Read all of it, please:
FUNDING THE RECOUNTS -- See this before you donate
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=201x2617I am seeing SO much misinformation running around about this, and all kinds of websites being posted for donations. This is an effort to clarify, from what I know about things.
By all means, donate wherever you want to, but I really think it's important for people to understand where their money is going.
It was DUers who started this whole ball rolling -- IdaBriggs who discovered the NH anomalies, and hedda-foil, a co-founder of the National Ballot Integrity Project who, with some of her colleagues followed up by many faxes to Nader by DUers and Randi Rhodes' listeners, got Ralph Nader to request the NH recount just before last Friday's 5 pm deadline.
Hedda and her group and Bev Harris of BBV.org subsequently formed a 527 specifically to help fund these recounts. Why? Because neither the National Ballot Integrity Project nor BBV.ORG could LEGALLY contribute to funding the recount themselves. Therefore, any donations to either of these two groups will NOT go to funding recounts -- but donations to the 527 specifically WILL.
Donations to BBV.org WILL go, however, to other important work because they're sending massive FOIA requests all around the country. The website Rhodes is now promoting also says that money will (partially?) go to funding the recount.
You can also donate to the Green Party candidate (Cobb) who is requesting a recount in Ohio, and/or to Nader's campaign funds who is requesting the recount in NH, but be advised that your funds COULD concievably be used for other things as well. Don't know that they will be, but they might. Let's try this scenario: let's say Ralph accumulates hundreds of thousands for the NH recount, but it only costs $80K. He would be under no obligation to refund anyone's money and could use the excess for another campaign, for this campaign's debts (if any), and I think he could even contribute to others' campaigns from his campaign funds (I think -- not sure).
I therefore recommend that anyone who wants to specifically help refund the recounts contribute to the 527 set up by DUers who got this whole thing rolling:
Link: www.helpamericarecount.org
Additional Info:*****Want to Help America Recount? The website is UP!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1344801Link: www.helpamericarecount.org
***** Donations for the Recount" Fundraising Kit > > >
(Use this to send to your friends -- enormous amount of info -- pick and choose what you need)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x37833BACKGROUND:DU INFO ALERT: Why Recounting in New Hampshire Could Save Democracy
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2617155Need Some DU Help w/New Hampshire Stuff!!! (URGENT)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=26802&mesg_id=26802RALPH NADER MAY SAVE THE WORLD!!! (Its NOT Over in NH!) Updated Fri 8:15p
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x25116Nader requests NH vote recount. (Did we just make a huge blunder?)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=965216Nader, Cobb and Badnarik may all be willing to look into recounts in Ohio
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x26843UPDATE:
Right now, Nader has a check box under the donation amount on his contributions page to specify that your donation goes only to the recount. You can safely donate directly to him IF you check that box ... and we really need to show good faith by bringing some contributions in that way. Unfortunately, his General Counsel won't take contributions any other way because they haven't set up an official recount fund. They're using a separate bank account instead. It works, and the money is segregated from general campaign funds, but it brings in all kinds of FEC restrictions that wouldn't apply if they had set up a separate recount fund.
Nevertheless, to get NH recounted, we do need to get people to donate directly into the recount account there. Not much has come in because, let's face it, only Nader can get his own (non-Repub) donors to donate, and Dems have a very bad taste in their mouth about him. I hope you'll donate because this is OUR fight Nader is fronting here.
If you can't bring yourself to put your money in the Nader recount account, even though it's directly for the BBV cause, OR if you want to help fund the recounts in Ohio and Florida, PLEASE contribute to
http://www.helpamericarecount.org .
Thanks, all.
hedda