Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

[Guest guest]

In case you missed the Conyers hearing on vote fraud, I included a site with

audio/video and another with written coverage. It was quite moving. I cried

several times and so did Jesse Jackson and another man as they spoke. It

isn't over yet! Please stay active.

Karen

 

 

+ http://www.computerprivacy.org/archive/03041999/

ACP | March 4, 1999 SAFE hearing

 

 

http://www.truthout.org/cblog.shtml

truthout, Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

 

On Thursday 02 December, Democratic Representative John Conyers, Jr. of

Michigan, ranking Minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a

letter

to Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell outlining a long series of voting

irregularities in Ohio during the Presidential election last month. The

factual data in that letter, combined with information that has since been

brought

to light, is the subject of the hearing Conyers and fellow Judiciary Democrats

are holding on Wednesday 08 December. TO's William Rivers Pitt is there to

cover the event, and will be reporting here throughout the day.

 

 

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t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

4:00PM

I am back in my hotel now, and must get to work compiling a comprehensive

report on the hearing today. It will hopefully be done by tonight, or by

early tomorrow.

This is William Rivers Pitt for truthout, signing off from Washington DC.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

3:55PM

 

 

Michigan Congressman John Conyers, the leading Democrat on the House

Judiciary Committee, conducted a hearing into voting irregularities in Ohio. The

house

GOP leadership refused to sanction or recognize the hearing.

(Photo: House.gov)

 

Interview at the Conyers hearing with Cliff Arnebeck, Chair of Common

Cause Ohio and attorney with The Alliance for Democracy.

WP: What did you think of the hearing today?

CA: The best part about it was that it happened. If you look at who was

here, you had leaders from the generally white political reform movement, and

leaders from the black civil rights movement. This is a powerful coalition.

Normally, what has happened it the blacks have fought their civil rights

struggle, with their numbers being the predominant part of it. Whites have been

fighting for political reform, and talk about it as affecting everyone, but

don't

have the black roots participating. What Reverend Jackson has done, has said,

is, you know, you look foolish talking about your civil rights being abused. We

are going to be there with you.

We have formed a coalition, and are building the infrastructure, not just

to address this election, but to continue to address the legislation and

litigation issues that arise. We have joined together, and this is a new and

powerful coalition. We are not talking about one group having dominance over the

other, but a real partnership of the traditional political reform community with

the traditional civil rights community, and Reverend Jackson is the one that

proposed it, has initiated the organization of it.

Bill Moss, who was here and testified, has been designated to be the

leader of this new coalition for Ohio. He had leading black ministers from all

over the state in the room, and was in the office of Common Cause Ohio when this

happened. Bill Moss will be the lead plaintiff or contester on the complaint

that is going to be filed tomorrow. We are working together, and it's a

powerful coalition that will make things happen.

WP: You are working with Jon Bonifaz on the lawsuit.

CA: I am working with Mr. Bonifaz in the capacity of a client. I am chair

of the legal committee for Common Cause Ohio, and in that capacity I

authorized Jon Bonifaz to represent our group. With national approval, he's

representing Common Cause in aspects of the recount litigation. Jon Bonifaz is

also a

professional friend and colleague of mine for many, many years in the political

reform movement, so I would have been seeking his counsel and advice, and

working with him, even if we didn't have that connection. He is a superb lawyer.

I have tremendous respect for Jon. As you probably know, Jon is the

lawyer that stepped out of the National Voting Rights Institute to file

litigation

on behalf of Dennis Kucinich and others challenging the constitutionality of

the Iraq War Resolution. That was a tremendous job, and I told him that my

children and my grandchildren will thank him for having done that.

WP: What specific information will you be bringing to the lawsuit? You

mentioned earlier some data that suggested that the so-called margin of victory

for Bush stands to be erased by the information being presented in this suit.

Can you elaborate?

CA: First of all, from a jurisdictional standpoint, an election contest

is not simply a proceeding where you say, " Hey, there were these problems. The

long lines resulted in at least 15,000 people not voting. "

WP: You're talking about specificity?

CA: Let's assume you could prove it statistically. You say 15,000 did not

vote and the likelihood of their voting would have been 75% for Kerry. That's

not enough to contest an election. Unless you have enough in the way of votes

so that it actually goes to the question of what was the true outcome, the

true result, who was the winner, you can be thrown out for not having proper

evidence for an election contest.

We believe, based upon these multiple levels of statistical analysis, the

statistical anomalies, that in that area alone there is a basis to say the

result of the election was statistically opposite of what has been reported.

That's without even going into the horrendous civil rights violations and

saying,

" Here's the evidence to show that these people, had they been able to vote,

would have voted the other way. "

In the challenge, we will also be...People for the American Way has a

separate suit in the court of appeals in Cuyahuga County in Ohio which is

designed to readdress this question of the provisional ballots, that they should

be

counted if they were cast in the right county. We want to raise that, we want

to have that counted as part of the proper count.

WP: When will your suit be filed?

CA: What I said originally was, " As soon as possible. " We were even going

to file it before certification. We are certainly hoping, and feeling very

pressed, to file it tomorrow, because the meeting of the Electoral College is

supposed to occur on the 13th, and we want to be filed and discussing that issue

in court sufficiently in advance to affect that situation.

WP: What can people do to help?

CA: Get involved. It is really important that the public be aware of

this. make it clear to anyone exercising authority in this matter that we are

aware of this, so that when the Supreme Court is thinking about it, or Congress

is

thinking about it, or Bush is thinking about it, or Kerry is thinking about

it, they know the public is aroused, the public values its right to vote, the

public insists upon honesty in our elections and the rule of law, and we will

not tolerate fraud in this important matter.

Jesse Jackson, as you could see today, is giving tremendous moral

leadership to this. He has tremendous credibility. This is a man who walked with

Dr.

Martin Luther King in the long civil rights struggle that we honor so much in

our history now. This is the man who was holding Dr. King when he died.

WP: Jackson summoned the memory of Selma today while describing this

issue.

CA: I was sitting right next to him when he talked about the fact that

there aren't members of Congress with children dying in Iraq, and tears were in

his eyes. This is a man who feels this stuff deeply, and when he talks about

what is at stake, he means it in the deepest part of his being. It shows, and

people respect that, and I feel privileged to be associated with him in this

struggle. It is a struggle for democracy, and we can't let anyone get away with

treating our elections as though it is too late to change things, as though

they got away with it and there is nothing to be done about it.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

3:05PM

Interview at the Conyers hearing with Jon Bonifaz, general Counsel of the

National Voting Institute, who is bringing a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary

of State Kenneth Blackwell to see that there be a full recount of the Ohio vote

from the November 2004 election.

WP: Tell me what you thought was the most productive aspect of this

hearing.

JB: I think this moves the ball forward with respect to demonstrating

that people in this country, throughout this nation, demand a full accounting of

what happened on election day, and demand that all votes be properly counted.

Until we get to that point of all votes being properly counted, we cannot

declare this to be a legitimate election.

WP: Tell me about the lawsuit you are pursuing.

JB: The main focus is that we want a full recount of all votes cast in

Ohio for President in the 2004 election. While that recount will continue past

the time of the Electoral College meeting on December 13th, we will insist that

it be completed in a timely manner, and by January 6th, when that recount is

completed, there may in fact be a different set of Electors. I can't say for

sure whether that will happen, but a recount is important to ensure the proper

counting of every vote.

WP: What did you think about Rep. Conyers saying he might object to the

seating of the Ohio Electors?

JB: I think if the recount is proceeding beyond January 6th, that it is

the duty of any member of Congress, any member of the U.S. Senate, under their

sword duty to the constitution, to prevent a President from being sworn in

until it has been determined who won the Presidency. You cannot have an election

that is called free and fair, and have people sworn into office, while the

votes are still being counted.

WP: What, if anything, can people do to help you?

JB: They can go to DefendTheRecount.org to sign up for legal updates, and

they can join the legal defense fund, and they can demand of their members of

Congress and U.S. Senate that there be a full accounting of what happened on

election day and a proper counting of all the votes prior to the declaration

of the next President of the United States.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

1:40PM

The hearing broke up and the room became a mass of people trying to talk

to other people. I was struck by how many people were just hugging one

another. This incredibly important issue just got an airing in a congressional

hearing. It smells like vindication in here.

I got interviews with Messrs. Bonifaz and Arnebeck, and will post them as

soon as I get them transcribed.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

1:05PM

I am taking a break to get some air during the Q & A portion. All in all,

this has been an incredibly valuable forum, if only because Conyers's

investigative team now has a lot more data to work with. That, and all those

lawsuits...ho boy.

 

 

 

20 Amazing Facts about Voting in the U.S.A.

By Alicia

Go to Original

Did you know....

80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and

ES & S.

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diebold

There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the U.S.

voting machine industry.

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0916-04.htm

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES & S are brothers.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/private_company.html

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor

who wrote in 2003 that he was " committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral

votes to the president next year. "

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1647886

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel used to be chairman of ES & S. He became Senator

based on votes counted by ES & S machines.

http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/031004Fitrakis/031004fitrakis.html

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, long-connected with the Bush family, was

recently caught lying about his ownership of ES & S by the Senate Ethics

Committee.

http://www.blackboxvoting.com/modules.php?name=News & file=article & sid=26

http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx

http://www.onlisareinsradar.com/archives/000896.php

Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice-presidential

candidates.

http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm

http://theindependent.com/stories/052700/new_hagel27.html

ES & S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the U.S. and counts almost

60% of all U.S. votes.

http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes.

In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the

machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm

http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/041020evotestates/pfindex.html

Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which

log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm

http://www.diebold.com/solutions/default.htm

Diebold is based in Ohio.

http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm

Diebold employed 5 convicted felons as senior managers and developers to help

write the central compiler computer code that counted 50% of the votes in 30

states.

http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,61640,00.html

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301469.shtml

Jeff Dean, Diebold's Senior Vice-President and senior programmer on Diebold's

central compiler code, was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the

first degree.

http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf

Diebold Senior Vice-President Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors

in his software and using a " high degree of sophistication " to evade detection

over a period of 2 years.

http://www.chuckherrin.com/HackthevoteFAQ.htm#how

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-8.pdf

None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in

Ohio.

http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2638.html

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/10/26/loc_elexoh.html

California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so

bad. Despite Diebold's claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a

chimpanzee was able to do it. (See the movie here.)

http://wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190

30% of all U.S. votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting

machines with no paper trail.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml

All - not some - but all the voting machine errors detected and reported in

Florida went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.

http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,65757,00.html

http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAfterma

th04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.htm

http://www.rise4news.net/extravotes.html

http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload & name=News

& file=article & sid=950

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0411/S00227.htm

The governor of the state of Florida, Jeb Bush, is the President's brother.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/7628725.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10544-2004Oct29.html

Serious voting anomalies in Florida - again always favoring Bush - have been

mathematically demonstrated and experts are recommending further

investigation.

 

http://www.yuricareport.com/ElectionAftermath04/ThreeResearchStudiesBushIsOut.ht\

m

 

http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/policy/story/0,10801,97\

614,00.html

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/tens_of_thousands.html

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-30.htm

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/110904.html

http://uscountvotes.org/

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

12:40PM

And of course the wheels come off as soon as the floor is opened to

questions. Everyone wants to make their speech, absent a question, and Conyers

has

to push people along, and the speechifiers get pissy, and we all look like

fools. Progressives are uniquely gifted at this, and it never gets any less

frustrating to watch.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

12:35PM

These Democratic congressmen just raised a collective plea to everyone:

Please help us push the GOP majority to address these issues officially. The

invitation was extended to GOP members to come to this hearing. None came.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

12:20PM

An interesting exchange. Nadler asked how fraud can be proven on

electronic machines. Cliff Arnebeck said his lawsuit would employ the best

experts in

court to make the case. One such expert, Bob Fitrakis, is on the panel, and

reeled off a slew of specific problems with specific machines. Nadler's eyes got

real big.

Conyers then hinted that he might officially object to seating the Ohio

Electors. Wow.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

12:10PM

Rev. Jackson: " We cannot vent and then have Congress not act. If these

reports are not investigated, we have all wasted our time. This cannot simply be

an academic venting session. Take this struggle to the streets and legitimize

it there, as they did in Selma. "

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

12:00PM

Jackson demands a constitutional right to vote. " If some can argue that

the right to bear arms is explicit in the constitution, how can we tolerate our

right to vote being described as 'implicit' in the constitution? "

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

11:50AM

Shawnta Walcott of Zogby International reports that her crew has seen an

unprecedented level of suspicion over the results of this election. Zogby Inc

wants a blue-ribbon panel to investigate the claims made in this hearing.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

11:40AM

There is such a volume of data being presented here that I am able only

to take frantic notes. I will have a more complete report later tonight. This

is historic.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

11:35AM

John Bonifaz is on fire. He is not merely waxing poetic about the value

of voting. He has Blackwell bracketed and braced. This man has no quit in him,

and is bringing yet another lawsuit in Ohio. If I were Blackwell, and I saw

Bonifaz coming, I'd run like hell.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

11:25AM

Almost all of these panelists are bringing lawsuits against the election

in Ohio. I guess they are correct when they say this election is not over. I

think maybe it has just begun.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

11:20AM

Susan Truitt just said, " We have privatized public elections and this

must stop. This election is not over. I saw a man come to the polls with an IV

in

his arm from the hospital because he could not get an absentee ballot in

Ohio. "

 

 

 

For Immediate Release

December 8, 2004

Progressive Democrats of America

http://www.pdamerica.org/

CONTACT: Tim Carpenter, National Director, 413-320-2015

Progressive Democrats of Americas Response to Congressional Hearings on

Ohio Voting Irregularities:

Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) extends a heartfelt thank you to

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and the other progressive Democrats who are working

hard to ensure every Americans vote is counted. An ad-hoc hearing is being held

today because he is courageous and intuitive enough to listen to Americans at

the grassroots level and respond to their need for answers on this issue. We

are pleased that he is taking on this challenge and we pledge to support his

efforts.

Our grassroots members and our allies are expressing a great deal of

interest in and outrage about voting suppression and potential fraud in Ohio.

Whatever the specific outcome of today's hearing and other investigations

into the irregularities, we know major election reform is absolutely

necessary to restore democracy to America.

Specifically, PDA calls for the following:

A Constitutional amendment confirming the right to vote, as advocated by Rep.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)

Required paper record for all electronic and electronically tabulated voting

systems.

Same-day registration for all Americans.

The creation of unified federal standards for national elections.

Meaningful equal protection of voting rights by such means as equal voting

systems, equal numbers of machines, and equal time to vote.

An end to partisan oversight of the electoral process.

Extended voting periods to allow all voters a meaningful opportunity to vote.

Instant Run-off Voting and Proportional Representation.

Publicly financed elections for federal offices.

The Progressive Democrats of America are prepared to rise to this

occasion in support of Rep. Conyers and other Progressive members of Congress,

who we

urge to offer legislation to codify these reforms. Such legislative

leadership would challenge other Democrats and Republicans to state, on the

record, if

they are for or against Americans' right to vote.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

11:10AM

The first panel has concluded, and the second group has begun. The horror

stories continue. Reps. Jackson Jr. and Wexler have been seated at the dias.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

10:55AM

Cliff Arnebeck is laying down a marker. We can talk about the future all

we want, but we have to deal with the now. We cannot accept a fraudulent

Presidential election. How can we talk about Iraq democracy when we are not

capable

of preserving our own democracy here. The best precedent to set for the

future is to not tolerate fraud now, is to not 'move on' until it is fixed.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

10:46AM

Neas just blew the doors off. There were less voting machines in Cuyahoga

County on election day than there were during the primary vote. Neas says

Blackwell wins the Katherine Harris Award, and there should be prosecutions for

the vote fraud.

David Cobb is giving an advertisement for the Green Party.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

10:45AM

Conyers just told Jackson he will see congressional hearings on this

issue, but down in Ohio and not here.

Ralph Neas is speaking now, mocking the mainstream idea that this was a

fair and successful election.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

10:40AM

Jackson is giving an impassioned call to arms. I will provide a

transcript as soon at it becomes available. He is tossing barbs at Kerry for

conceding

too early, and reminding the Democrats en masse that they live and die by the

minority vote, that it was minority voters who bore the brunt of the 2004

'irregularities,' and that something better be done.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

10:30AM

Nadler: the stability of our democracy is at stake. We do not have the

luxury of time to fix these problems.

Scott: the problems were not just in Ohio. 500 complaints in Virginia.

Watt: if we can bring ballots to rural Afghanistan by donkey, we can have

fair elections here.

Rev. Jackson: the 2004 election is not past-tense. Amend the constitution

to secure the right to vote.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

10:05AM

The hearing has been gaveled to order, and opening statements have begun.

I am taking notes, will be back with more in a few minutes.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

9:50AM

Rev. Jackson just came into the room and thanked all the people here for

coming and caring. The hearing room has filled quickly, and there are 13 news

cameras.

I was standing on the steps of the building this morning when Rep.

Conyers showed up. He bounded out of his cab and up the stairs like a teenager,

looking for all the world like a man who woke this morning ready for a

throwdown.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Wednesday 08 December 2004

9:20AM

I have secured a great seat inside the hearing room here in the Rayburn

building. If you are in the neighborhood, it is in room 2237. Better hurry,

though. The staffers are talking about overflow rooms. They are expecting a big

crowd.

There are a lot of cameras here. Pacifica Radio is already set up. The

whole world is watching.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Tuesday 07 December 2004

10:45PM

Amid all the amateur sleuths and bloggers connecting the dots on this

vote fraud story, it is nice to see an organization whose credentials are

impeccable weighing in.

The organization Common Cause has issued a detailed report of their own

on the vote fraud issue. The preamble to their report reads:

" Activists from around the country are taking an in-depth look today at

what really happened on Election Day, as Common Cause co-sponsors " Voting in

2004: Report to the Nation on America's Election Process. " Common Cause is

teaming with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and The Century

Foundation

to conduct a day-long non-partisan presentation today that will feature members

of Congress, state officials, electronic voting machine experts and

organizations that had workers on the ground on Election Day, observing and

collecting

information.

" This is a great opportunity for Common Cause members, supporters, and

citizens who are concerned about our nation's voting process to come to the

Hill, and hear from leading national experts about our election systems.

" In addition, Common Cause releases a preliminary report based on

extensive election monitoring activities: Report from the Voters: A First Look

at the

2004 Election Data/Common Cause Agenda for Reform, which includes

participation running a national voter alert line (1-866-MYVOTE1) that received

nearly

210,000 phone calls from 50 states, more than 1,000 election monitors nationwide

and the collection of more than 1,700 voters' stories on our website. Using

this unprecedented amount of non-partisan data, Common Cause and other

participants will help reveal the most accurate picture of what actually

happened on

Election Day. "

Be sure to give this report a long, close look.

 

 

 

t r u t h o u t | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage

By William Rivers Pitt

Tuesday 07 December 2004

8:15PM

So here I am again, on Embassy Row in Washington DC. It is a murky night

in the capitol city, but is thankfully about 15 degrees warmer than the city I

left to get here.

There is a lot to talk about, and I do not want to take up an enormous

amount of space doing it, so here goes:

The Conyers hearing begins tomorrow at 10:00am. C-SPAN coverage has been

confirmed, along with a Pacifica Radio broadcast of the events. I have also

been told that NBC and MSNBC will have cameras there, but I will believe that

when I see it. Between all those folks and little ol' me, we should be able to

achieve total coverage of the whole thing.

Why are we here? The answer to that can be found in the letter written by

Rep. Conyers to Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell about voting

irregularities and potential fraud in the November election a month ago. The

letter

was meant to be part notification, part description, and part invitation,

though at this point I have not heard anything about Blackwell's intention to

attend. If you have not read his letter yet, do so now.

The hearing will involve:

Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Robert Scott, Rep.

Melvin Watt, Rep. Linda Sanchez, and Robert Wexler. Witnesses will include Rev.

Jesse Jackson, Founder Rainbow Push Coalition; Ralph Neas, President, People For

the American Way; Prof. Robert Fitrakis, Editor, The Free Press; Cliff

Arnebeck, Arnebeck Associates; Steve Rosenfeld, Senior Producer, Air America

Radio;

David Cobb, Green Party Nominee 2004 Presidential Candidate; Jon Greenbaum,, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights Under Law;

Ellie Smeal, Executive Director, The Feminist Majority; John Bonifaz, General

Counsel, National Voting Institute; Prof. Steve Freeman, University of

Pennsylvania; and Shawnta Walcott, Communications Director, Zogby International.

Perhaps most importantly, Conyers is looking for you to send his office

questions about this issue. If you have any questions for his hearing, submit

them using this form. The folks at DemocraticUnderground.com have already

gotten a head start.

A series of revelations have come out in the last few days, none more

interesting than the affidavit sworn by a man named Clint Curtis. According to

BradBlog, which first broke the story:

Curtis, in his affidavit, says that as technical advisor and programmer

at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) he was present at company meetings where Feeney

was present " on at least a dozen occasions " . Feeney, who had run in 1994 as

Jeb Bush's running-mate in his initial unsuccessful bid for Florida Governor,

was serving as both corporate counsel and registered lobbyist for YEI during

the period that Curtis worked at the company. Feeney was also concurrently

serving as a Florida state congressman while performing those services for YEI.

Feeney would eventually become Speaker of the Florida House before being elected

to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. He is now a member of the U.S.

House Judiciary Committee.

At an October 2000 meeting with Feeney, according to the affidavit and

BRAD BLOG interviews with Curtis over the past three days, Feeney inquired

whether the company could build a " vote fraud software prototype " . At least

three

YEI employees are said to have been present at that meeting; Curtis, company

owner, Mrs. Li Woan Yang, and her executive secretary, Mike Cohen. Two other YEI

employees may have come in and out at different points of the meeting

according to Curtis.

Curtis says that Feeney " was very specific in the design and

specifications required for this program. " He detailed, in his own words, that;

(a) the

program needed to be touch-screen capable (b) the user should be able to trigger

the program without any additional equipment © the programming to

accomplish this needed to stay hidden even if the source code was inspected. " "

There are a number of people, including Bev Harris of BlackBoxVoting.org,

who smell a rat with this story. I spoke to Mr. Curtis on the phone

yesterday, and he seemed a normal human. I will be meeting him tomorrow at the

hearing,

and will then decide the matter for myself. When I know more, so will you.

See you in the morning.