RE: Time to lobby the City

[Evan Daniel Ravitz <evan@xxxxxxxx>]

Alisa told me council will decide, as is proper. She is leaning to
recommend a mail-in ballot, of course the county (government, not
people) will count it with Harts secret software if we don't
mobilize mass numbers to stop them.

Evan

On Fri, 19 Nov 2004, Paul Tiger - LPBC - Outreach wrote:

> This should have mentioned Alysa Lewis and Linda Salas, because they are the
> people that are going to decide how the COB election is run. Not the
> newspapers; not the public-at-large; not the city council, etc.
>
> There are workings of government that are more effective when dealt with
> through the people responsible for those actions. If they fail to respond or
> perform their tasks as is demanded by the law and their constituents, then
> nastigrams to the press and waving picket signs on their doorstep is
> suggested. But first it is best to try normal channels.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Evan Daniel Ravitz [mailto:evan@xxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2004 10:01 AM
> To: cvv-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Time to lobby the City
>
>
> Folks,
>
> Please write letters SOON to editors and the City Council, which is
> VERY SOON to decide how to run the March 8 election to replace Will
> Toor. Here's mine, sent today to the Camera:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 09:57:29 -0700 (MST)
> From: Evan Daniel Ravitz <evan@xxxxxxxx>
> To: Boulder Daily Camera <evansc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: letter re: voting tech
>
>
> Editor,
>
> The Camera has published several letters saying be patient with the
> County's new voting system because it's "accurate." There is NO way
> to know if the system is accurate because the software is a trade
> secret.
>
> Manhattan election commissioner Douglas Kellner told the NY Women's
> Bar Association: "Using electronic voting machines to count ballots
> is akin to taking all the paper ballots and handing them over to a
> couple of computer tech people to count them in a secret room, and
> then tell us how it came out. This is not an acceptable way of
> conducting elections in a democracy."
>
> The record shows that at two County Commissioners hearings, the ONLY
> people in favor of the proprietary system bought for $1.5 million
> were employed by the County or the vendor, Hart InterCivic  (whose
> major investor is Tom Hicks, who made Bush a millionaire by buying
> the Texas Rangers.) ALL other citizens testified for either
> hand-counting, used in Canada, Britain, Germany, etc. and which an
> MIT/Caltech study shows is the most accurate, or for public
> software, used in Australia.
>
> Never have I seen such a clear example of government against the
> people.
>
> The County seems determined to cover up their contemptuous mistake.
> County spokesman Jim Burrus told the Rocky Mtn. News: "It's what the
> folks wanted." They are now investigating themselves, the
> perpetrators appointing a commission to study the situation.
>
> The City is having a special election March 8 to elect Will Toor's
> replacement. Please contact the city council
> (council@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx) and ask for a hand count. Council member
> Crystal Gray is one of over 130 citizens who volunteered in just 3
> days for hand counting, which list the County ignored. This is a
> very simple election, a great time to start doing the public's most
> important business in public, and keeping our money here.
>
> Evan Ravitz
> 1130 11th St. #3
> Boulder CO 80302
> (303)440-6838
>