I have a feeling many here are suffering from election fatigue. But I thought one last update, a post-mortem of sorts, was in order. Let's tie up some loose ends, shall we?
1. Senator Kerry's Statement which was entered into the record during the debate on the Elector Objection:
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. Thanks to the efforts of tens of thousands of citizens, millions more Americans registered and went to the pools this year. But despite this dramatic expansion in public participation, many voters faced barriers to casting their ballot. Disenfranchisement and barriers to voting are fundamentally undemocratic and should be unacceptable in the freest nation in the world.
On November 3, I conceded the Presidential election to George Bush and also expressed my commitment to ensuring that every vote in this election is counted. The questions being raised by my colleagues in Congress about the vote in Ohio are important. As evidenced by the media and Congressman JOHN CONYERS' report of the vote in Ohio, there were many voting irregularities in the November election that led to the disenfranchisement of voters. These included long lines at predominantly minority polling places resulting from the failure to provide sufficient number of voting machines; voter intimidation and misinformation; the restriction of provisional ballots in a fashion that likely disenfranchised voters; and instances in which malfunctioning voting machines transferred Kerry votes to Bush.
I strongly believe that we need to investigate this election and reform our system. However, while I am deeply concerned about the issues the questions and issues being raised by this objection and think they are very important, I do not believe that there is sufficient evidence to support the objection and change the outcome of the election and I am not joining their protest of the Ohio electors.
Despite widespread reports of irregularities, questionable practices by some election officials and instances of lawful voters being denied the right to vote, our legal teams on the ground have found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election.
It is critical that we investigate and understand any and every voting irregularity anywhere in our country, not because it would change the outcome of the election but because Americans have to believe that their votes are counted in our democracy.
We must take action this Congress to make sure that the problems voters encountered in Ohio and elsewhere never happen again. We must make sure there are no questions or doubts in future elections. It is critical to our democracy that we investigate and act to prevent voting irregularities and voter intimidation across the country.
I strongly support the efforts of the civil rights and voting rights groups across the country that continue to investigate what happened in 2004 and how we can ensure it will never happen again. A Presidential election is a national Federal election but we have different standards in different States for casting and counting votes. We must have a national Federal standard to solve the problems that occurred in the 2004 election.
I am calling on my Republican colleagues to put election reform on the congressional agenda this year. The Republican leadership in the House and Senate must commit to make protecting voting rights a priority and commit to adding election reform legislation to the legislative calendar this year. One goal must be to eliminate barriers to voting, to encourage the greatest level of civic participation possible, and to restore confidence in the notion that every eligible voter will have the opportunity to vote and to have their vote counted.
I have spoken with Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid and my colleagues in the House and Senate about my intention to introduce legislation this year to ensure transparency and accountability in our voting system and the need for the Democratic Caucus to make voting rights and electoral reform one of our top priority pieces of legislation. Election reform will be one of my top agenda items.
I will be meeting in coming weeks with key leaders on both sides of the aisle and from civil rights and voting rights groups across the Nation. I plan to use the information gathered by Representative Conyers in his report, and information from other investigations underway, to guide my legislation.
We must invest resources in our country to help State and local communities purchase modern voting machines and do research and development on safe and secure forms of voting. We must ensure that our voting machines enable voters to verify their vote.
No American citizen should wake up the morning after the election and worry their vote wasn't counted. No citizen should be denied at the polls if they are eligible to vote. As the greatest, wealthiest nation on Earth, our citizens should not have to be forced to vote on old unaccountable voting machines. And, as the greatest, wealthiest Nation on Earth, our citizens should never be forced to vote on old, unaccountable and nontransparent voting machines from companies controlled by partisan activists.
Together we can put the critical issue of electoral reform on the front burner in Washington and across the country.
Front burner, eh? From his lips to Senator Frist's ears.
2. National Association of Secretaries of States: I want some of what they're smoking.
From a recently released statement:
Secretaries Take Issue with Detractors, Ask Election Assistance Commission to Begin Important Work
Some detractors have suggested that this year's presidential election did not run smoothly. Certainly, our nation's election system is not perfect. This year, we saw long lines at polling places and large numbers of provisional ballots cast. But the administration of this November's election was successful, and in line with what Congress intended when it passed The Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
We recognize that better allocation of resources and improved poll worker training would have helped cut down on voters' wait time. We accept the fact that better voter education campaigns and poll worker training could have reduced the number of provisional ballots cast. We also know that Americans with no confidence in the system would not have waited as many as eight hours in some cases to vote, and that for the first time, no voter was turned away.
No voter turned away? Riiiight. If you still have some keyboard activism left in you, send them an email, and perhaps a link to Conyers' report?
PHONE: (202) 624-3525
FAX: (202) 624-3527
EMAIL: nikole@sso.org
Executive Director: Leslie Reynolds
Director of Communications: Meredith Imwalle (mimwalle@sso.org)
Executive Assistant: Nikole Albowicz
3. I'd like to thank the Academy....
Michael Moore got some attention at the debate. Here is an excerpt from his post-debate letter:
Coming out of the gates like this in the very first week of session sent a strong message that we are not going to be pushed around. If the Republicans think the next four years are going to be a cakewalk, they've got another thing coming. With Michigan Representative John Conyers leading the charge, we showed them something not seen in over 120 years. And we're just getting started!
Congratulations to the tens of thousands of you who called, faxed, and e-mailed Barbara Boxer and other senators. You have shown the world, with the strength of your convictions, that the movement toward a truly representative democracy will not be stopped in its tracks. Yesterday's actions will be marked by history books as a turning point for the electoral process and for a Democratic Party that has for too long sat back and taken it on the chin.
I likey, Mr. Moore. I likey a lot.
4. Blackwell: More and More Like A Caricature Every Day.
Seriously, it's getting a bit ridiculous, no? After all the lawsuits, all the obstruction, all the "shame on you!" by courts and congressmen alike, Blackwell wants to be govenor.
In his letter, he states "My friend, you can see I am a man of action and principle." What did they use to say? Ah, yes. Gag me with a spoon.
Turns out, this man of "action and principle" can't do anything right, not even sending out a legal campaign letter:
The state's chief elections officer, accused of mishandling the presidential vote in Ohio, sent a fund-raising letter for his own 2006 gubernatorial campaign that was accompanied by a request for illegal contributions.
A pledge card with the letter from Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican who co-chaired the Bush-Cheney election campaign in Ohio, said "corporate & personal checks are welcome."
Blackwell says he it was on "oversight," a mistaken use of a form letter. He says he'll return any corporate checks he receives. It's all good. He prefers cash anyway.
5. Legal Leftovers.
Remember Arnebeck's lawsuits? Well, they weren't trashed after the Electors were approved (hmm, at least I hope not. Hey! Moyers! If you're reading this, turn off the shredder!)
In the Connally case, the latest was that a decision about whether to dismiss the case should be made around January 14th, after both sides have briefed whether the complaint is particular enough in pleading fraud.
In the Bush/Kerry case, remember Moyer asked two questions with respect to mootness. A decision on that should be in within the week.
6. In O'Reillian Fashion, Protestors Are Told to "Shut up!"
Remember when Senator Voinovich was giving his "speech", and some brave soul from the masses interrupted him? Well, she got arrested. Oh, and banned from our nation's capitol forever. America: Fuck Yeah!
Reportedly, on Thursday during the Senate debates over the Ohio electoral challenge, Ohio citizen Prof. Tracy Wallach was arrested by Capitol Police upon leaving the public gallery.
The incident apparently triggering the arrest was her alleged spontaneous outcry upon hearing the testimony of Ohio Senator George Voinovich. When Voinovich stated on the Senate floor that Ohio had elected Bush as President, Prof. Wallach allegedly cried out, "No, Ohio didn't, you lied." She then rushed from the Senate gallery where she had been seated to observe the debate. She was arrested shortly thereafter outside the gallery, and jailed overnight in the City Jail without bail, pending a hearing today on charges of disruption of Congress. She was told the outburst was a felony offense, and will face up to 6 months of jail time and a fine after a court hearing scheduled for March 2004. Prof. Wallach was told she was banned from the U.S. Capitol area of Washington D.C., forever.
7. This is my final update.
I was going to do a diary round-up of all the fabulous diaries on the election and election reform since the last update, but there were just too many to list here. I encourage everyone to do a quick search and read them, there's a lot of good stuff in there.
This will be the last formal election update. It's been great following all the breaking developments. Thanks for taking the time to read these, day after day. And remember, there is nothing as dangerous as an informed citizen. ;)