4 Actions Anyone Can Do to Protect the Count
NEW Black Box Voting videos added: Actions 2, 3, 4 -- See Below
WHAT TO DO ON ELECTION NIGHT - Protect the Count!
"Plan to be out in the field for 90 minutes on Election Night." While everyone's watching the VOTING, not enough people are watching the COUNTING!
Black Box Voting was asked by YouTube to prepare an easy-to-follow plan to Protect the Count on election night and the days that follow. In collaboration with Videothevote.org, Election Defense Alliance, and YouTube, Black Box Voting has created a YouTube channel called Video Your Vote. This Protect the Count video series contains important information and several video clips never before made public. Every citizen needs to take initiative to protect the count. Actions vary according to the counting system used in your location.
EASY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. View the 4 Protect the Count videos on this page and choose the action that best matches the voting system used in your locale. 2. Then read and download the complete Protect the Count action descriptions and instructions here: http://www.ElectionDefenseAlliance.org/Protect
Action 1. Video the Precinct Tally Tapes (4 min)
This action applies to most locations in America, and is the most important thing you can do to Protect the Count. The printed poll tally tapes show the voting machine vote totals BEFORE they leave the polling place. If citizens record the tally tapes as shown in this video, it will kick the legs out from under man-in-the-middle server substitution attacks.
This video moves a mile-a-minute, so be prepared to hit the "pause" button for a closer look. This Precinct Poll Tape action takes 90 minutes on Election Night. Go to your local polling place and make a video record of the precinct tally tapes posted on the poll doors at close of election. Then upload your videos to http://videothevote.org
Post links or comments for what you find in the state and jurisdiction folders at http://www.blackboxvoting.org
If you live anywhere in America that has polling place results tapes, please also watch video # 3 (below) which shows what to look for to identify tampered poll tapes and the kinds of small errors on tapes that can appear with memory card tampering. Continue reading for Parts 2, 3, and 4 of the Protect the Count self-directed election monitoring plan.
Please distribute immediately and as widely as you can.
You can easily E-Mail this page by clicking the "E-mail Page" link at at the foot of this article.
Action 2. Protect the Count: Absentee/Central Count Ballots (8 min)
This action applies to 13 states with centrally counted ballots and/or heavy absentee voting). These are the most challenging Protect the Count locations.
Action 3. Protect the Count: New England/New Hampshire (5 min)
If you live anywhere in New England and can drive to any voting machine location in New Hampshire to observe and video poll closing, please do so.
Action 4. Protect the Count: New York (9 min)
New Yorkers are probably in the best shape for Election 2008, but not for long. This shows the details of how the counting of the lever machines proceeds after polls close, and gives you the details of the fight New Yorkers will have on your hands in 2009.
Pick 1 of the 4 actions above, then go here to download complete instructions to carry with you: http://www.ElectionDefenseAlliance.org/Protect
For guides to voting machine types by state and county, see: The VERIFIER
Upload your video reports to http://videothevote.org/uploads
Then post your video link to the appropriate state and county folder at the Black Box Voting (BBV) website, http://www.blackboxvoting.org
Note: You will need to create a BBV user account to file your links. Once you have a username and password, click the prominent "Go To Your State Folder" button on the home page. Scroll down, click the folder for your state and drill down to the folder for your county to file your report.
Black Box Voting has developed training and infrastructure to upload election evidence but we are NOT going to attempt to organize this. This has to be up to YOU, THE CITIZENS, to self-organize using the four methods outlined in the Protect the Count plan.
Do not assume that someone else is protecting this election. I'm counting on you to be as proactive as possible to fight for your voting rights.
The actions in the Protect the Count series are self-serve, simple to do, and designed for just grabbing a neighbor or a buddy and taking action.
Don't worry about blanketing every area or organizing the whole state. Just pick a place and DO it.
I guarantee it will be a fascinating and important experience, and could provide THE crucial evidence in the very undesirable event that the election turns out not to be fair.
-- Bev Harris Founder - Black Box Voting http://www.blackboxvoting.org
Let it be known:
Public citizens, observers, poll workers, will be Protecting the Count anywhere, randomly, unpredictably. Would-be cheaters: In 2008, tamper at your own peril. You'll never know where you're being watched!
Pass this along to everyone you know.
You can also plant the EDA News Widget (front page, right column) on any blog or website, where it will relay the current rotation of front-page articles from EDA, including this one on Protect the Count.
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