This is a LIVEBLOGGING EVENT from Bayfront Park in Sarasota, Florida, where hundreds of demonstrators are gathering to demand a revote in the 13th District Congressional race, where more than 18,000 undervotes were recorded on touchscreen machines in Sarasota County.
Demonstrators holding signs declaring "REVOTE" are now milling around the park waiting for the event to start as an acoustic guitar strums a new song called "They Lost My Vote (Does Anybody Care?)" performed by Ellen Bukstel (thanks to Mary Ann in the comments for the inside track as to authorship. Viva!).
Anyhow, live coverage of the Rally For A Revote continues below! (And please recommend to keep this story alive!)
1:45--GATORDEM has just stopped by!
1:48--Clint Curtis, a candidate for Congress in the 24th District, has just stopped by the table to chat for a minute about his race and the importance of verifying every vote. "We could put out preliminiary results, but we need to verify paper trails before certifying anything. People are contesting results all over, and we need accountability in the system."
1:52--We have Press! Carl Nuni from the Bradenton Herald seems to be walking around, and at least one camera is now set up.
1:58--ABC7 has just shown up and started their setup. One of the other networks is now interviewing Kindra Muntz, the founder of SAFE (Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections), about verified voting. The voters of Sarasota County overwhelmingly backed the petition championed by SAFE to scrap the flawed touchscreen technology in favor of optical-scan paper ballots.
2:00--Just got handed the press kit for today's festivities. Trevor Harvey from the Sarasota NAACP and a registered Republican and member of the Sarasota County REC will be addressing the crowd in a bit about the importance of knowing their vote counts. "I hope democracy in America still works. If folks are denied their right to vote, they should be allowed to exercise that right. The only way that can be done is through a re-vote." That from a member of the Sarasota Republican Executive Committee!
2:07--The festivities are beginning! The King Louis Band just wrapped up their short set and welcomed the crowd, and BeTheMedia has just stopped by with Gatordem!
2:14--The crowd is swelling, and CNN has arrived!
2:17--The Rev. Charles McKenzie, Florida State Coordinator for the Rainbow-PUSH Coalition, just stopped by to say hello! "If we can expend lives and money to secure democracy in Iraq, we can expend time and money to safeguard democracy in our nation. The integrity of the electoral process and the confidence of the citizens of this district can only be achieved by a revote."
2:24--Rev. McKenzie is now taking the mic, and they just announced Air America and CNN will be covering the rally tonight. (photo courtesy of Joe Shea)
2:26--A very special guest has just arrived...CHRISTINE JENNINGS has just arrived and is watching the event unfold and talking to press! NBC8 just showed up as the crowd started chanting "revote, revote!"
2:30--State Rep.-Elect Keith Fitzgerald and City Commissioner Mary Ann Servian have just stopped by to say hello. Rep-Elect Fitzgerald recently won a seat held by a Republican that was once thought unwinnable by Democrats as a result of a registration disadvantage. Lowell Finley, Esq, the co-founder of Voter Action and one of the attorneys involved in the lawsuit to protect integrity in this election, is now speaking.
2:35--Chellie Pingree, the President and CEO of Common Cause, is now speaking. "We're not talking about one candidate denied here...we're talking about an issue that is resonating across the country. What if this were the Senate seat in Virginia, or the Senate seat in Montana?"
2:42--Reginald Mitchell, the Florida Legal Counsel for PFAW is now addressing the crowd. "The election in Sarasota County didn't work. The audit didn't work. The only way to give Sarasota County voters the voice they deserve is a re-vote." PFAW is requesting a revote in Sarasota County or, failing that, district-wide, and is demanding access to the source code for the touchscreen machines now being scrapped by Sarasota County.
2:50--Dr. Howard Simon, the Florida ACLU's Executive Director, is now at the mic. "While we may not know the precise interplay between bad ballot design, voter disinterest andmachine malfunction, this is an election that was very likely decided more by faulty machines than voters. Voters have a cure--as demanded in the lawsuit that we and three other voting rights organizations filed. The cure is a new election in which all votes are recorded and counted."
2:56--Trevor Harvey, Republican leader and NAACP President, is now speaking to the crowd. "Many of the speakers before talked about this as if it was a civil rights issue, and they're absolutely correct." Strong words from a Republican, but undeniably true. "We need to not point fingers, but to come together as one body and solve our voting issues in Sarasota and across the country. We live in America, and everyone has the right to vote, and the right to be assured that their vote is counted."
3:00--Charles McKenzie is now leading the crowd in chanting "We want hope, give us the revote!" "This is bigger than Republican and Democrat. This is bigger than Christine Jennings and Vern Buchanan." Amen, Reverend!
3:03--The crowd is dispersing, and I'll be packing up soon. Thanks for everyone who follwed along with our live coverage, and I hope that you'll continue to follow this race which is FAR from over! So, from my sweaty person to all of you in the blogosphere, thanks for listening.
Your humble author, JR. (photo courtesy of boofdah)