Local Election about to be stolen --what would you do?

[Thin Black Line]

This is reference to a real situation in which ballots were clearly being
stuffed and local WWII veterans used their second amendment rights
to protect the community from these corrupt officials:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=214104

 

[Thin Black Line]

No catchy slogans yet? Only 15 votes so far? This is starting to have
the turnout and enthusiasm of the typical US election......

 

[geekWithA.45]

For something like that, you need a multistep plan:


CONFRONT the criminals while the crime is in progress. If state or federal cops are immediately available for this purpose, all the better. If not, go with friends on your own authority. Don't go alone, and have someone standing overwatch. If denied admittance to the ballot stuffing area, Cordon the area off, videotape all arrivals and departures. TRACK the ballots.

DOCUMENT the crime. Names, dates, photos, recordings.

PERSONALLY DELIVER THE EVIDENCE to the state AG.

WAIT. Give the system the appropriate amount of time to work.

ASSESS whether the system is working or broken. If broken, goto plan B.

In the case of Athens, those folks had already tried to get the state involved, to no avail.


It all comes down to your ability to rapidly assemble and organize 5 guys with video cameras, and 5 more guys to grab as many people as they can and get them there.

Let's face it. If you can't round up 5 guys with cameras, you're not going to be able to round up 5 guys with guns.

 

[Thin Black Line]

Let's face it. If you can't round up 5 guys with cameras, you're not going to be able to round up 5 guys with guns.

+1 with an 8 on the side.

Send the tape off to Lou Dobbs since the whole keep-the-vote-above-board
is his thing right now. He's done a great job covering the both the
Venezuelan company and the so-called high error rate electronic voting
machines being used in US elections recently.

I think it's down to about 3 companies that "manage" most of the electronic
voting machines for the country now.

Indiana recently found about 1/4 of it's registered voters had not returned
their registration confirmation cards sent to their home addresses and nearly
20% had DUPLICATE voter registrations. Yeah, no way they could have
influenced an election. However, these people won't be removed until after
the 2008 election year --AFTER they fail to turn up to vote in the next two
elections. Hmmm.....why not NOW?

 

[RealGun]

Rant about it on the internet 100 years later, while introducing an off topic thread already closed under a difference incarnation.

 

[orangelo]

Where is the choice for "Arm yourself and your friends to the teeth and bust the place up" ?

Isn't that what happened?

 

[Thin Black Line]

Orange,

That is correct and they were viewed as heroes. However, such a
response would likely be moderated out here.

Rant about it on the internet 100 years later, while introducing an off topic thread already closed under a difference incarnation.

Thanks --proved my point again.

 

[longeyes]

Former CA Congressman Bob Dornan had this problem some years ago. The upshot of that was the GOP discovered fighting fire with fire was the way to go. So began the courtship of "the Hispanic voting bloc."

 

[littledoc]

Gee, it would never happen out here in California, where less than 10% of the gun owners are registered to vote. I really think that there are enough of us here, if we voted as a block we'd give them a serious run for their money. But, -in southern CA anyway- people will vote for the free money everytime. "We don't need no stinkin' rights, just take care of me."

Rant out.

 

[Thin Black Line]

Gee, it would never happen out here in California, where less than 10% of the gun owners are registered to vote.

Wow, for real? That few? No wonder CA is the way it is......

 

[littledoc]

Yes, southern California, anyway (the rest of the state is a whole other country). And over 90% of gun owners here aren't NRA members, either.

I've had the same old discussion with people complaining about new gun laws, at least one a year (usually many more) restricting something since I moved here in '99. The average complainee wants to know what the NRA did to fight it. I try to explain that it is not the NRA as some nebulous organization, but the NRA as us, a block of voters. The NRA's power is that we vote. That's all politicians understand.

For many people here there is a disconnect between who they vote for and the laws we get. But, I found that the average person doesn't really understand how government works, anyway. Or the difference between federal and state government.

Someone not from here would be surprised how much I hear that they can't vote for someone, their union won't let them.

We have an aristocracy here in CA, it's the politicians. Politics is their job since graduation. When they get to the Holy Grail (state gov't.), they may never have held a real job and they never will have to. They are full time and they get paid extremely well. And they pass laws as if they are trying to justify their positions. By the way, I bet it's the same in every state where there is a full time legislature. They feel that they know better than us how to run our business, our homes and our lives. They do think of themselves as smarter and in a higher class than the rest of us.

And the average voter here has bought into this.

Gun control in this country is not about crime. Or safety. It's a smoke screen. Gun ownership indicates self reliance. Which is totally contraindicated for the type of government they wish to have. They don't like us to have the ability to say, "N0!"

Elections don't need to be stolen here, because they already own them.

 

[MechAg94]

Sounds like you need a proposition to make the legislature part time. Meaning, only meeting so many months per year or once every 5 years maybe.

 

[littledoc]

Never happen. Even "The Governator" has made mention of it.

Politics here are third world. They don't threaten your family, though. They just threaten to take the free money. The system is too far gone.

In some localities even illegals legally can vote in local elections. How's that for an oxymoron? Even if the election is for the school board, why can illegals vote? They say it's because their children go to the school. But why can illegal aliens attend public schools? They have already indoctrinated the population to blur the line between legal immigrants and illegal aliens. I have no problem with immigration, it just needs to follow the law of the land. After all, everyones ancestors immigrated from somewhere. It's just a matter of when.

Even the referendums are a joke. If they don't like what was passed by the people, they can often find a judge to overturn it for some reason or another. Then they get reelected by the same people who voted for the referendum.

Aarrggh, this place really is La La Land. I can't wait to leave this workers paradise.

 

[Jim March]

The answer in 2006 (vs. 1946) is confrontation with video cameras rolling.

Document what's going on.

Organize teams to watch each place where votes are processed in any way - there are often "regional tally centers" plus the precincts plus the central counting place (county elections HQ).

I probably have more experience in this field than anyone here:

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/8556.html?1122679073

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/8568.html?1122664155

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/9425.html?1124737282

 

[ChestyP]

Video camera is a great idea, but if they're smart, they're not going to be doing it where the public has access.

Of the answers provided, "call the FBI" is probably the best, although the real people to call is the U.S. Attorney's office. They can light a fire under the Bureau and other agencies as appropriate (e.g. U.S. Marshals to seize tampered ballot boxes).

 

[geekWithA.45]

Incidentally, of all the various fed cops, the US Marshalls strike me as those with the most integrity.

(I worked with a few on a project back in the day....totally top notch guys)

 

[telomerase]

Video camera is a great idea, but if they're smart, they're not going to be doing it where the public has access.

They might do it where the state "election observer" has access, though. In Texas the school bond election votes are counted by the school secretary. The election is usually decided by early ballots handed out at the first parent-teacher conference (no pressure!) We decided to run a campaign against a particularly big bond issue (it gave the district the highest property tax rate in Texas). We ran ads in the paper, gave out thousands of flyers, etc.

We called the state agency in charge of supervising elections, and got them to send out an election observer. Unfortunately the "observer" refused to enter the vote-counting room, so they were less than effective. I guess this is where the video cameras and connections with the local media would have to come in.

 

[Thin Black Line]

We have an aristocracy here in CA, it's the politicians. Politics is their job since graduation.

LOL, it's not just CA and it's just not state gov.

I'm really beginning to think about the citizen video camera platoon. You
could even have one running outside polling stations as officials arrived even
if no problem was indicated. Just lets everyone know that attention is being
paid to the vote.

However, I need to throw a twist on this method. Although vids are
great when there's actual *paper ballots* being physically stuffed in
boxes, voting technology has likewise changed (I won't say "improved")
with technology.

The question now becomes: How does the average citizen know what is
actually happening with *electronic ballots* or if final tallies are being
manipulated?

Sorry to rain on our formation of cameramen, but what good will a video
camera do with electronic voting?

Again, ideas, thoughts, suggestions????