Re: freedom to run our own election?

[Ralph Shnelvar <ralphs@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Kell:

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 08:18:52 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

>Thanks, Ralph, for the clarification.  
> 
>I'm amazed: Joe, Neal, Al, Evan, you, etc. research for Elections officials; you trouble shoot for them; you arrange public presentations for them.  History over the last 2 years has shown the wisdom of numerous CVV recommendations against Elections preferences (e.g. don't buy DRE, lease a system, look into handcounting systems, bring smart, informed citizens into the process rather than ignoring them, etc.)  
> 
>What the hell else do you have to do to get these people to do their job conscientiously?
> 
>kell 

A little diversion and then I'll come back to the main point.



Ever hear of the Iliad's Cassandra?  She has been - incorrectly - portrayed
as a madwoman.  Cassandra was a woman, who was given the gift of prophecy by
Apollo.  Unfortunately, she shunned Apollo and he so he added a twist to her
gift; Cassandra was doomed to tell the future, but never to be believed. 

Sometimes I feel a bit like Cassandra.  I assume that it has been a learning
experience for nearly all political neophytes involved in this effort that
the political establishment - Republican or Democrat - simply will not do
the right thing when it is counter to their own entrenched political and/or
bureaucratic interests.



So, returning to the main point: What the hell else do you have to do to get
these people to do their job conscientiously?

The answer is simple: *enormous* political pressure has to be brought to
bear.  People - a lot of people - have to get angry and express that anger
publicly.  Also, the media needs to be involved in a big way.  

To get the media involved requires conflict.  A reasoned and detailed
response to a technical issue is a real yawner.  

I have tried - oh how I have tried - to move this little consortium into the
direction of getting people publicly angry; of getting the press necessary
to move the politicians.

Joe has it partially correct by announcing that he would try to get Linda
Salas recalled.  That got about a day's worth of press.  It's not enough;
and not by a long shot.



In private eMail to Joe P. and Neal M. I broached the idea of the following
campaign for the next mayoral election:

IF YOU WANT YOUR VOTE TO COUNT THEN DON'T VOTE.

Both Joe P. and Neal M. think that this is a dreadful idea.  But if this
tactic (i.e. "IF YOU WANT YOUR VOTE TO COUNT THEN DON'T VOTE.") is to work
then I can't think of a better time to do it than the next election.

What would be better than a 1% turnout for a mail-ballot election (Mail
ballot election!  Yuck!) that costs the city of Boulder $100,000.

Oh, it'll never turn out that way.  But I can dream.


Ralph Shnelvar