April 26, 2006 at 23:00:00

The "Invisible Ballots" Lending Library Project Update

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By Joan Brunwasser, Voting Integrity Editor, OpEdNews (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Joan Brunwasser - Writer

This is an update on the Invisible Ballots Lending Library Project. A brief recap for those unfamiliar with its history: last summer, I attended a screening of Invisible Ballots and was struck by its effectiveness as a catalyst for discussion on election issues, particularly the perils of electronic voting. Starting last September with three copies, the library project sought to spread the word through widespread distribution of the DVD. As of today, the project has reached 247 individual and group borrowers in 33 states, Washington DC and four foreign countries (Canada, Japan, Holland and England). Groups screenings are popping up across the country. The project has
been mentioned in YES! and Lilith magazines and online websites like: BradBlog,
Velvet Revolution, Smirking Chimp, Dissident Voice, True Blue Liberal, Blue Mass
Group, Crisis Papers, Indybay.org and VotersUnite!

Unfortunately, at the same time, and at a faster pace, electronic voting machines are conquering the electoral battlefield, state by state. While the press tends to deal with each new 'glitch' as a local phenomenon laid at the feet of unprepared election workers, the truth is much more disturbing and global in scope. I highly recommend that you follow the developments nationwide rather than just looking at what's going on in your own state. The total picture is quite alarming. John Gideon of VoteTrustUSA and Voters Unite! has done a yeoman's job giving timely updates from all corners of the country via the Daily Voting News. You can sign up for this extremely informative newsletter by going to http://www.votersunite.org/news.asp and clicking on the box in the upper right hand corner. You may lose sleep from your newfound awareness but you will be much better informed.

The likelihood for elections which actually reflect the will of the voters is slipping through our fingers as Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states succumb to the electronic voting machine juggernaut. Picture a set of dominoes here. We will pay for this lack of vigilance in the years to come with more, unsatisfactory, 'elected' officials and unpalatable programs and policies.

I will continue to work towards election reform because I must. Giving up and giving in is simply not an option that I am willing to consider. I am going to DC in June for the Take Back America conference which will be attended by thousands of Democrats and progressive delegates. I'm going on a press pass from OpEdNews, which is very exciting. It's a great opportunity to talk about my project. Even if I am able to connect with only 100 people, each delegate represents larger networks of concerned individuals, allowing me to dramatically expand the reach of the project. While the potential is huge, my inventory is anything but. I have only 10 copies of Invisible Ballots left, and no funds to order a larger shipment to take with me in June.

Since March, I have been able to offer a tax deduction for contributions, because of my tie-in with http://www.ihcenter.org/groups/CitizensForElectionReform.html International Humanities Center. Alas, the contributions have not kept pace with the demand. If you support this project and think it is important to get people involved in this debate about the direction our elections are taking, please consider taking a few minutes to make a contribution. I'm not wild about fundraising. But now I understand what it means to have important work to do and no money to do it. I happily (some would say compulsively) give large blocks of my time to this project. But since one person alone can only do so much, I am turning to you to join me in this campaign.

Please share this with anyone who values our democracy and wishes to restore elections where every vote counts and each vote is counted. This transcends political divisions: I welcome the participation of voters (and nonvoters) of all stripes. We all suffer when the system is corrupted and the public lacks confidence in it.

Thank you in advance for your vote of confidence in me, (bad) pun intended. I look forward to nothing more than being able to disband my project once free, fair and transparent elections for all American voters have been achieved.

Jump right in! Make a contribution today! We'll both feel good about it and my project will have a new lease on life.

Joan Brunwasser is a co-founder of Citizens for Election Reform (CER) which exists for the sole purpose of raising the public awareness of the critical need for election (more...)

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