Posted by Bev Harris on Thursday, January 3, 2008 - 1:34 pm:
You don't live in Iowa? Doesn't matter. Pitch in!
IF YOU ARE NOT IN IOWA: During the event: Monitor Democratic Web site
http://www.iowacaucusreults.com and capture screen shots at regular
intervals. Observe whether there are any results that go up or down or change after they have been posted. Monitor Republican results at http://www.iowagop.net - but beware, they are not releasing precinct results until AFTER they calculate their totals. You can watch the action live online at http://www.cspan.org/ and there may be citizen call-in precinct results for Republican caucuses at http://www.libertybroadcastnetwork.org. You can discuss the Iowa caucuses at http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/71119.html and you can post photos of results, if you can get your hands on them, in the Iowa Forums under the appropriate county here: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/143/143.html
They've got an uncertified computerized cell phone-initiated vote tabulation process going on, and if you like to do Internet research you can get involved in that too, here: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/73/71118.html
If you spot anomalies as the results come in, propagate documentation (like screen shots) to 3-5 places (relevant web sites, appropriate email lists).
IOWA RESIDENTS: DOCUMENT WHETHER INPUT MATCHES OUTPUT (Input = results at the precinct; Output = precinct results as announced with TOTALS).
Priority one is to get photos of SIGNED RESULTS SHEETS.
Photos. Not verbal reports.
THE RULES: Anyone can observe any caucus. Photos and videos are allowed. They can boot you out if you disrupt the proceedings. Do not provide any justification for anyone to obstruct you -- be quiet as a mouse and polite as Miss Manners.
A STRATEGY: If you are not participating, only observing, consider observing in a building that houses more than one precinct caucus, so you can snap pictures of more than one signed results sheet.
IDENTIFY PHOTOGRAPHS WITH PARTY, PRECINCT, AND LOCATION: Remember, there are often multiple precincts in the same location, so just listing the address is not sufficient.
COMPARE DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT RESULTS WITH POSTED RESULTS ON
http://www.iowacaucusresults.com
IF REPUBLICANS DO NOT PROMPTLY POST PRECINT RESULTS: Demand that they immediately post a precinct by precinct itemization so that this can be compared with photos of signed results sheets.
PRIORITY TWO: If possible, get video of the following: (1) show of hands voting (Republican caucuses); (2) warm body counting candidate viability determinations (Democratic caucuses)
DISCUSSION AREA
Iowa forums at Black Box Voting -
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/143/143.html
Because the Republican caucuses lack the ability to compare input with output (precinct results local with precinct results used for TOTAL), a web site called Liberty Broadcast Networks (http://www.libertybroadcastnetworks.org ) has set up a live precinct results reporting system.
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