Project Myth Breaker Delivers Facts On E-voting To Local Iowa Election Officials

WHO: Activists in multiple counties around Iowa, recruited through Democracy for Iowa (www.democracyforiowa.com) in collaboration with VotersUnite!, a non-partisan voter awareness organization.

WHAT: A simultaneous delivery of "Myth Breakers for Election Officials," a 59-page research document detailing little-known e-voting facts including:

- HAVA misunderstandings
- recent election disasters
- price comparisons of e-voting systems
- hidden costs of DREs
- election complexities of DREs
- alternative HAVA-compliant voting systems

WHERE: County election officials’/auditors’ offices in multiple counties throughout Iowa. The locations are listed at (http://www.votersunite.org/takeaction/kickoff-participantsIA.htm).

WHEN: Tuesday, April 27

"Myth Breakers for Election Officials," was compiled through extensive research by Ellen Theisen, co-founder of VotersUnite! and former Executive Director of VerifiedVoting.org.

"Election officials are in a real bind," says Ms. Theisen. "They are under pressure to make decisions quickly about a complex machine that carries out the most important function in our democracy. In most cases they rely on the vendors, and that isn't always the best source of objective information."

"Even the local media is sometimes sidetracked by the enormous amount of misinformation being distributed. We’re here to help them separate fact from myth."

Individual activists and members of grassroots organizations across the country, united in this nationwide campaign known as Project Myth Breaker, will download "Myth Breakers for Election Officials,” at (www.votersunite.org) and distribute the document until each of over 3000 local election officials across the United States has received a copy.

"Nothing is more important to a democracy than assuring fair elections," says Dr. Alta L. Price, co-founder of the new statewide organization Democracy for Iowa, inspired by Howard Dean’s Democracy for America. "We also believe in fiscally responsible government, and want to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely when voting machines are purchased. We would like to deliver this document to every county auditor in Iowa."

Members of the press are also invited to download their copies at (www.votersunite.org/takeaction/mythbreakers.pdf)

Contact:
      Alta L. Price, MD
      563-332-5051 or 563-421-1140
      aprice@democracyforiowa.com
      - or -
      Ellen Theisen
      360-437-9922
      ellen@votersunite.org

District Conventions Tomorrow

For information on where to go, what to do, and how to contact your Dean Delegate District Coordinator, go here.

All alternates should attend, too!

Good luck and Go Dean!

More Great Tools

Free Fax by Email

This is the niftiest little tool to come along in ages.  This website allows you to send a fax for free anywhere in the world.  All you have to do is enter a certain code containing the fax number into the email address, and send the email.  How to set up the code is explained clearly, step by step, on the site.  Limits include 6 faxes a day and 20 faxes per week per email address.  This is particularly helpful in writing to your Congressional representatives.  I hear tell that emails are deleted, snail mail is thrown away, but FAXES--now they get through!  (I've added this tool to the Tool component on the left sidebar of Blog for Iowa.)

Email Your Local Media

This Two-minute Activist site is great for sending out press releases to your local media.  Most of the larger Iowa newspapers are included, plus radio and TV stations are listed, too.  You can send out 5 at a time and then you can start over and send 5 more.  There is no limit to the number of times you can email 5 at a time.

Word of warning:  if you live in a state other than the one which you are contacting, the system resets your home state to that which you are emailing every time.  So, be sure to go back and reset your address to the correct state.

One time in January, right after the Iowa Caucus, I was sending a letter out to several New Hampshire papers and radio stations.  I didn't realize it kept resetting my address to NH.  So, I get this response from one of the papers that said, in toto:  "Storm Lake, New Hampshire?"

I've added this tool to the Tool component on the left sidebar of Blog for Iowa.

DFIA Two-sided Sign Up Sheet

We had a request for a two-sided Sign Up Sheet to go along with our one-sided DFIA Sign Up Sheet and our DFIA Flyer.  The two-sided Sign Up Sheet has the DFIA postal address on the back so that it can be folded and mailed back in to us.  Be sure to use heavy paper, because sending a piece of regular 20lb. bond in the mail just results in shredded mail.

FYI - The DFIA postal address is:

Democracy for Iowa
PO Box 713
Bettendorf, IA  52722-0012

Also FYI - I have tweaked the DFIA Flyer yet again, as yesterday, the mothership (DFA) announced that we would be called a "State Group" rather than a chapter or an affiliate.

I've added this sign-up sheet to the Flyers component on the right sidebar of Blog for Iowa.

Buttons

Karene 'kid' Nagel had some great buttons made up for us.  You can see examples on the Blog for Iowa website, right sidebar.  These buttons can be ordered in bulk at reasonable prices.

One says Blog for Iowa, and the other is an Iowa-specific Meet Up button.  Great for spreading the word.  The gal who makes the bulk-order buttons, Claire, already has our designs on hand.

Go here to order.

If you order in bulk from her, this is the pricing.

Bulk Order Prices:
  
Quantity       150      200        300       500      1000

Number      up to 2  up to 2   up to 3  up to 3  up to 3
of designs

Price             $25       $30       $50       $85     $150

Excerpt from Howard Dean Chat
4-22-04

Moderator: From jjem! - Name one thing the average person (with a job, family, etc.) can do to take our country back (other than vote for Kerry)?

Howard Dean: Volunteer in any campaign, other local or federal (Congress, Senate, or President). Even 3 hours a week is a big help.

Moderator: From Listener - What do you consider the top three concerns that bloggers need to be attentive to?

Howard Dean: Bloggers who can should consider running for local offices. We'll help train you and you'll learn a lot even if you don't win the first time. And so will your constituents. This helps spread progressive values in districts where districts may not speak of them much. Secondly, if your circumstances don't allow you to take the time to run, help someone else run.

Michael H: Just wanted to say thank you for invigorating the Dems.

Howard Dean: No, thank you for invigorating the Dems. It's not me they're paying attention to, it's you. Keep pushing. Democracy takes a long time to fix.

GMJ4Dean: What is next for you and DFA?

Howard Dean: DFA 2.0 now has a full-time Executive Director, Tom McMahon. He was with DFA 1.0. Lindsay Lewis is our new Finance Director who did our fundraising in New York State for DFA 1.0.  We are planning on doing candidate training in conjunction with 21st Century Democrats in Washington State and more around the country. And I'm looking forward to campaigning for candidates across the country, especially in the South, where national Democrats have a low profile.

PatnCincy: In what way will you be personally involved in DFA 2.0?

Howard Dean: I will travel on behalf of candidates and help them raise money and help get out the vote efforts and, of course, continue speaking out about the outrageous policies of the Bush administration. And as I travel, I plan to hold meetings with the grassroots community to hear what's on your minds. So far I have met with or talked to by conference call grassroots folks in California, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Colorado, and many other places.

(more)