I received a copy of the viral email going around ("Subject: Nov election Notice" in my version) that warns people that selecting "Straight Democratic ticket" on their voting machine will invalidate any separate vote cast for Obama, resulting in no vote for Obama.
I do not know if that is even true, nor do I see any official support from anyone that it is.
Here's what I did to deal with it, though I don't think the problem is even being addressed, let alone solved...
I called my NYC Obama HQ, and talked with someone there. They had no idea about either the email, or whether or not it's true. I offered to email them my copy, and some notes on the googling I did to fruitlessly verify or debunk it, and they could give me only a personal, not an official campaign system, email address to send it to. So I did, with a request for response so I could reply to the people I could see sent the viral email along with the official facts.
That was over 2 weeks ago. I never heard back. So a week later, I called again, talked with someone at NYC Obama HQ, told them what I just wrote here, and offered to send it to someone at the campaign who's responsible for voting security. They again gave me their personal, not an official campaign system, email. I sent it. And again I've never heard back. I haven't seen any official response to this email that's spreading like a virus, which will at the very least cause conflicting info, classic "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt" that will screw up some voting, one way or another, compared to a single set of simple and correct instructions for voting for Obama and all the other Democrats.
I have also sent the message to several independent voting security/integrity/verification activists, including Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) who's Obama's Florida campaign co-chair, but haven't heard back.
I got the message over 2 weeks ago, when there were about 5 weeks until the message would have its damaging effect. It's now under 2 weeks left to counteract the sabotage message. But still no sign.
If that's the weakness of Obama's preventive defense, and of the others supposedly protecting our votes for counting, it makes me pessimistic that any defense after the fact of Election Day sabotage will succeed.
Here's the messages:
I received a disruptive "Nov election notice" viral email, appended at the end of this message, that seems to amplify possible defects in voting machines by sowing confusion that will ensure many people don't vote with accuracy and confidence. I also reported it to the Obama campaign, which it targets, multiple times (by email, also appended below, and by phone, as mentioned in the email) but haven't seen any Obama campaign response.
Please consider some action, even if just research and issuing correct instructions for voting these choices, to protect the integrity of the vote in the face of this "disinformation" threat. Thank you for your vigilance and activism.
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[To:/From: addresses redacted]
Subject:
"Nov election notice" Chain Email
Date:
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:51:03 -0400
*** I just spoke with you at the NY Obama campaign (212-701-9463), where you asked me to resend the appended message to you, so you can forward it to someone at the Obama campaign who's responsible for vote security. I haven't heard back any response to original message I sent, but I would like to know how to explain this confusing email to people, to ensure every vote for Obama is counted. Thanks.
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Howdy. As I mentioned on the phone to you at the NY Obama campaign (212-701-9463) a few minutes ago, I received the appended email that directs people who want to vote "Straight Democratic" that they must explicitly vote for Obama first, then also vote the "Straight Democratic" option, or their Obama vote won't count. I don't know if that is true, but if it is, that is very confusing, and will surely result in Obama votes being lost by those who don't know what to do correctly. If it is false, this widespread lying rumor will confuse people, and surely lose other Obama votes.
The email I received was a "viral" chain email that I got along with a half-dozen other recipients (who I believe vote in NY & NJ), but which included the previous "link in the chain" addresses of another few dozen people. Clearly this message is getting wide distribution, not necessarily in just the NY & NJ areas. I googled for some corroboration or refutation:
http://www.google.com/...
and got a very mixed bag: not many mentions on the Web, but indeed a post to My.BarackObama.com with just a copy of the email (though with a typo differing from the email I received, "poles" vs "polls") that will confirm it to many people who don't realize that post is not authorized by the campaign:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
There are very few results that even relate to this rumor, but one of them is a very detailed and specific post by someone evidently an Obama supporter in Texas, explaining that in fact the rumor is true there, on some (but not all) Texas electronic voting machine models:
http://www.texaskaos.com/...
Either way, this message is confusing, and must be clarified to the entire electorate which is vulnerable to this dangerous message.
Please reply with the facts of this matter, state by state and per machine model if necessary. I will forward the facts back up the email chain that sent the rumor to me, exhorting its members to do likewise.
I would hope that the Obama campaign is ready for a life or death lawsuit campaign that not only somehow recovers the votes, but also finds the perpetrators and conspirators to put them in jail - those people are traitors to American democracy. The Obama campaign must get a clear message resolving this problem into the mass media, and circulated among supporters, ASAP and through the rest of the campaign. This kind of think helped defeat Gore, and probably Kerry, too. I have been very disappointed in Kerry, who followed his "questionable" losses in Ohio, New Mexico and elsewhere with a vow to make "voting disenfranchisement" his #1 issue, but clearly it still goes on unabated. When Obama has a Democratic monopoly in Congress, likely with a filibuster-proof Senate, he will use his mandate to clean up the most essential democratic institution of all: counting the votes in elections.
Thanks for helping us get Obama elected next month.
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Subject: Nov election notice
Just Passing this on...Make sure you do the same!!!!!!!!
For those who normally vote 'Straight Democratic', please pay close attention!!!!! I was informed this weekend by a group of Obama volunteers that when voting for the presidential candidate this November, you have to make sure you punch Barack's name first, then proceed to punch 'Straight Democratic' or else the vote for the president won't count. I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, but we know they won't tell us this at the polls.
Please make sure you inform others............
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I wish I knew the answer to whether that message is true or false, and in which states/counties/machines/models. I suppose the reliable solution is to not vote "Straight Democratic", just individually for each Democrat, unless you've gotten truly reliable instructions for your specific polling place/machine that says its safe - but I don't trust the undertrained, overwhelmed, and usually doddering poll workers, who won't be accountable later if they turned out to have been wrong. And losing the "Straight Democratic" choice (that includes Obama) is a significant disadvantage for Democrats in this "wave" year (even if Republicans lose it too, because that choice isn't as popular without a Republican "wave").
This specific message must be directly countered. And the campaign must find variations and equivalents spreading virally out there "in the wild". Or no army of lawyers, or kings horses and men, will be able to put this Humpty Dumpty together again.
And if you're tempted to think "I'm sure Obama's crack team is on top of this", well, I remember 2000. I remember that most people thought that Gore's crack team was on top of that stolen election, too. And while we've all had 8 years to learn that most painful lesson, the Republicans have had those 8 years to evolve their game, during which they had unlimited budgets and power to rig the playing field.
Don't get fooled again. Don't take anything for granted. Do whatever you must to ensure your votes, and your neighbors', are counted. It could be your last chance for a lifetime.