[good advice, useful to all US citizens - Will]
----- forwarded message -----
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 11:00:10 -0800
From: Tina Schulstad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Below please find a call to action from the Sierra Club National Office,
sent to us by Michael McGinn, our Council delegate.
Tina Schulstad
SPECIAL ACTION DAILY:
ACT IMMEDIATELY TO PROTECT FAIR ELECTIONS
It's already been proven that every single vote matters in this
presidential election. However, it appears that not all those votes
have been fairly or accurately counted. Grassroots efforts can
encourage a re-vote in Palm Beach County, Florida. It's all about
creating demand for a fair, accurate election. We need your help!
CONTENTS:
1. TAKE ACTION
2. Sierra Club Press Statement
3. Sample Letters-to-the-Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. TAKE ACTION
First: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!: Get on the radio! Call in to your local
talk radio stations, and then get your friends to call them. It
doesn't matter if you think the station is right-wing -- we need to
get voices on the air talking about how this is about upholding the
rule of law and doing the right thing for the country. Get on the air
on as many call-in radio shows as you can. You can use points from
our statement below to refute opponents' arguments.
Second: Use the sample letters-to-the-editor below to send letters to
your local papers calling for fairness, accuracy and the respect of
true democracy.
Third: Talk to your friends. Create buzz. We want to build an
atmosphere of public demand for a fair election. Get out there and
talk to people!
2. Sierra Club Press Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2000
Contact:
Allen Mattison, 202-675-7903
SIERRA CLUB CALLS FOR PALM BEACH RE-VOTE,
URGES FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO VOTING IMPROPRIETIES
WASHINGTON -- The Sierra Club today called for a re-vote in Palm Beach
County, Florida, given the dispute over invalidated or miscast ballots
in the Presidential election, and urged the federal government to
conduct an investigation into improprieties that may have compromised
voters' civil rights. To avoid a divisive, lengthy legal battle, the
Sierra Club is asking Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George
W. Bush to join with the overwhelming public sentiment and call for a
re-vote.
"Americans want our President to be chosen fairly and by the rules of
our Constitution," said national Sierra Club President Dr. Robert Cox.
"Thousands of Palm Beach County residents took the time to vote on
Tuesday, and they don't want their voices muzzled by a confusing
ballot. The best way to assure a fair election is to re-vote in Palm
Beach County. Rather than dragging this out, the Sierra Club is
urging both Gore and Bush to join with the public in calling for a
re-vote in Palm Beach County. It would be a shame if the wrong person
were elected President simply because the ballots in one county
confused voters."
In Palm Beach County, the ballots were aligned in a way that made it
difficult for some voters determine which hole to punch to cast their
vote for Gore. This misalignment led to some people accidentally
voting for Pat Buchanan. Buchanan garnered over 3,400 votes in that
county, far disproportionate to his vote share elsewhere in Florida.
In addition, more than 19,000 Palm Beach County ballots were rejected
because more than one person's name had been punched.
"Everyone I've talked to in our county wants a re-vote," said Lisa
Hanley, chair of the Sierra Club's Loxahatche Group, the local branch
for Palm Beach County. "When we mentioned the confusing ballot on our
local Sierra Club email list, two members immediately responded that
they'd accidentally voted for Buchanan. It's quite clear that in Palm
Beach County, the confusing ballot threw thousands of votes from Al
Gore to Pat Buchanan. Bad ballots shouldn't determine the election.
We want an accurate vote, and that requires a re-vote."
This morning, on NBC's Today Show, Buchanan himself said: "Those are
probably not my votes in those precincts in Palm Beach County. ... I
probably got some votes down there that really did not belong to me.
... I do not want to take any votes that don't belong to me. ... If
the two candidates they pushed were Buchanan and Gore, almost
certainly those are Al Gore's votes, not mine."
The Florida Supreme Court has rendered several decisions relating to
elections. In Boardman v. Esteva, 323 So.259, 269 (Fla. 1975), it
held that "the primary consideration in an election contest is whether
the will of the people has been effected." Another important decision
(Hill v. Milander, 72 So.2d 796 [Fla. 1954]) held that "what the law
requires is that the ballot be fair and advise the voter sufficiently
to enable him intelligently to cast his ballot." The state's courts
repeat these maxims consistently in the case law. In addition, FL
Statute 101.191, regarding the form of general election ballot, says
that voters should mark their choice to the right of the candidate's
name, indicating that the Palm Beach County ballot may not have
adhered to the law.
# # #
3. Sample LTE's
To the Editor:
As an American voter who respects our democratic system, I feel that
George W. Bush is morally bound to call for a re-vote in the places in
Florida where confusing ballots made voting difficult.
Any person who would lead America as President and says "I trust the
people" should be happy to allow concerned citizens to vote their
minds. Someone who says he wants to "restore honor and dignity to the
White House" should not allow himself to come to power in such an
questionable and possibly illegitimate way. Al Gore won the popular
vote; George Bush should acknowledge that every step should be taken
to ensure the true will of the American people is heard.
We have to look at why we vote in the first place--to express our
desire for how the country should be governed. If thousands of people
say they were not able to accurately express themselves, it should be
our moral obligation to make sure this is corrected.
To the Editor:
All Americans are guaranteed the right to vote for the candidate of
their choice, not just someone who miraculously translates a confusing
ballot. In Palm Beach, Florida, over 19,000 voters lost their right
to vote this election year because of a jumbled ballot. Further,
thousands more unknowingly cast votes for Pat Buchanan, in all
likelihood thinking they were voting for Al Gore.
Hundreds of angry voters have closed down the street in front of the
Palm Beach County election office, demanding a revote in the
presidential race. They believe their right to vote was blocked and
they want to cast their ballots again. And rightly so. They were
misled by the ballot when they voted.
If we want to choose our next president fairly, Palm Beach County
voters should be allowed to vote again--with an understandable ballot.
