Georgia The Stitched Up State… KICK THIS THREAD.

althecat

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Sat Jul-26-03 04:22 PM
Original message

Georgia The Stitched Up State… KICK THIS THREAD.

Edited on Sat Jul-26-03 06:17 PM by elad

Georgia The Stitched Up State… KICK THIS THREAD.

http://www.voterschoice.org

Georgia The Stitched Up State…

"In Nov. 1998, 29 out of 56 Senators (52%) and 107 out of 180 Representatives (59%) were elected to the Georgia General Assembly with no opposition on the ballot. In Nov. 2000, things went from bad to worse -- 30 Senators (54%) and 121 Representatives (67%) ran unopposed. "

- 2002 numbers will be up shortly says Hugh Esco running off conference call…

 Hugh ESCO is… A Good Mate if DemActivist I believe so it may pay to
1. Kick this thread till she turns up and explains what I got wrong.
2. Forget Nader for a minute…

<center> Official title: Political Co-ordinator of the Georgia Green Party – he would love to talk to all and sundry about his battle to get proper scrutiny of voting process in Georgia. http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00095.htm">The state that Diebold Elected. International media consider yourself advised… this guy is a great interviewee. hesco @greens.org</center>. I will also invite him onto this thread to fix it if need be...

Scoop has just got off the phone with him.

Speaking as someone who is in Wellington and knows nothing much about US Politics I can safely say I have learned a great deal about how the turds got into the Georgia electoral system. Georgia's electoral process sucks bigtime.

"Journalists and editors are effectively being asked to disect the turds on behalf of the community so we can all decide how toxic they are then figure out what to do about it. " For the latest in the hunt for toxicity click on this link..

Guess what Diebold did? Quietly innoculated all their voting machines – Bev Harris

This place is a turkey, a turkey that has been gutted sewn stuffed and baked to a charred wreck.

Scoop has just got off the phone with him.

Finally by way of introduction Bev wanted me to interview this cat. And at the moment I think I should follow her advice. And he was darned interesting. This is another significant scene setter as we move the focus in this inquiry from.

Are the Machines insecure?

Which is pretty much clear now

To:

Did Georgia get stitched up in 2002?

*****

But back to Georgia. Georgia is the key

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Georgia Senate

http://www.coxnews.com/newsservice/stories/2002/1107-POLL.html
Pollsters may have goofed in not picking up the Republican surge in Georgia, however, some pollsters said. In the Senate race, for instance, Republican Rep. Saxby Chambliss defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland by a margin of 53 to 46 percent. The Hotline, a political news service, recalled a series of polls Wednesday showing that Chambliss had been ahead in none of them. The closest was the most recent Zogby International poll that had showed Cleland leading 46 to 44 percent, within the plus or minus 4 point margin of error.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2002-11-03-state-polls-usat_x.htm
In Georgia, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows Democratic Sen. Max Cleland with a 49%-to-44% lead over Republican Rep. Saxby Chambliss.
Final Result
53 to 46 percent Chambliss
HOW ACCURATE?
Polls had Cleland winning by 2 and 5 points, he lost by 7
POST POLL SWING:
9 to 12 points towards Republican Party

***************

Georgia Senate
http://www.coxnews.com/newsservice/stories/2002/1107-POLL.html
Similarly, no polls predicted the upset victory in Georgia of Republican Sonny Perdue over incumbent Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes. Perdue won by a margin of 52 to 45 percent. The most recent Mason Dixon Poll had shown Barnes ahead 48 to 39 percent last month with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points.
Final Result
52 to 45 percent Perdue
HOW ACCURATE?
Poll gave Barnes 9 points he lost by 7
POST POLL SWING:
16 points towards Republican Party

***************

How Georgia's voting system dysfunctions

In Georgia a majority of those in public office are not elected at all. Rather they are appointed elected in races considered – by demographics and determined by the parties to be unwinnable. And unchallenged. To anyone who experiences a real democracy – like me. This is all a bit of a culture shock. But I guess this will not be news to any of you.

In Georgia to get on the ballot you have to get the signatures of 2.5% of registered voters before you can even stand (till recently it was 5%). And that's why the elections are not contested by independents or third, fifth, sixth and seventh party candidates. Becoming a politician in Georgia doesn't seem to be so much about who votes for you but who you know the Republican and Democrat parties. Which goes a long way towards explaining why it remains so…

Then get this. In the 21st Century Voting Voting Commission. Act passed 2001 by Cathy Cox she who appears http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0307/S00196.htm#image">smack in the middle of the Hopkins' Hero Report. (Another prime candidate for Google prison methinks.)

Cathy and both the Repigs and the Democrats promise to promote an amendment to give the Green Party an amendment to allow Green Party a single seat on the commission of 15 or thereabouts – that's all they wanted, one lousy seat on a commission in which they would have no say – all partisan… (some bipartisan socalled – but bipartisan is not independent – NZ's Electoral Commissioners are completely independent and selected because they are so).

At the last minute he discovers that an amendment they promised will get them on, isn't worded to do that at all. Shafted…

The 21st Election Stealing Commission is responsible for overseeing elections everywhere in the State. It signed the deal with Diebold after passing the Act which had authorisation for an contract.

IT'S HARD BEING GREEN (Sorry Hugh couldn't help myself..)

In the last election the Greens could only get candidates onto 2 ballots in the state with 159 counties each with a school board and a county commission… lets say 15 and be generous – that's two candidates in 2385 races!

Georgia is a 2 party state. Or as Hugh says perhaps a one party state since the house and senate seem to operate with such unanimity about keeping things the way they are.

(And to give the suckers and even break for a moment, wouldn't you. Even I might consider becoming a US Congress person if it is really that easy. I guess you have to win internal party elections to get the seat. But that is not real politics. That is politics of the apparatchik. It's the talking to real people and getting them to vote for you that is the hard part of politics.)

In Georgia there is one Independent representative in the State assembly of 180
There are none in Senate 56
None in any of the State Wide Office.

I didn't ask how many have been elected into county commission positions – but I guess from the following not a lot.

This is what democracy looks like after the terminator has been back.

HUGH TAKES UP THE STORY…. Note this is paraphrased and not edited so bear with me. You will get the flavour. Once Hugh writes me his account – or corrects this one - we will publish it as a story on Scoop. So with the proviso that this is off the keyboard as we spake… and he will be given an opportunity to fix it. Here goes…

((((((( Hugh in paraphrase..

I think Libertarianz got 4 or 6 candidates into the ballot last year.

The Greens that stood were
Clarke County Commission (10)– Candidate Edwin Vaughn – 8% in three way race.
(Clark County 40,000 voters around 100,000 people)
Glynn County School Board (10) – Rev. Zack Lyde – Did 31% in two way race.
(This was an open seat. Drawn to be safe for a Democrat)

See…

National Center for Voting And Democracy
For more information on proportional representation and uncontested elections – we might as well call them trotters seats or something contemptuous – for that is what they are see..

http://www.Fairvote.org

***********

SIDENOTE COMPARISON WITH NZ: – that's what we have here in NZ – 80% of people vote roughly – local authority elections are currently allowed to move to STV on the basis of referenda. See http://www.stvnz.org/index.htm. We have had several local bodies already move including the city I live Wellington. Nationally we moved from FPP (first past the post)to MMP a form of proportional representation in 1996. And since then we have grown rather fond of no longer electing dictators. 

***********

Back to Georgia.

((((((( Hugh in paraphrase..

Public forum two weeks ago…. Reporter in Atlanta. Ken Edelstein. He works for Creative Loafing. And has forums in a place called Dad's Garage. Probably another forum in two weeks time so that could be fun.… approx.

I read in paper that Ken is going to have Cathy Cox at the forum. The "Political Party" it's called. Radio Hate Guy was there too. Can't remember name… all the same anyway.

Cathy says Georgia is leading the way. Folks are really excited about how DRE is accessible to the handicapped. The voters loved it she says..

And Ken says….. there are reports saying there are problems….c

So Cathy says… that that's all just a Conspiracy Theory…

Three of us in the audience started raising hell. We wanted answers. We got none. 80 people in the hall. The guy in front of me was threatened with ejection by Ken Edelstein. I didn't know he was there.

Ken changed the subject to all sorts of things to avoid talking about the machines. Towards the end of the forum it comes back around.

Cathy Cox made the comment that there was not much difference in opinion between democrats and republicans on the voting machinery. There were only narrow disagreements.

I said: "I would have to agree", with that or something like that.

And Ken picked up on that and said what about this. The Greens want to be on the ballot. You admit there is not much difference in between the parties on this. What about ballot access reform.

And Cathy starts singing my praises. Saying I have done heaps for ballot access reform.

And I say yes. But we have been having no support from you or your office.

She points out she hasn't been fighting me.

I reply - we appreciate these small favours, but we need to see some leadership from your office.

And then Ken Edelstein tossed the last question my way.

And I lay out in two minutes the reform agenda.

- publicly financed elections
- proportional representation – specifically STV and instant runoff for single winner elections (Executive – Secretary of State For Example….)
- open ballot access
- auditable election machinery – open source paper ballots

Those were the main ones.

Ken Edelstein said and that's a good note to end it. They brought up the curtain.

At the end there were more people talking to me than Cathy. Cathy had two or three questioners to my nine.

….

Anti©opyright 2003… post this wherever.. link this wherever… dice it splice it stick it in a cigar and smoke it.. I don't care….