secretary of state

This year I have been invited to dozens of inaugural parties all over the country. If we could have made it to DC we could have party hoppped and really enjoyed the enthusiasm of all the newly elected Dems. But there is one inaugural party I am most proud to be invited to. For all who remember the Republican corruption in Ohio and the possibly stolen election in Ohio in 2004, THIS is really sweet:

Too bad we can't be there! Best of luck to Mark Dann and Jennifer Brunner. I am proud to have sent them some publicity and some donations.

If YOU want to go to their party, you can talk to the Ohio Democratic Party.

Tom Vilsack is challenging us all to volunteer. Sign up and he will hook you up with a campaign near you that needs help. Here's his challenge:

It's time to schedule your volunteerism and recruit your friends to join you. It's time to make a commitment to real change by volunteering your time.

Over the past year, our Heartland PAC community has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for gubernatorial and secretary of state candidates all across the country. In some cases, we provided early money to help draw attention to important down-ballot races. More recently, our contributions have helped our candidates respond to some pretty shameful Republican attacks. We've emptied our war chest, and now it's time for the real work to begin.

Momentum means nothing if we don't get our voters to the polls. And that's where you come in. We have created an easy volunteer form where you can sign up to help any of our 41 endorsed candidates. No matter where you are -- there is something you can do.

Sign up and we will send your volunteer commitments to the campaigns right away.

Despite being down, Republican activists are hard at work. The GOP's famous "72 Hour Plan" is reported to be in full swing, making hundreds-of-thousands of phone calls, canvassing precincts and finalizing GOTV plans. While they appear to be desperate -- their TV ads, and machinery is running and shouldn't be underestimated.

I have been covering the problems with touch screen voting machines for some time, pointing out how almost every Tech-savvy person who analyzes them at all finds them shoddy and unreliable. Having a real, legally recountable paper ballot is the only way to have elections that we can have any confidence in.

Right now we have two days to get Congress to act to ensure a paper ballot whatever technology is used for voting. That would go a long way to preserving our rights. VoteTrust USA has the following URGENT action alert (two days to act!!!):

URGENT ACTION ALERT!
TELL CONGRESS TO PASS EMERGENCY PAPER BALLOT BILLS NOW!

With only two days remaining before Congress recesses until after the November 7 election, and with the failures and malfunctions of electronic voting machines finally receiving real attention from the mainstream media, emergency bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate to make contingency paper ballots available in all touchscreen jurisdictions. On Tuesday, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Chris Dodd (D-CT), and Russ Feingold (D-WI) introduced S. 3943, the "Confidence in Voting Act" that would provide funding to jurisdictions for the printing of emergency paper ballots, and on Wednesday, Rep. Rush Holt introduced a similar mesasure, HR 6187, in the House.

This morning (Thursday, September 28) at 10 am the House Administration Committee will hold a previously scheduled -- and long awaited hearing on "Electronic Voting Machines: Verification, Security, and Paper Trails." The word on the Hill is that the Committee will discuss this emergency legislation during the hearing. VoteTrustUSA will be at the hearing, providing background information to Committee members, and hosting a press event after the hearing. This is our last, best chance to make a difference in the 2006 election!

It All Comes Down to You! Your Calls Make a Difference. Call Your Representative NOW!