke?
attending a "christian" church, innit?
I think sometimes Pukes don't have the equipment for cognitive dissonance...
And if Obama's a Marxist, wouldn't he be atheist?
My ballot, which laboriously hand-marked, every race, every measure, was then fed into an electronic tabulator. It recorded my ballot as having been received, but I have NO assurance that no skull-duggery had occurred INSIDE the machine, which was owned by ES$S, Hagel's company.
I have absolutely NO confidence that my vote was counted as I voted it.
write this down...
Senate - 60 seat majority
House - 2/3 majority
McCain wins Florida
Obama wins Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado...game over
Popular Vote
Obama 54%
McCain 44%
Other 2%
I really hope so. Can you imagine the despair of the Religious Right if not only we win the Presidency, we get the magic number 60 seats? Well, here's hoping.
One of "em likely will be Wholly Joe...
Don't look for the Dims to throw the fuker out, then...
McPain go away!!!!
if the Cons steal this one? Will you sit and bitch about it for the next four years and hope they don't steal the next one or will you do something about it this time?
I don't care if I'm the only one. I'll be out in the streets this time.
I may just join you Mr. Knuckles. I refuse to eat anymore sh*t sandwiches.
Are the Palins swingers? (NSFW!)
It would be too funny if it turned out to be true!
I like dirty tricks
I even pay extra for them.
in the 'too much information' catagory.
before you publish something which will be seen by the masses.
right!
Crooks is of the opinion that about four new stories per day is enough to compete with the likes of www.huffingtonpost.com and www.dailykos.com , but can someone proofread at least the first damn story on Monday morning before election day for us please?
I check http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_conten... every couple of days to see how we stand. I like viewing the polls through the republican pollster to get a feel of where the election will actually head. Right now (11/3/2008) Rasmussen has us up by 6 points ---- now that is f'ing significant!!!
Additionally, Rasmussen has the following:
Obama
Colorado +4
Florida +4
Missouri +1
North Carolina +2
Ohio +4
Virginia +4
Indiana -3
Montana -4
Nevada +4
New Hampshire +4
So, all-in-all we are in good shape. Also, on hardball I heard an interesting point; The Dems are much more excited (by double digits more) about Obama than the Rethugicans are about McCain. That means the Dems will probably be more willing to stand in long lines to cast a vote for Obama than the republicans will be for McSame.
So, the dems have out registered the republicans by 100,000's, we are more excited about Obama, and we are up significantly in many key---formerly red--- states.
Get out and vote, then drive your friends to vote, then drive theri friends to vote...
Diebold! Baby! Diebold!
We are all simply human, and sometimes we forget to spellcheck.
Thank you to those kind souls that understand that. To those who don't, I'm sure it's lovely in those glass houses (with broken windows) you inhabit.
Regards, C
jeez, all you had to do was correct it...
and that wasn't just a typo... it was the wrong word...
thanks for fixing it...
We're hours away and the Obama is up in the polls. I can hear the slimy splattering sounds of shit being slung from the McCain camp in the battleground states from my house. It's curious how the polls improve for the republicans when they do this. It's sad to know that many Americans believe the bullshit.
McDirty has saved the smelliest shit for last with his Wright ads at the last minute. Sneaky bastard.
McPain doesn't have anything else to put up.
the coordinated UNCONTESTED repetition to 60MIL is essential to the GOP lie machine. limbaugh and hannity and co can take the smallest of turds and put enough hot air in it to take it national and acceptable on TV. since no one can get through the sreeners to refute them with facts they can sell the lie to huge parts of the country. and that's why we need a new Fairness Doctrine or something similar- or democracy and bipartisanship will be near impossible.
Palin will be President before the end of the first year.
*Shivers*
WAY
Check your state election law. Many states allow the elderly or those with physical problems to vote immediately. Here's what Georgia law says:
Between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on the day of an election, voters who are 75 years of age or older or who are physically disabled may, upon request to a poll officer, vote immediately without waiting in line.
http://www.sos.georgia.gov/elections/Voting_i...
While the press continues to pooh pooh this and ignore it there is a serious Constitutional question about whether Obama is a natural born citizen and eligible to be President. All that has been produced to prove this is a short form version of a birth certificate from Hawaii. The State of Hawaii has now declared that they have the original long form version that they have now sealed. It was sealed the day after Obama recently visited his grandmother. To try and obtain an answer to this question there have now been at least nine law suits filed around the country and one now pending before the Supreme Court
http://origin.www.supremecourtus.gov/docket/0...
asking that Obama step forward and submit the documents to prove he is a natural born citizen eligible under the Constitution to hold the office.
And please, this has nothing to do with race, dirty tricks or anything else. This is the functional equivalent of the height requirement for rides at Disneyland. You either pass the bar or not. To date no one, not an independent government agency or office has stepped forward to say Obama has been determined to be qualified. While some of you may want to accept the short form version of Obama's birth certificate that is not sufficient to prove he is a natural born citizen. People should be alarmed this is being ignored in the press and no one has stood up and asked that this Constitutional threshold question be properly answered.
To date all that has been produced is a short form version of his birth certificate. Why is that not sufficient. For one example, on the original long form version in the 1960's there was a box 7 (c) that could be checked if a child was born in a foreign country. If that box is checked on the original long form, now sealed by the State of Hawaii, Obama is likely not eligible to hold the office of the President.
When McCain was asked this question in 2000 he produced all of his records to the Senate and they declared him to be a natural born citizen eligible to hold the office of the President.
Obama on the other hand has had all of his school records, bar records and now his original birth certificate sealed. Why?
This is a straight forward Constitutional question that Obama needs to answer quickly and transparently.
Instead of sending a fleet of high priced attorneys to the Supreme Court Mr. Obama should take the opportunity to submit all of his records and ask the Supreme Court to rule once and for all that he is a natural born citizen and eligible to hold the office.
If elected and it is then found that Obama is not eligible there will be an epic Constitutional and national crisis.
The state of Hawaii released Obama's official birth certificate to the media a long time ago. What is with you fucking numbskulls?
I really miss the extensive network of state psychiatric hopsitals we used to have. Kept whackos like this off the streets and out of our lives.
Read, weep and go away:
The Associated Press quoted Chiyome Fukino as saying that both she and the registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, have personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate.
Fukino also was quoted by several other news organizations. The Honolulu Advertiser quoted Fukino as saying the agency had been bombarded by requests, and that the registrar of statistics had even been called in at home in the middle of the night.
Fukino said she has “personally seen and verified that the Hawaii State Department of Health has Sen. Obama’s original birth certificate on record in accordance with state policies and procedures."
[Deleted] where was McCain born?
Obama was born in Hawaii, and here's the governing legal code if he were not:
(g) a person born outside the geographical limits of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is an alien, and the other a citizen of the United States who, prior to the birth of such person, was physically present in the United States or its outlying possessions for a period or periods totaling not less than five years, at least two of which were after attaining the age of fourteen years: Provided, That any periods of honorable service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or periods of employment with the United States Government or with an international organization as that term is defined in section 288 of title 22 by such citizen parent, or any periods during which such citizen parent is physically present abroad as the dependent unmarried son or daughter and a member of the household of a person
(A) honorably serving with the Armed Forces of the United States, or
(B) employed by the United States Government or an international organization as defined in section 288 of title 22, may be included in order to satisfy the physical-presence requirement of this paragraph. This proviso shall be applicable to persons born on or after December 24, 1952, to the same extent as if it had become effective in its present form on that date; and
Title 8-1401
[Deleted for Abuse. Let's keep it civil, please. Thank you. Site Monitor]
exact example why there's so much pain.
I'm an Australian, and in our elections both state and federal, it goes like this :
Election day is over the weekend.
They give you a sheet of paper and a pencil.
You go to the voting both that's made of cardboard (so it's cheap).
You fill out your ballot/s.
Fold the thing in half and slip it in the box.
I've never waited more than 20 minutes in a line to vote.
I've never had people try to scare me off voting.
If you're on the electoral roll VOTING IS COMPULSORY!
Now I know some people don't like the idea of compulsory voting because some people will just select a candidate at random, but nothing really stops a person from submitting a blank ballot. It's technically illegal to submit a blank ballot in Australia, but it's a secret ballot, so there's no way to identify people that do and therefore no way to enforce the law.
Now I hear this argument a lot: "Brave men and women died so you could have the right to vote". I disagree. I don't think you have the right to vote... I think you have a DUTY to vote!!! Millions of people didn't fight kill and die to you could decide to stay home and have an Jerry Springer marathon come election day. Now I admit, the way the US runs actual election day is appalling from my position; the seeming lack of easily reached polling places, the lines and waits, voter intimidation and disenfranchisement, touch screen and punch card voting... I mean what the hell is wrong with a pencil!?
And then there's the meme that the US is the greatest democracy on earth, something I still hear. I'm sorry, but the most important and fundamental element of a democracy is THE VOTE! You can't claim to be the greatest democracy in the world if your voting system is this messed up...
PS. I know that the above may sound a bit anti-American. I don't mean for it to really, but it's difficult not to voice how disgraceful the running of election day and voting actaully is from my point of view as an Australian.
Peace - and VOTE DAMN IT!!!
I agree wholeheartedly with K from Aus.
As a kid growing up in Australia, it never even entered my head that a functioning democracy wouldn't have compulsory voting - It is a duty of a citizen to vote and decide on the direction of the country, not just simply a right.
Very few of the issues that have been raised in the past few weeks on C&L about disenfranchisement (direct & effective), roll purges & intimidating practises occur. Imagine how much cleaner & cheaper an election would be if none of these efforts and counter-efforts were going on?
The other aspect is consistency of system throughout the country. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) are incredibly organised and external to political parties entirely. I've monitored voter counts here, and had international observers in, as the mechanism for elections in Aus is internationally well regarded for its checks, balances and consistency.
The other difference (from what I've gather in my time reading C&L) is that Aus has an entirely uniform mechanism of voting and counting. It is all done via consistent paper ballots. It is all preferential voting etc etc. I cannot fathom how different counties can have different methods of determining a winner. *sigh*
The other thing that happens with compulsory voting is... a real democracy. I've posted the wikipedia particpation rates here several times. Whatever you say about Aus. govt, they are more representative of the people's choice than just about any other on Earth.
Thanks for posting the link for the voter turnout data. I knew Australia would be up there in terms of turnout, but I didn't think we would be on top with 95%... For those that didn't see the table, the USA is in 35th position, with 54% turnout... Yeah, you read that right, it's not a typo... What makes me laugh; all those "evil socialist" countries beat the USA too... Those evil nations, like Sweden... DAMN them and their strong democracies!!!
McPain08,
NeoCONs please stop.. You guys Have been making US
feel treatened using fear tactic to start a war
which D*ck's CO has made rich off of, killed 5000+
Dem's children who are in Military, drive up the
oil price for good of Bu*h family and caused serious Global Warming in the process. Then doing so
poorly on the internal job of regulating, we don't
have food that's safe to eat, products from China
making us sick, economy thrown into shambles and you
are trying to steal another Trillions of tax money
to share with your financial buddies. Revelation
Chapter 6, Verse 8.
Please stop...
Then you would make this war prisoner become another
puppet, who probably was the reason that we lost the
Vietnam to Vietcon. Being prisoner for over 5 years
while his father is commander of the entire military
was probably the reason why we lost the battles then
withdrawal shamfully. Please you owe it to your
mistreated war boddies, don't mention that war
record again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jZkvAoNa5o
D*ck and B*sh please stop scr*wing and fu*king US.
Anyhow endorsement from Major D*ck have actually
hurt the McPain so thank you very much in that
regard.
Go Obama!!!!
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