STOP THE PRESSES!!!

Like so many devoted Americans working at the grassroots level, the committed soldier citizens from Virginia related a story that is being told, with minor variations, all across America. Election officials, County Commissioners, Secretaries of State, Governors, all seem to suffer from the same narrowed perception , selective blindness, and lack of backbone. In the face of massive failures of leadership, it is required that we ask how it is possible that “We the People” get it, and the elected and appointed officialdom do not.

Leading off the second hour was a voice familiar to the voting integrity community in Pennsylvania, Madeline Rawley. An always astute and eloquent voice amongst the many active members of the Coalition for Voting Integrity, Ms. Rawley called into the broadcast to share comments based upon her observations when attending the County Commissioners meeting on that same day, in Doylestown, the County Seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Little did she know that while she was reporting over the radio, that she was being quoted in a front page article in the Bucks County newspaper, The Intelligencer. While in attendance at the Commissioners meeting she gave public testimony and the paper quoted her, “The problem is no machine should stand in the way of a voter’s intended vote being counted”, she then followed with, “Show some leadership, and say THIS is what you want”!

THIS, was nothing more than to the three commissioners signing on to support the passage of Rush Holts HR5036, the Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008, provisions of which will guarantee reimbursements of state monies invested in the conversion from DRE type magic box devices to a paper based verifiable system. The newest of the Commissioners, Diane Marseglia had written a letter endorsing the passage of HR5036, but her peers chose to seek safety behind the “advice” of the Counties Chief Operating Officer, who’s position is one of being skeptical of the repayment of monies from the United States Government.

Ms. Rawley also explained to the versatile host (Lori Rosolowsky spoke during that same Commissioners meeting and as is the custom she announced her name and spelled her last name for clarity. Commissioner Jim Cawley asked jokingly if she would spell it again. Lori, being the performer (notice I did not say ham) that she is took the opportunity to sing her name phonetically. It only took a few seconds and her spontaneous adlibbing would have received a standing ovation in any other venue, but still, she received a resounding round of applause, and her friendly openness cleared the stiffness from the bureaucratic atmosphere.)that the citizens in attendance, many of which were CVI members, were also encouraging the commissioners in the strongest polite language possible, that regardless of the status of HR5036, the state monies should be redirected to enable the replacement of DRE magic boxes. The score at the end of the meeting was, bureaucrats 1, American citizens 0.

Following Madeline Rawley was New York States tireless voting rights champion, Bo Lipari. Bo reported that “The Supreme Court inexplicably performs a rare reversal of election officials decisions”. Mr. Lipari’s sense is that in order for Liberty Election Systems to have prevailed with there injunction, that they had to have gone “judge shopping”. While the courts disastrous decision is a set back, Bo feels that “by and large they have won the battle here for paper ballots”. As I write this article, the Counties in New York must select the machines to be purchased, thus, look for an update next week.

Unable to contain her passion, Voice of the Voters normal on air host, Mary Ann Gould, called in from her sick bed to provide fifteen minutes worth of fluid oratory leaving listeners and guest hosts inspired. Mary Ann lead off with, “We are fighting for what’s right”! Her ire relative to that mornings debacle in Doylestown could not be contained, “What happened today in Doylestown is inexcusable!” was her exclamation.

Complimenting Commissioner Marseglia, stating that, “she spokes as a stateswoman”, she also was adamant in her belief that the “Counties Chief Operating Officer and the other two commissioners do not want the citizens to have proof of their vote!” Knowing that Pennsylvania, and Bucks County in particular are at great risk for becoming the next Florida, she is livid that, “they have the fall to say they will not support the bill”. In her next breath she said that, “I personally will work to see that they (commissioners) are removed from office”.

Her fears are justified, and she communicated her fear when she said, “If we don’t change Bucks County, we won’t change the State”. In essence, she is saying that Bucks County must be where the voting integrity grassroots makes its strongest stand. “Government serves the people” she explained, and added that the thinking in Bucks County is horribly skewed when they are “willing to spend a fortune on golf courses, and not on our vote”.

Closing the broadcast was John Gideon with his west coast update. An explanation of “Double Bubble Trouble” where confusing ballot design, poorly trained poll workers, and machines that read in one dimension (as opposed to humans who can use their imaginations to solve real time problems) has created a condition where over 100 THOUSAND votes may go uncounted as a function of over thinking a simple paper ballot. It’s amazing how we out smart ourselves by trying to be too clever, only the ourselves in this instant is not the designer of a bad ballot, but over one hundred thousand registered voters. That event should be national news, yet only the blogging world seem to be aware.

While the adage that all politics are local demands that we fight voting integrity skirmishes at the city, county, and state level, it is the authors opinion that nothing short of an Constitutional Amendment will fully right the voting integrity ship. It is chaos in all fifty states, and until the bull is taken by the horns and the system of voting made into a standardized process (with control states for a checks and balance) then we should anticipate that the chaos will continue.

However, in Pennsylvania, the guns are a blazing. Volleys fired from both sides are producing direct hits, with the bureaucrats firing the heavy artillery that comes with their positions of authority, and the voting integrity grassroots firing accurate meaningful shots whose cumulative effect can be to fell the bureaucratic beasts in mid stride. The parallels between colonial times and now are significant. A one dimensional force of bureaucrats fending off the efforts of tireless civic warriors. It is a quiet revolution that must find a way to amp up the noise level.

To make noise at the Governors office in Pennsylvania, call Governor Ed Rendell, 717-787-2500. To pump up the volume in Bucks County, contact the Commissioners, 215-348-6000, and to make the issue resonate with Representative Bob Brady, Chair of the House Administrative Committee, 202-225-4731.

Calling in great numbers is vital. Call them all, then call a friend have them repeat the process. It’s winter in Pennsylvania, lets snow them in with phone call, after email, after fax, after US Postal. Let then know that you’re one angry hombre, and that you are no longer going to tolerate their arrogance and disconnect.

This article and others by the author, along with pod casts of previous “Voice of the Voters” broadcasts are available on wwwdotvoiceofthevotersdotcom.

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