Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Grandma Jo says...

"You can't count votes that were discouraged, thrown away, or intimidated away." - Grandma Jo

Notes on a voter suppression in Ohio. By Daily Kos diaryiest pronin2

This is just disgusting. A few lowlights:

Janeane Smith-White
Pushed Kerry button on her ballot and the light went on for Bush
Poll worker said it had been happening all day

Steven Hayman
Lost at least 75 voters in the 12.5 hours
There were about 150 people in line at nominal poll closing of 7:30; one machine-
"Ohio has a new poll tax: if you can't afford to wait inline for four hours, you don't vote."

Tom Pinatello
Observed that after he pushed the button for Kerry, went through the complicated ballot, and did a double check at the end before pressing the vote button, the vote for Kerry was gone


Jen Miller
low-income Appalachian area
4 hour line
2 pcts, 3 machines per precinct (there were 4 per pct in 2000)
1 machine was down
Lack of poll workers; no was was directing the precinct split in the line-
Handicapped voters were not directed to accessible entrance or helped in any way
handicapped voters given no preferential treatment in long lines
Observed numerous problems with people voting and cried for three hours when she got home

Jane Hubbard
Observed 2-3 hours wait saw people leaving line

Stacey Mitchell-King
- Columbus public school teacher, took day off for election protection-
delivered food to people in line
Observed people leaving line

John Mannity
6 machines for two pcts E and F
bought ponchos for people standing in rain; fashioned garbage bag ponchos

4 Comments:

Sarah Grimke said...

My thoughts on this? We push hard now and do not relent to get rid of Diebolds and their ilk. Anyone who fights to keep it, we accuse of wanting to rig elections. There *is* no good argument for paperless voting machines. None.

And make no mistake about it, they will push for these machines to be placed elsewhere as well. This is as big a threat as our country has ever seen. If the people's will can be subverted, then the process is broken and MUST be fixed.

9:00 AM  
spocko said...

Yep. And blast them with the blantantly unAmerican act of hampering the vote. What kind of people do that?

Republicans.

3:48 PM  
ellroon said...

I've been yelling about this ever since the 2000 debacle in Florida. If we lose our trust in voting, we will resort to violence. Voting has been a way of changing a government without bloodshed. It has been the bedrock on which our republic stands and it is being eroded by the neocons. They are destroying America as we know it.
People have yet to wake up and get angry because they yet don't see what is waiting for us. It has been such a slow process like the frog in the pan, it will be too late when we notice the water is boiling.

10:27 AM  
spocko said...

Slow process is right. They had YEARS to fix this problem and a blue ribbon panal with Ford and Carter as chairs giving them guidelines. This should be an issue that both parties want to satified with, that fact that Republican's are happy with no paper machines is an outrage. You can bet if they were the party that was the minority they would be screaming bloody murder.

I think all those fancy lawyers who were watching the votes should start crafting lawsuits and filing criminal charges. We need some priviate dicks and street smart computer scientists to point out the problems (street smart computer scientists? Is that an oxymoron?)

Thanks of posting!

11:12 AM  

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