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Forum Post: help us bring attention to election reforms

Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 14, 2011, 11:55 p.m. EST by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

After the Presidential election of 2000, many voters lost confidence in our election system. Fortunately, some very clever people have come up with ingenious ideas on how to improve the system by making elections both transparent and verifiable. There is a video explaining how these reforms can be implemented on our website : http://www.occupycommunity.org While the technology is available, it is useless unless it is implemented. We have created a petition to bring these reforms to the attention of the Obama administration, but I need to muster 150 supporters before the petition becomes publicly available. Once the petition reaches the level of 150 supporters, it moves to the front page of the petitions and will have a substantially higher chance of gaining support. Please help me bring attention to this issue. Please support this petition : https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1

Also, if you know anyone else who would be interested in supporting this cause, please let them know as well. Reply below if you agree with this cause.

49 Comments

49 Comments


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[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

Thank you for your reply. I checked out the links you posted. In the meantime, if you haven't already, please help us make elections verifiable and support this petition : https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

Thank you all for your support. We're half way there!

[-] 1 points by GoogolHz (6) from Easthampton, MA 13 years ago

Thanks you so much for addressing this. I read the draft of Demands on this site and saw that black box voting election reform was not on the list, so I posted some comments on why it is important. The TED video looks like a path to improvement, but what was in there still leaves questions. There is convincing evidence that both 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were manipulated to the point it changed the outcome.

Here I repost my topical comment, with links regarding what is currently wrong:

ELECTION REFORM! NO MORE BLACK BOX VOTING! WE CAN'T HAVE A DEMOCRACY WITH CORPORATELY CONTROLLED VOTING MACHINE SHENANIGANS! US ELECTIONS HAVE BEEN RIGGED!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_voting http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0828-08.htm http://www.velvetrevolution.us/prosecute_rove/ http://politics.salon.com/2011/09/27/votinghack/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Curtis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEzY2tnwExs http://www.blackboxvoting.org/ http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/1954.html http://www.electionreformnetwork.us/

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

These are very interesting. I'll be sure to read through and think about each of these carefully. Meanwhile, if you haven't already, please help us make elections verifiable and support this petition : https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1

[-] 1 points by NOMORE66 (1) 13 years ago

Campaign Reform is simple. NO MORE public or private funding from corporations, individuals or any one else. One dollar per year person either filing or being claimed on taxes should be placed in a general fund. This fund divided up equally among parties that are running. If you cant handle a hundred million dollars you surely can handle the countries budget. Take Wall Street out of the pocket of every elected politician. After all at the end of the day it is Wall street of the people of Wall Street that finance the heavy expense of a successful campaign. It is a less than legal cycle of cash flow that keeps politicians in office passing or preventing legislation that best benefits the large contributors to their campaigns. It has to end and end now if we are ever going to regain control of this country. We pay taxes anyway, why no put them to good use. Is $10 a year to much to ask for a family of ten or $2 a year to much to ask of an couple to change this countries path. "We the People" need to take back our country. Take this message to every town hall, state capital and DC, and give this movement a true and single realistic goal that can actually change every life in this country for the better. Our government back to work for all of us not just those who donate. After all in this scenario the better the country does, the more funding their campaigns will get.

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

I agree with you in spirit, but please explain how this would not violate the first amendment. If I wanted to make a movie about how good my candidate was, or how bad another candidate was, how would you stop me without violating my freedom of speech?

[-] 1 points by RichardGates (1529) 13 years ago

"Jonathan Mann" owns about134 other domains

to many for an activist and to few for a web host or domain privacy. Who are you?

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

The information from the whois search on occupycommunity.org is incorrect (if you don't believe me just try dialing the phone number listed). Since you asked, I'll tell you a little bit about our organization. I am the administrator of the group. I work as a consultant / data analyst now, but I have done application development in the past. I made the domain registration for the group, but I am not the only member of the occupycommunity.org team. Our core team is comprised primarily of graduate students and young professionals. I can assure you however, that we are all committed activists. Please help us bring attention to election reform and support this petition : https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1

[-] 1 points by RichardGates (1529) 13 years ago

fair enough

[-] 1 points by Old1 (47) from Las Cruces, NM 13 years ago

we need to be going after the Wall Street/Fed Alliance. breaking it up is a specific goal and can only achieved thru a legislative agenda that OWS can push. it won't be easy but it's the root cause of the mess we're in. read "Too Big Too Fail" and "The creature from Jekyll Island. the "creature" is the Federal Reserve' concocted in Georgia in 1910 by six of the worlds richest men. we have the votes necessary to slam congress - but gotta get coherent message.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 13 years ago

vote by encryption key

I'll have to talk to my friend about this

he understands these encryption keys

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

Thank you for your consideration, he might be able to give me a few pointers in explaining it. There is a really good video explaining how this works under our second item : http://www.occupycommunity.org

Please help us get the word out and help us by supporting this issue.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 13 years ago

well

my solution for transparent verifiable voting

is the abolition of the secrete ballot

where a citizen would stand by their vote

but public voting is not yet a popular idea

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

Matt, thank you for your contribution, but as you can see from the proposed system, there is no need to abolish the secrete ballot to have verifiable elections. Is it clear from reading the description on our petition why this is the case? https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 13 years ago

no,

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

Think about it this way : pretend that when you are in the ballot box, you receive printout of a unique serial number to confirm that you voted. After you get home you can search for the publicly available serial number, which displays who you voted for, but does not contain any of your personal information. This is just a single aspect of the proposed reforms.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 13 years ago

other people could get those numbers via use on the internet

and connect those numbers to the users

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

There is no way for them to do this since the number is not in any way connected to your name. I encourage you to watch the video at our website : www.occupycommunity.org

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

This cause sells out this movement. Obama is a liar. All you stooges who still trust Obama are the cause of failure for this movement.

Start here.

It is utterly impossible to imagine the entire USA could see the pictures of thousands of steel beams that were cut and blasted in all directions from the towers and that the towers fell straight into its own basement without knowing there had to be a conspiracy to rig the explosives. The entire crime was filmed. No person in their right mind could believe that jet fuel fires could cut steel beams. Only an entire country of numb skulls could ignore the conspiracy by Bush and our government to use 9/11 to start 2 wars.

The USA is an entire country of numbskulls especially all those sitting in the park hoping to change things while they cover up the bribes that caused the problem.

[-] 1 points by FuManchu (619) 13 years ago

Though not impossible, it seems far fetched. Why would AlQaieda accept responsibility innthat case? When the Iranian president said it was an inside job, AlQaieda asked him to stop saying that because they did it. Are they in on this too?

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

Jesus, they want to be terrorists.

Its called extortion. Your lovely gov't wants to protect you from terrorists that they created. The mob calls it a protection racket.

What's really farfetched is how dumb can Americans get?

Isn't Osama their leader because they believe that 2 planes hit 2 towers and 3 towers fell straight down? Didn't they hide Osama because he collapsed the WTC?

The list of evidence is a mile long and I don't feel like listing the entire list for you. I'll be at the park tomorrow at 1PM with pictures to prove what really happened. See me there.

[-] 0 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

He failed to mention what or who he's talking about. I wasted 27 seconds watching an incoherent speech.

[-] 1 points by schnitzlefritz (225) 13 years ago

He was talking about you and your great conspiracy theory. Amazing that someone who was thought to be a moron could pull off the worlds greatest conspiracy and not get caught. I guess he's really an evil genius, rather than a moron. You need to have a pretty dull mind to believe that theory. Your inability to understand what actually happened speaks more about your state of mind rather than of those that understand the truth.

[-] 0 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

To believe Bush was a moron is beyond stupid. You're all in a trance from the propaganda that has you brainwashed.

read this http://overthecoals.blogspot.com/

[-] 1 points by schnitzlefritz (225) 13 years ago

It's laughable that anyone with a half a brain could fall for that drivel. I'm no fan of the government, but you can't honestly believe it was an inside job. It's impossible to keep an operation of that magnitude a secret. Toss aside your hatred of Bush and look objectively at the facts. I've looked at the factual information and the conspiratorial junk and I keep coming down on the side of the facts. I hope your conspiracy keeps you warm at night.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

Its not a secret -- shit for brains. They know the assholes will defend them just like you did right now.

Did they repeal the law of gravity too? Is that how the beams failed to drop straight down? They just flew 600 feet in all directions when they fluttered their invisible wings. Are those your facts?

What are your facts? My fact is you're in the same trance as the other 308,000,000 Americans.

[-] 1 points by schnitzlefritz (225) 13 years ago

All of your loony conspiracies have been fully debunked. Enjoy your conspiracies and I hope they make your pitiful existence more meaningful.

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

I have to admit, I have been disappointed with Obama, but the purpose of this petition is mainly to bring attention to the issue. We don't know how the Obama administration will react, but we know that putting this issue out in front of thousands of people will get the population thinking.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

All the black callers who comment on C-span love Obama. Are they racists?

If Obama was white would all the black people still love him?

Black Africans don't love the Black dictators in Africa who murder thousands of their Black citizens.

Obama is a disaster, not because he's Black. Get out of your trance.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

God almighty. What does Obama need to do before you wake up?

The right wing is disgusting. You liberals make me gag. Liberals are stooges.

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

Do you at least understand how, if we were to implement these reforms, it would be nearly impossible to corrupt elections.

[-] 1 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 13 years ago

nearly?

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

right, it would be substantially more difficult.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

Bribes, that's the problem. You liberals never accuse them for taking bribes on the record. Do you need me to draw you pictures?

Please read this... http://overthecoals.blogspot.com/

[-] 1 points by jssss (71) 13 years ago

im a liberal and support ows AND i have a problem with bribes...

i just feel like your assuming that ows is obama supporter. or that we can't 'see' that he is a lier and corrupt like almost every other politician. i think we get that...

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

You don't get that.

OWS people are uninformed.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

I will be there tomorrow and would like to meet you after 1 PM.

Try hard to consider that it is the media/gov't propaganda that wants Americans to believe that the money from execs to the entire Congress isn't bribes. That is ridiculous. Of course its nothing but bribes. The word BRIBES needs to be on every sign and no protester should ever use words like "money" "donation" "contribution" or campaign finance.

Its irrational to protest but not use the key word for the entire protest.

None of you seem to notice that the gov't keeps telling the banks to lend for business but they refuse. On the other hand they love to claim that the banks complied with the government's request to lend for mortgages. They loaned for huge fees for worthless mortgages -- that's a fraud.

I'm trying to help the OWS protest.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

Words are critical.

"just dont get tripped up on "words". bribes, bailouts, donations= all bullshit. imo. no need to throw the baby out with the bath water....

Words are the baby. You nice libs really have no clue how to fight a case. To keep losing, keep using the wrong words.

Losing is why OWS is sitting in the park holding signs with the wrong words on them.

People keep asking, why are they there. If the word BRIBE was on every sign, they'd all know the purpose for sitting in the park.

[-] 1 points by jssss (71) 13 years ago

i see. its the words. bribes makes sense. it is bribes. heck look at this whole solaria solar enrg thing with obama,,,, dude we are all on the same page here...

ows wants your help. please join us(a). just dont get tripped up on "words". bribes, bailouts, donations= all bullshit. imo. no need to throw the baby out with the bath water....

i won't be there because, GASP, i have to work... lol.

good luck.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

If you get that -- it would be the primary cause for the protest. The fact that its never mentioned means none of you get it.

You have a problem with bribes but I see no sign that has the word bribe on it.

I suggest every single sign has the word bribe on it so there is no debate for the purpose of the protest. If OWS can't unify on the bribe issue, its destined for failure.

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

I will be there tomorrow and would like to meet you after 1 PM.

Try hard to consider that it is the media/gov't propaganda that wants Americans to believe that the money from execs to the entire Congress isn't bribes. That is ridiculous. Of course its nothing but bribes. The word BRIBES needs to be on every sign and no protester should ever use words like "money" "donation" "contribution" or campaign finance.

Its irrational to protest but not use the key word for the entire protest.

None of you seem to notice that the gov't keeps telling the banks to lend for business but they refuse. On the other hand they love to claim that the banks complied with the government's request to lend for mortgages. They loaned for huge fees for worthless mortgages -- that's a fraud.

I'm trying to help the OWS protest.

[-] 1 points by jssss (71) 13 years ago

so, while ows would be against bribes (hell anyone should be...) you can't 'support' the movement because that 'message' isn't OVERTLY there? while, like i stated before, ows is against that kind of practice... get $$ out of politics! im pretty sure there have been signs like that- there is alot of signage...you can't possibly be exposed to all of it....

idea: why don't you make the sign? you would be more then welcome too! please join us(a).

but i agree, ows would get more 'support' if it focused on corruption of banks and politicians...

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

Asking criminals to reform the bribery they use is ridiculous. Being ridiculous never works.

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

If you feel that way then at least bring this to the attention of others. Please support this petition : https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/make-elections-transparent-and-verifiable/3D9pD2Q1

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

we petition the obama administration to:

Are you incoherent? "This isn't about Obama"

[-] 1 points by stevemiller (1062) 13 years ago

Your petition assumes that Obama will attack the execs and corporations that he takes bribes from.

That is ridiculous and absurd. Sitting in parks with signs will never accomplish what is needed. Only a 3rd party will end the corruption.

Quit wasting time. Nominate candidates and campaign for their election.

[-] 1 points by occupycommunity (119) from Rockville, MD 13 years ago

This isn't about Obama, if we can gather150 supporters it will automatically publicize this issue for thousands of people who are currently unaware of it.