I hit the send button accidentally, so I want to add - Please rec this so we can all participate in the discussion, and please add your links to relevant articles if you can.

Let's work together as a group to share ideas and perhaps to implement a strategy to prevent another stolen election.

Thanks, all of you.

That's the whole point is to incite fear amongst voters! This has been out for awhile and McCain Backers are a part of it, this is a longtime GOP stunt that happens everytime they think they are going to get thier ass kicked! They prey on the low-income, elderly, and uneducated. The truth will come out, it eventually does. If you want to make your vote count, then contact your local division of elections, check your status and vote! If you don't... then shut the hell up, cuz you have NO room to complain.

Ironically, I just got email from a group that is suggesting action we can take. I am not advocating for it, but calling your attention to it. Check it out and see if it makes sense to you:

http://www.nomorestolenelections.org/

Just a reminder: This post isn't just to discuss the fact that there are serious threats to our democracy that loom over this election it's to do two things:

1. Post all the links and references you can find that detail the problems.

2. Suggest ways we can fight against these problems and ways to respond if, indeed, the vote ends up being stolen.

We already know it's a problem, and I would say that all of us are concerned. What I'm looking for is some TPM smarts to help clearly identify the problems and to suggest ways we can fight for our rights.

So, please, participate in sharing ideas. I'm sure you have some.

Thanks

Here is a link to my previous blog on voter supression and there is some information I later found in the comments to this blog:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/10/voter-supression-amped-up-we-n.php

I think there's less chance of this than in 2004 and 2000, but it's still good to be prepared. Probably a "flood the zone" approach will be necessary: calls to representatives at all levels, court cases, work walkouts and strikes, nonviolent direct action, etc. I don't know how much pre-planning is necessary other than to make people aware of the issue. I'm guessing it will be a bad idea to only wait for cues from the Obama campaign. Even if there are major shenanigans, they might proceed more cautiously than many of us would like (though I'd expect them to be more forceful than Gore was).

Speaking as an NYC resident, I decided back in 2004 that if some crazy stuff went down where Bush stole it again we needed to have a couple hundred thousand people down at Wall Street every day after that trying to shut down the exchange in a peaceful, nonviolent, but certainly civilly disobedient fashion (with a few thousand getting arrested every day and filling the jails). I think it would be quite possible to do something like that in a month if necessary, and given the last few weeks it might actually be a popular move - even among conservatives! Of course trying to shut down Wall Street for a couple of weeks is a radical thing to do, but if the election is stolen it will call for radical responses. Some national coordination would be needed, but a lot of the action would need to come from local initiative. New Yorkers and other residents of large cities and/or state capitals would probably have to play an important role.

But I don't think it will come to that (if it does, see ya at the barricades). On the flip-side, watch out for GOP accusations that Obama stole the election if he wins (c.f. their recent obsession with ACORN). Right now that outcome is far more likely and we'll need a different strategy for that.

The track record in Florida is dismal. I love the beach & hate cold weather, but at any election it is nothing but total chaos. You can't trust the machines, still no paper trail after eight years! If you hand deliver your balot you have to worry it won't be processed because it had no stamp. they use every trick in the book.

In 2006 I spoke up when I hand delivered with a stamp, that I felt uneasy about votes being counted, they said everyone does, now I worry because it will be thrown out because the stamp wasn't cancelled. If Obama wins FL it will be a miracle!

Between Palin & voting fraud nerves are frayed to the max.

The day after the election, we should all plan to hold a rally at a park either to celebrate or to protest. One way or the other, there should be a very large gathering to support each other and get going about turning this country around.

PS - Welcome everyone! It's a purple nation afterall.

The NYT ran a story on states purging voter rolls, sometimes illegally.
http://tinyurl.com/4qwj9b
Could this be why the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry division is now on active duty in the US, with a specific mission to quell civil unrest?

PRESS RELEASE

Protecting the vote
October 9, 2008: Common Cause has launched a far-reaching "Protect the Vote" campaign in nearly a dozen states nationwide to strengthen and protect our nation's system of voting and assure that eligible voters are able to vote and that those votes are counted in this historic election. The campaign includes election protection work in Colorado, Florida, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California and New York.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=186966

Bobby Kennedy Jr and Greg Palast have a number of ideas in a comic book form at http://www.gregpalast.com/sbyv/

On radio programs they have both urged everyone to use early voting where possible, so that if there are registration or ID problems they can be worked out before election day. They also say DO NOT accept a provisional ballot (significant numbers end up in the trash). The other recommendation was not to use a mail in ballot because the election boards can invalidate them for a whole variety of questionable causes (like a democratic zip code).

Kennedy and Palast: "The election has already been stolen. Now we have to steal it back"

Thanks Raider for a great topic and post. You a Palast fan? Im reading What Happened in Ohio at the moment on vacation in Mexico.

I would contribute to organizations that will help challenge suppression in courts now, such as the purging and the caging in MI. Any tips on orgs that do this well? Common Cause? I have sent money to a few in the past year and will give names if others are interested.

I also want to raise awareness. Trumped up voter fraud gets nonstop play on Fox News, McCain shoves it down their throats, and the other MSM mindlessly comply. I would contribute to fund advertising.

Would any newspaper print a letter about this? I live in Illinois, so alot of concern is outside the jurisdiction for the Presidential...

Perhaps funding a better smelling plane would help convince Old Media to report on real threats to fair elections.

Did anyone notice we missed our chance to ask Diebold for paper trails earlier this year?

Finally, Im glad Obama is doing more than Kerry. But I also believe his campaign should be doing more, educating the media on the facts, on the dangers. How to influence this?