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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 6/1/09

Make New York the first state to JUST SAY NO to computerized-- --i.e., secret--vote counts!

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Message andi novick
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Dear Friends,

I am sorry- this is the longest I've gone without communicating, but we've been so busy and it's paid off. Below is a short list of what we've been doing and below that, what we need from you, and finally a few examples of the coverage we've been getting changing the message and developing support along the way. We are so close you can taste it- no computerized secret vote counting for NY. Help us keep this snow ball growing.
 
Accomplished:
 
1. The litigation is ready and waiting while we build political support and resources.

2. We've been working hard providing materials and speaking with every county legislature in NYS, most of whom have been greatly appreciative and welcome the information.
-- so far we have 11 county resolutions in support of keeping the lever machines in addition to resolutions from the state-wide Associations of Towns and the InterCounty Adirondack coalition (representing 10 counties)- with many more expected.Some counties have not passed resolutions but support keeping the levers (see NY Times article cited below).

3. We have been getting a lot of media coverage across the State and are increasingly seen as the go to organization for information. We have succeeded in changing the message so that legislators and reporters are no longer just talking about which of the two software options to choose, but are now including the non software option: our mechanical lever machines (which we both own and have full control over).

4. We have testified at legislative and election board hearings, met with legislators and election commissioners, and just launched a new site to help get the information to these people and to reporters, as well as providing citizens with easy access for action to take: www.nylevers.wordpress.com

5. In addition to our regular blog at http://www.etcnys.org/ , there is a fabulous easy to grasp for those less versed blog at: http://lever-voting-machines.blogspot.com/. Between the 3 there's no excuse for being uninformed.

6. We became a project of International Humanities Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which allows contributions to our work to be tax-deductible .

7. We established a name that makes more sense to the public, Election Transparency Coalition, or ETC, sometimes ETCNYS, as in www.wtcnys.org
 
What we need:

1. IMMEDIATELY - THIS WEEKEND- WE ARE ASKING YOU TO POST COMMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THESE 2 ARTICLES: Look at the article and blog entries and post your support for the levers:
- NY Times: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/city-defies-state-on-voting-machine-program/
- Star Gazette (Albany): http://www.stargazette.com/article/20090528/NEWS01/905280404/18+counties+to+scrap+voting+machines

2. We could really use people to post responses to the articles as they come out. We would like to put together a list of those of you who would be willing to receive emails about articles in the hope that on any given day a few of you could post that day.  If you're willing please email Joanne@ETCNYS.org

3. We need donations. We've made so much progress and we need to keep up the pressure if we're going to prevail. We really haven't been asking for money until now. We're close to being the first state to stop computerized secret vote counting.  We will save NY and set an example for the rest of the nation. We need money to keep going and we must start now, gearing up for litigation this fall -- in the event that notwithstanding the growing groundswell, NYS refuses to back down. Online tax deductible contributions can be made at  http://ihcenter.org/groups/re-mediaetc or by check made out to IHC/Election Transparency Coalition and mailed to Election Transparency Coalition , P.O. Box 113, Staatsburg, NY 12580.
 
4. Need more of you and your friends to sign the PETITION. There are at least 1,000 of you on this rather large list that have NOT YET signed the petition at click here --We have much more county government support than we have private citizen support! Please sign and pass to 50 friends. We can't present this petition to court with a couple of thousand New Yorkers- we're a big state.

5. Volunteer to help with fundraising- with individuals and foundations.

6. We need leads to large NYS law firms that might contribute additional pro bono services. This litigation has the potential to mushroom if the vendors and other try to intervene in the litigation to tell the court why they think secret vote counting is a good thing for a constitutional democracy!

7. More volunteers to contact us for specific assignments. Contact Joanne@ETCNYS.org

Thanks,

Andi and Joanne
Election Transparency Coalition
http://www.etcnys.org/
http://lever-voting-machines.blogspot.com/
www.nylevers.wordpress.com
 


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Andi Novick Election Transparency Coalition, www.etcnys.org, http://nylevers.wordpress.com/
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