Daily Kos

Pentagon blocks registration site for non-military

by kos

Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:54:46 AM PDT

This is, of course, worrysome:
On Monday, the International Herald Tribune reported that the Pentagon is restricting international access to the Web site for the Federal Voting Assistance Program, the official government agency that helps Americans living abroad register to vote in the November election. According to the IHT, Americans who connect to the Internet using one of several foreign Internet service providers have reported difficulty logging in to the voting-assistance site. The Pentagon confirmed that it is blocking traffic from these ISPs -- which provide Internet service in 25 countries -- but it declined to say why.

"This is a completely partisan thing," one Defense Department voting official stationed in Europe told Salon. The official, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of being fired, is one of the many people in the department assigned to help both uniformed military personnel as well as American civilians register to vote. The official described the Pentagon as extremely diligent in its efforts to register soldiers stationed overseas -- for instance, this official had been told by the department to personally meet with all of the soldiers in the official's unit in order to help them register. But the department has ignored its mandate to help overseas civilians who want to vote, the official said.

Remember, the rank and file in the military isn't particularly Republican. If anything, it's split 50/50. The officer corps, however, the guys who run programs like this, are solidly Republican.
  • ::

Tags: (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

Permalink | 89 comments

  •  Is someone on our side acting on this... (none / 0)

    I mean somebody in the State department should be raising hell over this.  If not them congress.  If not them Kerry.

    What can we do to get some action on this.

    We Glory in war, in the shedding of human blood. What fools we are.

    by delver rootnose on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:53:23 AM PDT

    •  http://www.overseasvote.com/ (none / 0)

      "I don't do quagmires, and my boss doesn't do nuance."

      by SteinL on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:02:20 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Update, according to Salon's 2004 War Room (none / 0)

      With apologies to Salon...

      http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html

      Overseas voters won't be stopped by Pentagon

      The Pentagon's decision to restrict international access to the government's official overseas voting-assistance Web site came under new scrutiny today, as intrepid Bush Administration watchdog Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to immediately reverse the policy. There's slim hope, though, that Rumsfeld will respond to Waxman's call; in the past, the Congressman's letters to Bush officials -- calling for, say, a more transparent reconstruction contracting process in Iraq, or for an investigation into the White House's misleading cost estimates on its Medicare reform bill -- have all gone unanswered.

      But in the absence of the federal voting site, Americans living abroad can now look to a couple other sources for help in registering to take part in the November election. One site, run by the non-partisan Voter Verified Foundation, is an exact mirror of the site the government is now blocking. Another, overseasvote2004.com, offers an easy-to-use Web form to guide expats through the labyrinthine overseas-voting registration process. Overseasvote2004 is funded by the Democratic National Committee, but its managers tell Salon that the site is open to anyone, regardless of party affiliation, which voters are never asked to disclose.

      -- Farhad Manjoo

      The excessive use of television and automobiles can be hazardous to your health.

      by Greenkermie in AZ on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:03:54 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  This is scandalous (3.50 / 2)

    This needs to get a major media airing.

    -3.25, -3.85

    by Ben P on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:55:40 AM PDT

  •  calls needed (3.50 / 2)

    We need to organize!!

    • CONTACT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND TELL THEM YOU WANT THEM TO STOP THIS
    • CONTACT THE PRESS AND TELL THEM YOU WANT TO REPORT THIS

    -- SEND THE STORY TO TEN PEOPLE -- TODAY -- AND ASK THEM TO MAKE THE CALLS AND SEND THIS AROUND.

    Let's stop voter supression or at least embarrass the hell out of the administration.

    by maineiac on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:57:06 AM PDT

  •  Outrage Overload (3.66 / 3)

    Orwellian to the point of parody.  You couldn't make this shit up.

    "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag carrying the Cross" Sinclair Lewis -7.25, -7.23

    by Baseballgirl on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:57:24 AM PDT

    •  So true! (none / 1)

      I thought Florida was bad...this is almost like a bad TV series where you say, "now nobody is going to believe this plot twist..."  the audacity & the blatant self-interest is breathtaking.

      by Southern Hope on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:03:29 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  yup - Orwell was just off by a few years is all... (none / 1)

      And we thought 2000 was ugly? we ain't seen nothing yet.

      Baseball girl - who's your team?

      by zoey on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:09:54 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I'm a booster of (none / 1)

        something most people don't even realize exists-College Baseball.  Specifically, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  We also have season tickets to the local Northern League team (independent minor league baseball)the Lincoln Saltdogs.

        In "The Bigs", I like the KC Royals (Ken Harvey was a Husker)and the Angels (Darin Erstad was a Husker too).

        I go to about 80 baseball games a year-It's a sickness.

        "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag carrying the Cross" Sinclair Lewis -7.25, -7.23

        by Baseballgirl on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:22:33 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Someone talked about mirroring the site (4.00 / 2)

    Are there any mirrors yet? I would gladly set up one, or set up a proxy to access it if there are none.

    "Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it." - Mark Twain

    by soultaco on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:57:42 AM PDT

    •  Overseasvote.com (none / 0)

      Overseasvote.com is the place to go.

      Hype or Reality: the Senate records of Obama and Clinton

      by Grassroots Mom on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:02:41 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  That's a good site, but (none / 0)

        it has a partisan affiliation. I think it would help more to have an exact mirror of the government site somewhere else. Maybe I could work on putting one up later tonight.

        "Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it." - Mark Twain

        by soultaco on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:04:31 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  That won't work (none / 0)

        The link for absentee ballot forms just goes back to fvap.gov...

        "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber" - Plato

        by Dan Torres on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:08:29 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Has anyone sent email to those (none / 0)

          at the "overseasvote" site to alert them?  (Tell them to come to dailykos.com to see the article excerpt.)

          A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on -- Mark Twain

          by jnagarya2 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:11:15 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Try www.overseasvote2004.com instead (none / 0)

            According to the IHT article, overseasvote.com is well aware of the problems:

            Brett Rierson, co-founder of OverseasVote.com, a Hong Kong-based, pro-Democratic Web site that provides voting instructions as well as a link to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, said he had been bombarded with complaints from users who cannot enter the government site.

            "We started receiving e-mails as we launched in February, but they were sporadic and there was no general pattern," Rierson said.

            "As of Aug. 23, the numbers of e-mails per day have expanded drastically," he said. "Eighty percent of complaints have come from the past two weeks alone, and they come from countries that have the largest populations of overseas Americans."

            Those who cannot access the voting assistance program site can go to a new site, www.overseasvote2004.com, which promises to help absentee voters complete registration "in five minutes." It features state-specific registration forms that voters can print out and fax and mail back to their states.

            Alternately, voters can go to their U.S. embassies or contact their local representatives of Democrats Abroad or Republicans Abroad for a registration form.

            "I have lived with several Zen masters -- all of them cats." - Eckhart Tolle

            by catnip on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 12:50:27 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

    •  I think the proxy idea is best... (none / 0)

      I'm willing to put up a proxy server.  I have a spare machine and a spare IP address.  Anyone want to help out with this?  (datorres@pipeline.com)

      "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber" - Plato

      by Dan Torres on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:09:44 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Total craq (none / 1)

    This is complete bullshit, but not at all surprising. The Republicans obviously benefit from a reduced overall voter turnout, and are actively looking to boost turnout in only their "core constituancies".

    Here in Michigan the Republican legislature recently passed some laws to make it more difficult to vote via absentee ballot and for students away from home. Supressing turnout for all absentees (good for them) and for students (even better for them is clearly a partisan motive.

    I heard on Michigan radio (NPR) that a local Representative was introducing legislation to change that, but I doubt it will get through a republican-controlled ledge.

    I'm writing kind of hastily, and might not be exact on this, but that's the way I heard it.

    Can't wait for that anti-Republican backlash when, and if, it happens.

    "I'm so mad, I'm bulletproof!"

    by Mr Furious on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:57:43 AM PDT

  •  HEADS UP! KERRY ON NPR TODAY (none / 0)

    at 4 PM EST!

    I don't know how else to get this information out.  Somebody?

    A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on -- Mark Twain

    by jnagarya2 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:57:45 AM PDT

    •  couple of suggestions (none / 0)

      do you have a DU (democratic underground)account? OR know someone who does?

      that would be one way.

      I'm posting it on my blog, so at least my readers will see it.

      But I'd try and get it to DU. Also could post on Atrios. There's probably a mid-aft open thread.

      by zoey on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:15:26 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Called both Kerry's Sen. and (none / 1)

        campaign HQs to alert them.  (Also told them to come to dailykos.com.)

        What do folks here think?  Should folks make calls to local Kerry campaign/Democratic campaign offices about this?

        My theory is that this news should be got out REAL LOUD.

        A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on -- Mark Twain

        by jnagarya2 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:42:12 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  absentee voting from abroad (3.60 / 5)

    I was talking with somebody yesterday who was recounting a story about American friends voting abroad. He said that the way the ballots are designed, it's clear from the outside whether the vote is from a registered Democrat or Republican. And that when one friend (a Dem) mailed it back to a GOP-dominated state by regular mail, they never got the postcard back confirming its receipt (after waiting weeks), but when another friend sent theirs via diplomatic pouch, they did. Which raises the possibility that Dem ballots are being intercepted and "disappeared" in GOP strongholds. I don't want to be paranoid about this, and perhaps the facts of this second-hand story are inaccurate, but has anybody else heard anything like this? Is the party affiliation of absentee voters really that transparent? And are there safeguards against ballots being "lost" in the mail?

    by WendellGee on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:59:02 AM PDT

    •  Absentee ballots from abroad (none / 0)

      I live in Japan and just got my ballot a couple days ago (from Alameda County, CA), after sending in my FPCA card back in July. I never got back the postcard as I expected, and as I always had in previous elections. I called the registrar folks in Oakland, CA at the beginning of Sept. wondering where the postcard was and all the woman could say was that there "must be something wrong with the Japanese postal system." Ugh... She then told me that ballots would be mailed out Oct. 4th and that if I didn't get mine by about Oct. 15 to phone her right away.

      Well, lo and behold, my ballot arrived this past Tuesday (9/21), but not the usual ballot I always received in the past. This time it was simply a photocopy of the real thing, most likely from the sample ballot in the voter's handbook that I guess has been mailed out (I've not received mine yet). This got me curious again so I phoned the registrar's office again and asked about this new-style ballot. They told me that they decided to do this for all overseas voters from Alameda County because the real ballots weren't ready yet, and that by the time the real ones would have been sent out (I guess around Oct. 4th), they felt it would be cutting it too close for people like me to get it back to them on time.

      Fair enough. But I was curious about how these photocopies were going to be counted, knowing they wouldn't be able to go through the automatic tabulators like the real optical scan ballots could. I naively assumed they would be counted by hand. Wrong. She told me that these photocopied ballots would be hand-transferred by registrar office staff from the photocopied sheets to real ballots, in essence, someone sort of voting again, in my name. Since Alameda County is a pretty strong bastion of Democrats, I trust that my vote for Kerry & Edwards (& Boxer & Lee) would be counted fairly, but it still seems both a bit amateurish and a possible chance for fraud, unless, of course, this whole transfer operation is overseen by non-partisan observers, a la Florida. The woman assured me everything would "be OK", and "not to worry". Yet... though I'm not actually too worried, I do question the process at the same time I'm grateful they wanted to get me my ballot with time to send it back.

      Anyway, I voted and sent in my ballot yesterday, so now the wait. Go Kerry! And on to the debates!

      Ron,
      near Nara, Japan, stuck amidst rice paddies and pachinko parlors, and occasionally dreaming of bookstores, cafes and movie houses in Berkeley...

      "There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action." -Johann von Goethe

      by musewerks on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 09:57:30 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Alternate Site (none / 0)

    Heard about this on Air America this morning.   overseasvote.com is the site they recommended. Looks good.

    Hype or Reality: the Senate records of Obama and Clinton

    by Grassroots Mom on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:59:05 AM PDT

  •  Yeah (4.00 / 2)

    Nothing says "Democracy" quite like government employees failing to speak out against their bosses for fear they'll be fired.

    by dstein on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 10:59:54 AM PDT

  •  Kerry on NPR at 4 PM EST -- (none / 0)

    it would be terrific if a caller could get through and tell him this fact directly!

    Otherwise: could someone link to the article ("Salon" is too much of a pain, because of the "Play this ad" block) so it would be for the rest of us to email it to media?

    Thanks!

    And, again: John Kerry live on "Talk of the Nation at 4 EST.

    A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on -- Mark Twain

    by jnagarya2 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:02:30 AM PDT

  •  Here's one test to see if it's partisan (3.50 / 2)

    in nature: Are any ISPs in Israel blocked?

    "Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it." - Mark Twain

    by soultaco on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:02:54 AM PDT

  •  Officer corps republican? (none / 0)

    WHo were all those generals and admirals on the stage with Kerry at the convention in Boston?

    My father was a naval officer and spent the rest of his life voting for Kennedy and Kerry and Dukakis.

    by Steve G on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:11:15 AM PDT

    •  Who were they? (none / 1)

      Retired.

      OK, so I was on vacation that week, and I didn't see that part.  I'm guessing.  If they were active duty, I would guess those officers who rise to flag rank aren't anywhere near as stupid as those who do not.  

      In my experience, officers from grade O-1 to about O-5 are no better between the ears than the guy who makes change at Wal*Mart.  They were just fortunate enough to score a spot at the service academy and were willing to work like dogs to graduate.  For every Eisenhower out there, there are hundreds of these.

      Admirals and generals, however, have been around long enough to have survived both Republican and Democratic administrations, and are far less likely to subscribe to extreme points of view.  Think about it; would you sleep as well at night believing the Armed Forces are run by a bunch of Rush-bots?

      Support the troops. Drive a smaller car.

      by republicans are idiots on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:21:18 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Thanks a lot, man (none / 1)

        Be careful about what you say about my father.

        I wouldn't generalize too far beyond your experience.  Most officers get their commissions through ROTC, not the service academies.  Or they go to Officer Candidate School.  Their intelligence and their creativity and independence vary at all ranks and in all the services. THere is probably a tendency for more conservative elements to go that career route and flag officers may have a range of attributes that got them promoted and led them to stick with a military career, but be careful how you generalize (no pun intended).

        by Steve G on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:58:35 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  I am an absentee voter. (none / 1)

    I'm an absentee voter registered in Illinois, and I'm currently living in Mexico.

    This is actually the first time I'm voting in a general election. I signed up with my national Democrats Abroad chapter.  DA has been amazing in their GOTV projects.  I actually registered before the primaries (I got to vote for Obama!) and I received my absentee ballot card in time.  

    According to DA the deadlines to send in your absentee voting request vary dependong on your state you last voted but they are all comming up in September.  I actually used the FVAP website to download the PDF application form.  As far as I can tell that's the most important document needed to register. And you can get it at Overseas Vote.  

    Anyway, in the next week I'm getting my Absentee Ballot!! (since Illinois mails it earlier than most states).  I can't wait to vote for John Kerry.

    by javier1980 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:17:25 AM PDT

  •  what really, really scares me (3.66 / 3)

    is the blatant in-your-face nature with which the government is trying to steal votes and manipulate the system. They aren't even trying to hide it anymore.

    In the past, only dictators have shown that kind of indifference to the rule of law.

    Wait a minute.... never mind.

    by zoey on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:17:47 AM PDT

  •  officer corps (none / 0)

    I've heard the officer corps is 90 % Republican, or Republican leaning. No sources or documentation, just what I've read and observed.

    If the rank and file is 50/50, the overall 65/35 split has to come from somewhere.

    by bigbay on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:17:57 AM PDT

  •  CNN (none / 1)

    CNN ran a long story about the overseas vote yesterday, and needless to say:

    1. it focused on Israel (in fact, American settlers in the West Bank who were pro-Bush).

    2. Didn't mention the ISP blockage at all.

    D-Day, the newest blog on the internet (at the moment of its launch)

    by dday on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:21:44 AM PDT

  •  wow man (none / 1)

    this is crazy, the shamelessness is what gets me.  they must have some official reason for it.  my preliminary e-mail list I'm sending this to (the usual suspects):

    Arianna Huffington
    arrianna@ariannaonline.com

    Joe Conason
    jconason1@aol.com

    Paul Krugman
    krugman@nytimes.com

    Bob Herbert
    bobherb@nytimes.com

    Michael Moore
    mike@michaelmoore.com

    "When people think, Democrats win." - Bill Clinton

    by Todd Beeton on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:22:36 AM PDT

  •  World News verus U.S. News: The Great Divide (none / 1)

    The big fear here, is not so much the troops.  Which as a whole vote slightly Republican (i.e. officers mostly Republican, enlisted more balanced).  Though this year there are claimes of anti-Bush sentiment in troops abroad, even those not in Iraq.

    The big fear is all the other ex-patriates that are working/living abroad and have been inundated with their 'local' news about what is going on in the world. The U.S. news is exceedingly limited in the amount of death and destruction that is going on.  Also, it gives almost no time to the anti-American sentiments of the populations across the globe.  Those who have to live their and feel the 'wrath of the locals' and watch a less filtered newscast, are suspected to vote for Kerry by an overwhelming majority.

    As an example (which I'm sure the Republicans will love to poke fun at) the last poll I saw said that 6% of the French support Bush.  Imagine what it would be like as an American immersed in a culture that is so anti-Bush.  These are the people that will be a 'dangerous' voting bloc for the Bush/Cheney campaign.

    by joc on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:25:04 AM PDT

  •  don't get mad; get the ball rolling (none / 0)

    Who can we get to sign a letter requesting an expedited investigation of this?

    If the DOD Inspector General can drop everything and investigate Kerry's medals then they can investigate this.

    Who belongs to an organization that would sign a formal complaint? Any members of Congress will to sign an official complaint?

    BTW, it might be appropriate to include a request to investigate the military blocking servicemembers from accessing political websites.

    If you are interested in the politics of Proviso Township in Cook County, Illinois, visit Proviso Probe.

    by Carl Nyberg on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 11:50:17 AM PDT

  •  more and more and more and more... (none / 0)

    It's 1984.

    "I have lived with several Zen masters -- all of them cats." - Eckhart Tolle

    by catnip on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 12:28:18 PM PDT

  •  OVERSEAS VOTING (none / 0)

    I'm a member of Democrats Abroad (the Netherlands).  Just "tell an American to vote" and the rest will follow.

    Thanks,
    Kate in Holland  

    by dirigo on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 12:41:54 PM PDT

  •  TELL AN AMERICAN TO VOTE (none / 0)

    Here it is again-
    VOTE!!

    by dirigo on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 12:45:07 PM PDT

  •  I have Emailed (none / 0)

    CNN ~ tellus@johnkerry.com Micheal moore and air america

    In addition I have posted this disturbing news report on the Johnkerry blog and asked that all bloggers email email and email to everyone

    Time is running out for the Americans Abroad to get their vote in This includes the milatary as well ..

    THIS IS A F***ing OUTRAGE !

    WE ALL NEED TO GET THIS OUT THERE AND UNCOVERED WE HAVE LITTLE TIME .. THIS IS A HUGE VOTER BLOCK FOR kERRY / EDWARDS

    GAWD I HATE THESE SICK PEOPLE    

    by jackieca on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 12:47:22 PM PDT

  •  waiting for a response from the US consulate (none / 0)

    Actually this is more disturbing than many might realize. There are a number of sites where you can dowload the PDF FPCA
    http://www.overseasvote.com
    http://www.overseasvote2004.com
    to name two.
    However, every state must receive the registration to vote absentee by October 2. I have been involved in a major voter registration drive here in Vancouver, and we have had full support of the US consulate here. (Our drive -- http://www.1morevote.org -- has been careful to be non-partisan at registration events).
    During September both we and the consulate have been telling people to both mail in their FPCA and to fax it to FVAP who has a mandate to ensure that the fax gets passed on in a timely way to local election boards. (Faxing is insufficient -- the mail one needs to arrive as well, but it helps to ensure the voter does get registered and requests an absentee ballot).
    The salon article, by an FVAP staffer who identifies as Democrat, alleges partisan politics affecting voter registration. I am wondering whether there is any evidence of partisanship with the handling of FPCA faxes.
    I can't tell how credible the one anonymous source is. My experience with the FVAP folks is that they have been very helpful. I have an email in to the local consular voting rep (who is great, btw) to find out what he knows.

    by LisainVan on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 12:48:37 PM PDT

  •  Clarification... (none / 1)

    ...many comments have focused on Air America's story today, and a link they provided.  To clarify:

    overseasvote.com simply gives a link to the government website (according to AAR).  (It's true, I just tried it.)

    overseasvote2004.com bypasses the gov't block by having the registrant fill out, print, then mail or fax the form themselves.

    At least, this is how my simple mind understood it.

    Standing cool and composed before a million universes

    by pauldean on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:00:46 PM PDT

  •  I contacted my Congressman (Van Hollen) (none / 0)

    An aide agreed that the article raises disturbing issues and said that they'd bring up with the minority chief counsel for the Judiciary Committee.

    by RPS on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:18:44 PM PDT

  •  Orders... (none / 0)

    The United States military follows orders to the letter, your life in the military is based on it. There is "no right way vrs. wrong way, orders caries the day". Our founding fathers, with histories lessons, made it that way. When things like this happen, as in Iraq, they come from orders. There is now, for the first time in our history, a six-star General. General Rove.

    by hoodster on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:27:12 PM PDT

  •  Senator Warner (none / 0)

    I sent an email through John Warner's website.   Not only is he my Senator, he's also the head of the Armed Services Committee.   McCain would also be good to contact (working on him next).   They're both Republicans, I know, but that means they're both fairly reasonable and will have more access to fix it than folks on our side.

    Kevin Lawver | nonDependant.com & Lawver.net

    by kplawver on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:27:37 PM PDT

  •  Why aren't these GOP Officers being prosecuted for (none / 0)

    election tampering?  Oh yeah, because that corrupt AWOL chimp is in office.  

    Don't be so afraid of dying that you forget to live.

    by LionelEHutz on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:33:45 PM PDT

  •  I can vouch (none / 0)

    for the veracity of this news story.  Just today at work, I talked with three American colleagues who reported having trouble with this particular web site.  We didn't think that there might have been such interference, though I can't say as I'm surprised.  In any even, I had alread downloaded the Federal post card registration form after checking the website of the Minnesota Secretary of State for registration details. There, I discovered that I could fill out the form and fax it directly to the relevant office in the Twin Cities. This was what I advised the colleagues to do. As for the website, there are numerous others that can be used.

    -7.13 / -6.97 "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." -- Edmund Burke

    by GulfExpat on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 01:49:30 PM PDT

  •  will rank and file get their ballots? (none / 0)

    so, with the officer corps so overwhelmingly Republican, will the enlisted men even get their ballots so they can vote?  the officers would have to know that their sentiment isn't shared by the enlisted men--and if the Pentagon is willing to pull a stunt like this (if it's a stunt), why allow enlisted men any better access?  There have been electoral changes in Florida (and other states?) weakening what's required to prove the veracity of military and overseas ballots (FL changed the law so that they no longer need a witness signature on the ballot).  Who's to say that some motivated officers couldn't vote for their men?

    by benchcoat on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 02:00:18 PM PDT

  •  I also (none / 0)

    Called my local rep and senator and reported this , Both offices were stunned and had not heard this story, keep getting the word in ,

    Americans Abroad have only have till OCT 18th to get their ballots sent ...

    EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL >>>CALL CALL CALL

    Get this story OUT  !  

    by jackieca on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 02:29:34 PM PDT

  •  http://proxify.com/ (none / 0)

    They can get to it by using this proxy.  I just tried it.  How do we get the message out???

    "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber" - Plato

    by Dan Torres on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 02:37:21 PM PDT

  •  I wonder if a Kerry victory (none / 1)

    in November (by a landslide of course) would result in an attempted military coup by these repugs now running the military.

    by jackemoe on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 03:21:27 PM PDT

  •  In FL, Kerry used (none / 1)

    "Osama bin Forgotten"!

    It's those tight little stickers-to-memory which are effective.

    A lie is halfway around the world before the truth can get its shoes on -- Mark Twain

    by jnagarya2 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 03:52:22 PM PDT

  •  5/6 Expats support Kerry (none / 1)

    Tried to put this IHT article on Kos on Monday, but I am new and could not post then.

    Anyway, this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  Kos should keep it up and running daily until the deadlines have passed.  

    I read somewhere that 5 out of 6 expats, Americans living abroad, are hardcore Kerry supporters and EXPATS ARE THE GROUP THAT WILL PUT KERRY OVER THE TOP.  

    This is the group that will break shrub's back, so to speak.  They have been mobilized for months now.  

    Our... constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control men's minds. Thurgood Marshall

    by bronte17 on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 04:44:06 PM PDT

  •  make sure you (none / 0)

    get this link out on the blogs for the Americans living abroad and the milatary

    http://www.overseasvote2004.com/

    by jackieca on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 05:07:27 PM PDT

  •  Pentagon lifts block on voter site (none / 0)

    Although this is great news, the Pentagon explanation does not provide a logically coherent answer as to why there was a sudden surge in blockage from late August through today.

    OverseasVote received no access complaints from May until August 23rd; we registered 10,000 people in July, and even more in August - and then the blockage began.  Something changed at the Pentagon, and their response does not jibe with reality.

    Jennifer Joan Lee/IHT IHT
    Thursday, September 23, 2004  

    PARIS The U.S. Defense Department changed its explanation Wednesday for problems faced by certain overseas Americans attempting to access the government Web site for voters abroad, saying that an Internet security block imposed several years ago had been left in place inadvertently.

    The block, which had prevented some U.S. citizens abroad from accessing www.fvap.gov, the site of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, as the Nov. 2 election nears, has now been lifted, a Pentagon spokesman said.

    Tim Madden, spokesman for the Defense Department task force that oversees the Pentagon's computer networks, declined to specify the reason for the block.

    Earlier, a Pentagon official indicated that the block had been imposed to thwart hackers, but Madden would not comment on this.

    He insisted, however, that the Pentagon had not been not blocking the Federal Voting Assistance Program's site.

    Earlier Wednesday, three members of Congress wrote to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warning that the block could result in "the potential disenfranchisement of millions of overseas Americans" and urging him to restore access to the site.

    News that access to the voting assistance site was restricted, first reported in the International Herald Tribune on Monday, infuriated both Democrats and Republicans.

    Both parties want to see a maximum number of voters abroad register in time to vote in November.

    "We've sent a man to the moon, so we should also be able to safeguard our voter assistance Web sites without disenfranchising patriotic, tax-paying, law-abiding Americans," said Representative Carolyn Maloney, Democrat of New York, one of the three who wrote to Rumsfeld.

    The chairman of Republicans Abroad Europe, Robert Pingeon, said he did not believe the block had been politically motivated.

    "But I certainly think they could have done a better job explaining the situation," he said. "The blocks may have a legitimate reason, but they also complicate the lives of people trying to register to vote."

    According to overseas voter advocates, the block prevented users of major Internet service providers in many countries, including Australia, Britain Canada, China, Czech Republic, France India and Japan, from accessing www.fvap.gov.

    Some users of Wanadoo.fr, a French provider that had been blocked, said Wednesday that they were now able to access the site.

    Madden, the spokesman for the Pentagon's Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations, said that the block had been left in place "inadvertently."

    "That block should not have continued past a certain date," he said. "For technical reasons, that block was not lifted when it was directed to be lifted." He declined to elaborate.

    The Federal Voting Assistance Program, which was set up to help American servicemen and civilians overseas take part in elections, is under the aegis of the Defense Department.

    Madden said the Pentagon computer task force employed a strategy known as "defense in depth" - "layering network defenses so that they complement, support and validate each other.

    Blocks, firewalls and antivirus software are only some of those measures."

    He said that "one device within the Department of Defense" had maintained the block that prevented certain Internet service providers from accessing the voting assistance site.

    The department's Global Information Grid involves 13,000 different networks and 3.5 million individual computers, he said.

    Madden declined to say when the block was originally imposed. But Maloney, the Democratic congresswoman, indicated that it may have been in place when the last presidential election took place, in 2000.

    "It's my understanding that this was a problem four years ago, they knew it was a problem, and they still haven't managed to fix it so that Americans overseas can access the Web site," she said, before the Pentagon indicated that the block had been lifted.

    by BHR on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 05:18:42 PM PDT

    •  RE (none / 0)

      Well, this is good news, but I take issue with their saying that this was a recent initiated blockage.  In my foreign locale, this site has been blocked since at least early Spring of this year.  

      And they have been aware because myself and the a rep from Dems Abroad exchanged emails with the site administrator back in the early Spring, who gave me a nonsensical answer that I no longer recall - it certainly had nothing to do with fears of hacking.

      The Pentagon is lying.  This was politically motivated.  Non-military US civlians overwhelmingly vote Democrat. They gamed the system.

      ... now watch this drive.

      by jg on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 05:38:05 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  RE (none / 0)

    Finally this topic gets some front page coverage on a lefty blog (although it has appeared in the diaries and open threads almost every day this week).

    I can say from experience that this has been going on for at least 6 months.  I contacted the Asian Chair of Dems Abroad in the early Spring about non-accessibiliy to the voting site.  I fired off a couple of letters to the administrator of the site and posted about it here and a few other places.  Fortunately, the Dems Abroad has been very active this year in getting forms to people who cannot otherwise access the site.  

    Shame it took so long for someone to get a reporter's attention on this story given that the deadlines are almost run.  I hate to know how many voters gave up trying to register due to this blockage.

    Definitely write your Democratic Congressmen -  heads should role over this.    

    ... now watch this drive.

    by jg on Wed Sep 22, 2004 at 05:31:04 PM PDT

Permalink | 89 comments