far and wide:
ELECTION 2006: Now is the time to start. Join the Black Box Voting
"Candid America" project. Grab your video camera and catch vendors
and public officials in the act of being themselves -- the good, the
bad and the shameless.
It's a Black Box initiative, but we're setting this one free. It is crucial for
all
citizens to re-learn how to act independently of any organization. This is the
best way for true citizen oversight to become a national habit.
There can be NOTHING MORE DAUNTING to any corrupt public official than an
autonomous ordinary citizen with all-American ingenuity. Take courage. The
truth is you do not need any group, coalition, master plan or agenda. You can
do this thing and Black Box Voting will be there with encouragement and
guidance if ever you should need it.
- Start now, and keep it up as often as you can on the road to Election 2006
- Keep your battery charged
- Keep extra blank tapes available
VIDEOS ARE LIKE AN AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD & A BOX OF CHOCOLATES
Don't leave home without it, because you never know what you're gonna get.
THROUGHOUT THE 2006 ELECTION CYCLE, CAPTURE ANY PART OF::
-- public meetings
-- certification hearings
-- testing
-- ballot preparation
-- election-related activities by third-party vendors
-- any meetings you are able to schedule with vendors or public officials
-- early voting procedures
-- election training activities
-- pre-election equipment and materials transport and handling
-- voting day activities
-- VOTE COUNTING (all phases including videotaping chain of custody)
-- "depots" and drop-off sites
-- "spot check audits"
-- absentee ballot processing
-- mid-election and post-election equipment and materials transport and handling
-- explanations policies and procedures
-- explanations of any "glitches"
-- post-election canvassing meetings
-- any obstructive behavior, intimidation tactics, evasive or nonresponsive
actions
GENERAL TIPS:
- The goal is to get public officials and vendors on record by asking the right
questions and observing what they do.
- Show others what good public servants look like, and document the
difficult ones.
- Especially for meetings, prepare ahead of time by writing questions
designed to elicit definitive answers regarding voting procedures.
-- Avoid over-general questions that lead to speeches, evasion and
nonresponsiveness.
- If you happen to capture something that has evidenciary value (which
happens more often than you think), be prepared to execute a formal
affidavit and/or testify if needed.
Examples of situations where video cameras were unexpectedly important:
- Volusia County garbage altercation
(http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/2197/6737.html)
- Vendor statements/misrepresentations to public officials
(http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/2197/14298.html)
- Confession of violating state recount law in Ohio (in the prosecutor's hands)
- Careless or non-observable handling of voting machines, memory cards
or election materials
(http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/2197/14299.html)
All of the above examples now constitute evidence that can stand up in a
court of law to hold vendors and officials accountable.
WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT
We have heard that "once this problem is solved" people can "all go home
again." The truth is, you can never go home again. You should never
again cede your oversight to public officials, vendors, scientists, or
even any voting rights group. Freedom carries a great responsibility, and
it turns out that "We the People" means YOU!
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