Re: Coloradoans for Voting Integrity Update; PRA

[Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Bob:

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 09:05:37 -0600, you wrote:

>Guys, the attention to this issue from the media is now. What was not a 
>story (our rallies) this summer is now a story.  Last rally had decent press 
>attendance, lousy citizen attendance.  Why?

What question are you asking?  Is it rhetorical?

>Media guys told me "now this is 
>a story -- it wasn't a story then (this summer)"

Bob, where did the stories about voter registration fraud come from?  I'm
asking because I don't know.  Was that this group or from somewhere else?

In terms of a story, "voter registration fraud" is easy to explain.  Arcana
about touch screens is not.

>
>Now is when people need to hear to pick up an absentee ballot, and to report 
>problems.  We can't sue in court without facts.


>The ad campaign is to alert 
>people to hotlines to report facts, and to tell them what to look for.  
>You'll see a bookmark coming out shortly for distribution about this too.

If this is an important story then let the media distribute the hotline
information FOR FREE.  Let the LWV know.  Do a guerilla media campaign.
You're gonna get a lot more mileage out of that than any ad campaign.

If you're clever about it then you would distribute a press release with
information like

	Secretary of State's #
	LWV numbers
	CFVI numbers
	Colorado Attorney General's Office
>
>Ralph, thanks for the compliments, sorry you don't like the Republican 
>comments (perhaps that is not as non-partisan but it is true)

What's true?  That Davidson is a Republican?  That Salazar is a Democrat?
Who is responsible for prosecuting this stuff?

Why is the media paying attention?  Does it have anything to do with vote
fraud?  Very little.  What it has to do with is the reporting of the
political struggle between Salazar and Davidson.  The media is beginning to
smell blood.

If you want to do something useful, then try to get CFVI volunteers to help
9News investigate the various voter registration frauds.  Build up some
IOU's while also developing stories of CFVI's own.

>but we're all 
>a bit frustrated and whether we took your advice before or not, we're outta 
>time to do much else.  Will we be able to muster any support for "I told you 
>so" stories after the election?  Hard to say, if the media ignores us again.

Then you are confusing two things.  (1) THe media.  (2) Ad campaigns.

Bob, if you think I went through a recitation of "I told you so" then you
completely missed the point.  The point is that CFVI and other
freedom-oriented groups need to learn the lessons of the past.  You have
already experienced the frustration of media blackouts.  By trying to do ad
campaigns, you are just asking for more of the same.

Don't let the media ignore you.  Work the media.

I'm doing everything that I can to help work the media.  On Wednesday,
October 13, I was at the Longmont Times-Call talking to their editorial
board.  I had 45 minutes to describe all the problems with the various
COunty voting issues (1A, 1B, and 1C).  I took 10 minutes of that time
ripping into the travesties associated with the new Boulder voting systems.

The editorial board had a severe case of MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over).  Even
one-on-one I could not get them to take action on the enormous threat of an
election that may very well be stolen.

And, finally, Bob, you didn't say a word about the PRA.  The PRA folks know
how to get media attention since they have been very successful in the past
getting their initiatives on the ballot.

Ralph Shnelvar


>
>>From: Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>
>>Reply-To: ralphs@xxxxxxxxx
>>To: cvv-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>Subject: Re: Coloradoans for Voting Integrity Update; PRA
>>Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 22:26:14 -0600
>>
>>Dear all:
>>
>>First, today Bob McGrath did me a personal favor.  In a private eMail I
>>called him a great guy. He *is* a great guy.  He is a tireless worker ...
>>
>>But this eMail leaves me concerned ...
>>
>>More, interspersed, below.
>>
>>
>>On 14 Oct 2004 21:27:44 -0400, you wrote:
>>
>> >Coloradoans for Voting Integrity Update for Thursday, October 14, 2004
>> >Issue: 16
>> >
>>[snip]
>> >
>> >Guess what?
>> >
>> >The legislators have turned this non-partisan issue into a partisan
>> >defense of our Secretary of State (Republican) and whatever (bad) advice
>> >she has given.
>>
>>There are two things wrong with the above sentence.
>>
>>First, the implied criticism of Republicans.  As a Libertarian I am not 
>>fond
>>of the Republican Party.  Nonetheless, there are very hard working
>>Republicans working on this issue.  We should not lose their support or
>>their enthusiasm.
>>
>>Second, I told Bob McGrath & Co. early in November that the odds of getting
>>the legislature to pay any attention to this issue was an extreme long 
>>shot.
>>Bob and Pete and a bunch of other volunteers did yeoman work with Alice
>>Madden (D-District 10) to try to get the law changed.  They got farther 
>>than
>>I thought possible.  But they did not succeed against enormous odds. By
>>definition, this is not surprising.
>>
>>In order to get the legislature to do stuff would have required better
>>organization, more political skills, and more time than was available.
>>
>> >
>> >The election community has circled the wagons against any critics or
>> >people who might actually KNOW something about computer fallibility or
>> >systems integrity, or election security processes.
>>
>>Well, what do you expect?
>>
>>The "political class" is self-serving.  Whether it be Republicans in the
>>State Legislature or Democrats in Boulder County, they are self-serving.
>>
>>Have you not seen that, Bob?
>>
>> >
>> >The media has IGNORED our rallies, our letters to the editor, and our
>> >appeals for common sense, using every contact as an opportunity to hand 
>>an
>> >open mic or a blank slate for the election officials to repeat their
>> >(un)assuring messages of blind trust in their (non-scientific) judgement.
>>
>>The media has ignored our rallies because the media is sick of rallies. 
>>They
>>want eye and ear candy.  They want something new.  They want controversy.
>>Just being right brings nothing to them.
>>
>>I wanted the members of this group to start banging pots.  I was roundly
>>criticized.  I'm sorry, folks, but to get attention you need to draw
>>attention.  You've got to be angry and you've got to show it.
>>
>>Then, maybe, you'll get some limited media coverage.
>>
>>The only way to guarantee media coverage in this age of sound bytes is to
>>rape Kobe Bryant.
>>
>>You've got to be especially angry about losing the franchise to vote.  The
>>next step after that is open revolution in order to rein in the political
>>class. Or this Republic converts quietly to a dictatorship.
>>
>>I don't want either of those things.
>>
>> >
>> >So folks, it's time to pay to get our message out. We need your help to
>> >pay for space ads in the Post, the News, on radio shows and, if budgets
>> >allow, on television.
>> >
>> >We have a team ready to produce videos or CDs containing various 
>>scenarios
>> >showing what may happen if we allow this (non-protected) election to
>> >transpire as if nothing is wrong. But duplication and distribution of 
>>this
>> >information to the media takes money and time.
>> >
>> >Won't you help? (Remember, by donating to CFVI, you are making a tax
>> >deductible donation to safe elections!)
>> >
>> >$1000 helps us fund one week of our PR firm to pitch these stories to the
>> >press, or to arrange for press conferences and interviews for our story 
>>to
>> >get heard in these remaining days before the election, or to write and
>> >transmit media advisories and media kits.
>> >
>> >$500 helps us fund production costs for filming and scripting videos for
>> >distribution to the media and to election officials and county party
>> >officials, or helps fund T-shirts for our volunteers.
>> >
>> >$100 helps us buy 100 CD's to distribute to the media, containing video
>> >messages, skits, and even clips from various TV shows that have already
>> >commented on the dangers of use of these machines.
>> >
>> >$50 helps us buy a couple radio spots on local talk radio.
>> >
>> >$25 helps us pay for postage and supplies to take our message to the 
>>major
>> >Party Chairs in the counties in Colorado that will vote by electronic
>> >voting machines, or to buy buttons or a few T-shirts to make our
>> >volunteers visible on election day, when we will act as poll monitors.
>>
>>Oh, good god, Bob, this is truly dreadful.  At the height of a close
>>presidential election you are trying to get your message out?  It is a 
>>total
>>waste of money and the timing couldn't be worse.
>>
>>You're up against multi-million dollar budgets for every campaign and issue
>>group.
>>
>>And even if by some miracle you get media attention ... so what?  No court
>>is going to do anything about anything and the politicians aren't able to 
>>do
>>anything even if they wanted to.
>>
>>So, folks, my recommendation to you is PUT ASIDE YOUR MONEY FOR THIS WORTHY
>>CAUSE.  Contribute, but not now.
>>
>>The right time to spend this money is the week *after* the election and the
>>weeks before the Colorado legislature goes into session.
>>
>>Bob, get your ducks in a row for a media blitz after the election.  Then,
>>maybe, we can do something worthwhile.
>>
>> >
>> >What will you say to the next generation when they asked what costs you
>> >were wiling to pay to protect our democracy in this election?
>>
>>I will tell them that I advised people to spend their money wisely and not
>>throw it down a rat hole.  Fight smart because we are powerfully outgunned.
>>
>>Look, Bob, I know that you are frustrated.  I'm frustrated because I see
>>waste, corruption, and idiocy everywhere in government.  I'm frustrated
>>because I see politicians violating the Colorado Constitution.  I'm
>>frustrated that it has fallen to me to file suit (unrelated to CFVI issues)
>>in court to defend all of us.
>>
>>I'm frustrated that it is only a handful of citizens (us!) that want to 
>>hold
>>the politicians feet to the fire when they act in their interest and not in
>>ours.
>>
>>But I know when and when not to spend money.
>>
>>Bob, you're a great guy.  But asking people for money to do advertising
>>before the election is wrong.
>>
>>A week after the election when the political noise level has abated would 
>>be
>>a great time to DO SOMETHING.  The media, politicians, and the media will
>>pay attention.
>>
>>Hell, Bob, you might even get better advertising rates after the election
>>rather than before.
>>
>> >
>> >For more info, please visit www.CFVI.org and www.VerifiedVoting.org
>> >
>> >
>> >Bob McGrath, Director
>> >CFVI
>> >
>>
>>Ralph Shnelvar, Nobody
>>Just One Person
>>
>>
>>P.S.
>>
>>I, again, urge all of you to support the Petition Rights Amendment (PRA)
>>(which should be on the 2005 ballot).  It is through that vehicle that we
>>will be able to more easily get a "hand counted paper ballot" amendment 
>>into
>>the Colorado Constitution in 2006.
>>
>>Or, maybe, if we are clever, we can join forces with those who are 
>>promoting
>>the PRA and do a dual ballot drive for November 2005.
>>
>>Imagine the pressure that we could put on the legislature!  Either mandate
>>hand counted paper ballots by legislation or it goes into the Constitution
>>by popular will.
>>
>>Doug Campbell (PRA) has already told me that when he ran for Secretary of
>>State(?) (1998?) that one of his platform items was hand-counted paper
>>ballots.  He is willing to support us if we are willing to support him.
>>
>>This is my call to action: Let's form this very powerful political
>>coalition!  Let's get hand counted paper ballots into the Colorado
>>Constitution.
>
>