Responses to 12 Ways to Safeguard the Vote

The YES! 12 Ways You Can Safeguard the Vote message is getting out. Peter Rothberg of The Nation cited it in his blog. ColorLines posted it in RaceWire. GRITtv, Laura Flanders' television program, included it in their daily news yesterday. And the newest member of our Communications Advisory Board, Garlin Gilchrist II blogged about it in SuperSpade.

Mark Crispin Miller, one of the leading writers on election suppression and manipulation, reposted the checklist in full on his website, with the following additions:

To this 12-step guide I would add two points:

1. Early voting really won't enable the protection of your vote, as you are likely to be voting on the same corrupt machinery, or to have your ballot counted by the same corrupt machinery, that's used on E-Day proper. Also, all those voters who vote early will mean that many fewer voters in the turnout on Election Day-- and we need a record-breaker, to make yet another theft that much more inexplicable.

Comment: Voting early ensures that you won't contribute to long lines on election day, or get stuck waiting in line instead of helping to get others to the polls or monitoring the polls. 

So if you do vote early, try to turn out on Election Day as well--not to vote, of course, but just to be there to enlarge the crowd, and also to help keep an eyes on things.

(And if you have a problem with the machinery--a problem that you can perceive--be sure to report it, by calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE, or telling the election protectionpeople, or the videothevote team, assuming that they're there.)

2. I would add to these 12 points that you should not wear your Obama hats or t-shirts or buttons or whatever to the polls. In some states it's illegal ("electioneering"), while in others, where it's legal, you can run into a partisan poll worker who will say that it's illegal and attempt to disenfranchise you.

MCM

Comment: Right -- good point. No campaign paraphernalia at polling places.

I am so relieved that this issue if finally getting attention from the candidates, political parties, and the press. Maybe we will finally get serious about cleaning up our election system, and making sure future elections will be free of voter suppression.

Meanwhile, there is a long ways to go to make sure this election is fair. Stay vigilant. Here's the link to the 12 Ways checklist -- pass it on!