I sent this proposal to Victoria Collier, who affirmed that other countries have filmed hand-counted paper ballot votes and that it really has worked: The filming does prevent cheating. Just as I had hoped.
A friend marched this proposal in to a Kucinich house party, where Kucinich was present. He said he was going to try to get it passed into law. Doubtlessly he countered all kinds of resistance, for reasons which need very little explanation. This plan would WORK, and of course, politicians don't want to be unseated by an actual, legitimate vote.
Far from intending to sound self-congratulatory, let me stress that this is all about the hope, which I in turn hope will encourage you: Because of having read one letter to the editor in a very small newspaper, reaching only 30,000 readers (compared to millions), an election reform plan was marched in to a US Representative. That should tell you how powerful letters to the editor really can be: Who knows who YOUR letter would reach?
Then I posted the matters to Moveon's forum (since closed). I sent out emails, asking people to pass it around as a chain. Soon enough, I saw people from all over the country writing about filmed, hand-counted paper ballots done by citizens summoned for the civic duty of vote counting. I was actually surprised to read a reference to it in the Christian Science Monitor's article. All that is to say: Take heart, folks! We can have an effect, and word does get around. Stay alive, create for hope!
Who knows whether or not this still COULD catch fire IF.....We the People pass word along and, as a greater mass, insist that it be passed into law.
I think the hope here is that virtually every newspaper I submitted the proposal to, printed it. Yes, this also was after 9-11, when our Press was centralized and censored. Was it as bad then as now? No, to tell you the truth. But does that mean there still would be no hope of getting it printed? I would say, having penned more than 100 letters in print (I‘ve lost count), that some editors would be inclined to print it. And for those who do not, remember: It was a very small paper which printed this, yet it ended up in Kucinich's lap. So....go for the college newsletter editors. Go for the local papers. Say "yes" and "thank you" to every opportunity you have, instead of thinking of what's lost and won't work. Yes, based on small readership, word WILL get out! That’s my experience. May you draw strength from it and gain hope. Please spread the word, signing your own name to the election reform proposal above. It's all about the cause being done, not about names and glory. I care not one iota about having my name attached. Please just spread the word! Thank you.
