Rigged Elections?

David Posnett — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 14:17:35 +0000

Submitted by John Tepper Marlin, originally from

Heidi Fiske: heidifiske@hfiske.com, 212-721-0140

Trump and his enablers complain about “rigged elections.”They should know. They’re doing their best to rig them.
Since it looks as if we have the votes to keep the House and elect Biden, and may well regain control of the Senate, to make sure those votes count our most urgent job now is to counter these R shenanigans.
How do we do that? Overview

Above all, vote! early! in person, where available. Everything you need to know about deadlines and how to vote can be found on this superb site from NBC News, which is updated daily for all 50 states: Best site for PLAN YOUR VOTE

Urge every young person you know to be a poll worker to replace the now COVID-cautious seniors who traditionallyly have served. The more polls are open, the easier it is to vote. And where R Secretaries of State are in control, if they have to close polls because there aren’t enough workers, they will close the ones in D-leaning districts. Everything you need to know about poll-working can be found on this other superb site from Power the Polls, by zip code — which is important, because qualifications are extremely local, sometimes down to the precinct level: Best site for WORK THE POLLS

work in, find workers for, or contact voters in these states in particular, which are swing states and/or have endangered incumbent R senators. ( **= state with a particularly vulnerable incumbent R senator): AZ (**), CO (**), FL, GA (**), IA (**), ID, KS, KY, ME (**), MI, MT (**), NC (**), PA , SC, TX, WI

sign this moveon petition to put pressure on those vulnerable R senators not to confirm a Supreme Court nominee now: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/do-not-fill-ruth-bader-ginsburg-s-supreme-court-seat-until-after-the-2021-inauguration
DetailPlan your vote. Vote early, ideally in personHere’s the site again: Best site for PLAN YOUR VOTE
Early voting is essential this year. Post office delivery is being purposely slowed by such things as removing 600 mail sorting machines, just as more people than ever will be voting by mail to avoid COVID. Rs will try to stop the count early after November 3rd, because they know that historically more late absentee ballots come from Ds, so the earlier a vote can be counted, the better. And the more D votes are counted on or by Election Day, the harder it is for Rs to challenge our victories.
Thus, here are the best ways to vote, in order, the best first:

Early in-person, where available: Many states allow you to vote in person before Election Day. This means putting your ballot through a voting machine, exactly as you would on November 3rd. Early in-person voting has started in Virginia and will start in Illinois this week. Do this if you possibly can because it:
1. reduces lines on Election Day, allowing more people to vote
2. doesn’t use the kneecapped and in some places possibly corrupted USPS
3. allows you to vote among relatively few people, avoiding COVID
4. means your ballot definitely will be counted on or by Election Day and thus
5. will reduce R challenges of the totals.
in-person, on Election Day: As you may face daunting lines, here are three other options — but please, do any of them early so your vote will be counted early.
Early, absentee, dropped off at a designated B of E site, where available: The otherwise excellent NBC website calls this, confusingly, “early in-person absentee.” This is an oxymoron. It is an “absentee” vote full stop, no matter how early or where it is delivered, if the voter doesn’t put it through a voting machine. But dropping it at a designated B of E site is as good as it gets, absentee-wise. Goes to the endpoint. No shenanigans will stop it. Allows you to check that you’ve done everything your state requires to make it valid.
Early, absentee, in a drop box, where available: Better than mailing. because the ballot goes through fewer hands, speeding its delivery, and it avoids the USPS
Early, absentee, by mail: In states that count ballots before Election Day, voting early ups the chances that you’ll be part of the November 3rd tally. And doing this early reduces the chance that a slowed USPS fails to get it there by your state’s deadlne.

If you can’t do any of this, be sure to vote anyway!
Become a poll worker and recruit poll workersHere’s the site again: Best site for WORK THE POLLS

rules about who can work at polls can be specific to units as small as a precinct. Sometimes the localness restrictions will be eased if they can’t find enough workers, expanding from precinct to county or even to state.
SO: apply even if you aren’t sure you qualify
states may require poll workers in certain functions to be matched by one of another party,
SO: recruit your R, Libertarian or Green Party friends too
Most encouarge students or other young people to work, sometimes as young as 16
SO: urge every student you know to apply, especially in those 16 states. Young people are particularly valuable because
- they have less to fear from COVID
- they bring new eyes, energy and ideas to our antiquated election systems
most states badly need workers.
SO: if you know a retiring poll worker urge them to find their replacement.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. If this was forwarded to you, please send your email if you’d like to get them in the future. And if you want to be taken off this list, say so and you will be. Thank you.
My great thanks to Craig K, Evan K, Deb S, Chris B and my sister Susan M for their insights and help with this.

#Votebymail

David Posnett — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:46:54 +0000

The 2020 election season moves onward and, across America, people have been asked to either put their health at risk thanks to this pandemic—or not vote.

That’s completely inexcusable. In this time of crisis, we have to protect our health AND protect our democracy.

As New Yorkers, and especially as Long Islanders, we know exactly how important this is.

The solution is simple: nationwide #votebymail.

Sign the petition: urge Congress to take action on vote-by-mail right now.

There is no good reason to delay taking action. Not one.

Voting by mail is safe, secure, and proven. It would allow Americans to exercise their most fundamental democratic rights, all while helping flatten this pandemic’s infection curve by staying home.

This is critical for vulnerable populations – our seniors, Americans with compromised immune systems, workers who have lost their health care – Americans who deserve a voice and a vote, no matter what. Vote-by-mail is also critical for heroes on the front lines – doctors, nurses, biomedical researchers – who shouldn’t be asked to leave work to stand in line at polling places.

Unfortunately, this has become a partisan fight. Donald Trump has even suggested that he’d prefer having fewer voters vote:

“They had levels of voting, that if you ever agreed to it you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”

A president of the United States… actually downplaying our civic duty. Unbelievable. And you can bet that Rep. Lee Zeldin is doing nothing to stand up for democracy.

Congress must act immediately to require states to make voting from home easier and to provide the funds to make it happen. In Congress, I will always put democracy first.

Perry Gershon

absentee voting – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Rigged Elections?

#Votebymail