Monday, November 3, 2008

Ten Years Ago, I Wouldn't Have Believed You

I've always had a low tolerance for conspiracy theories, wild internet rumors and the idea that anyone would intentionally disrupt our democratic process. I didn't pay enough attention to what really happened after the 2000 election. This year, I've been following everything and there is no doubt in my mind that the record efforts to register new voters and to encourage maximum participation in this election are aggressively being countered by attempts to disenfranchise voters and purge the rolls.

It happened here in Colorado and it's happening in other battleground states.

Please vote and please be vigilant. Know your rights and understand that there are people out there who are working around the clock to impede our voting rights. This isn't paranoia, it's real.


12 comments:

debra said...

Important things to hear. In Ohio, a Federal magistrate ruled that provisional ballots of homeless people have to be counted even though there is no permanent street address. The park bench or bridge can be used. This is a huge step. We KNOW what happened in the past 2 elections, nd we must insure that it doesn't happen again.
I will be at the polls tomorrow morning. In our little town the lines shouldn't be too long. I"ll let you know how it goes.

Charles Gramlich said...

Yes, unfortunately it is real. The disgusting behaviors of some people are hard to fathom.

Lisa said...

Debra, I heard about the ruling by the federal court that the purges done to CO voter rolls were done illegally and past the timeline when that sort of thing can happen. Fortunately, the tens of thousands of names purged were restored in time.

Charles, This process has got to be fixed. We can't go through an election like this again.

steve on the slow train said...

As far as I know, Indiana hasn't been doing caging or intimidation. What's worrisome here is that the optical scanners the state uses have no paper back-up. I'll be driving from Elkhart to Davenport tomorrow night, and will have NPR on all the way.

Anonymous said...

For starters,
Lisa I was worried, not having heard from you for so long.
I cannot believe this is happening in the US. The ornery guy in Pakistan thinks that everything is aboveboard in the US.
Get your neighbors and their dog out. Vote Obama. I tell you America needs him and so does the world.
Pakistan is going to face American bombs either way, I just think that Obama is more level headed.

Elizabeth said...

Thank you for that, Lisa. I'm posting it to Facebook as well. And the end sort of made me cry -- I guess I do have more butterflies in my stomach than I thought.

Lisa said...

Steve, I don't like those optical scanners either. They're even more suspect than the electronic touch machines. I swear, I think we need to go back to 100% paper ballots. Drive carefully.

Usman, It was hard for me to accept that there could be anything amiss with out elections either, but after 2000, we have learned a lot. People will do anything to win.

I voted Obama and I am so worried about what is happening right now. Our mainstream media has hardly made mention of the 16 attacks launched into Pakistan since August and not much of anything was said about the attack inside Syria last Sunday. I hate to say that I fear that this activity so close to this election is politically motivated. I am so, so sorry for the innocent civilians who have been killed and injured and I am very sure that our best chance to stop this is going to be with a President Obama. I hope that you and your family are safe and well.

Was the earthquake anywhere near you?

Lisa said...

Elizabeth, Butterflies are actually kind of nice sometimes. They often come before some of the best things in life. I am full of hope that this will be one of those things. We are living through a profound moment in history.

Kim Adamache said...

Good video and why am I not surprised?

Steve Malley said...

Our election in New Zealand is on Saturday, and for the first time I'll be eligible to participate.

I'm *SO* excited!!!

Shauna Roberts said...

People in favor of Prop 8 have in recent weeks resorted to dirty tricks because they were behind. The tricks worked, and now the yeses and nos are running neck and neck.

Anonymous said...

So true. Those Black Panthers outside of the Philly polling centers were scary as heck. No telling what impact they had on voter turnout in those locations. This has to stop.

Best,

W. Hanson

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