When you spend your time, as I do, immersed in politics and the issues that said politics purport to solve or at least endeavour to solve, it is easy to forget that many -- indeed, most -- people in this country have neither the time, energy nor inclination to wade into such a bog, let alone devote any significant block of time to that political swamp for fear they might emerge from it as mentally pruny and wrinkled as the fingers of a child after an hour in a paddling pool of equally questionable water quality.

The reasonable fear of sensory overload combined with the unreasonable burdens of economic hardship, deliberate disinformation propaganda campaigns of over thirty years by a corporate-owned media and a dying, decaying educational system have conspired to create what we now are as an America society: An apathetic, barely participatory citizenry in what is laughably called a "republic" but what is, for all intents and purposes, a plutocracy.

In comments to a  recent diary I posted, I was asked to suggest resources on election protection and related matters.  I've poked around a little and found the following.  Although in my quick review I didn't see what I'm looking for (groups organizing to be prepared for legal challenges on election day to keep polls open, require additional machines when lines are too long, or getting folks the right to vote non-provisional ballots), I think these are a good place to start.  And maybe they are doing what I'm hoping and I just didn't find it.  Anyway, see below for some of what I've found.

In 2004 many lawyers, law students and other volunteers came together in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states to try to ensure that every vote was counted.  I went to Ohio.  I guess I didn't do such a good job, huh?

Anyway, After I returned from Ohio (yes, in tears), I sent e-mails to some of the organizations doing election protection, describing what went wrong in the hope that those lessons could be applied to election protection efforts in 2008.  Although I've sent in my e-mail form to the Obama campaign offering my assistance, and sent another e-mail containing my critique of the 2004 effort, I'm hoping that by posting here members of the campaign will be sure to see what happened before.  And I'm hoping that others who worked in 2004 will add their thoughts and experiences.  

As you may have heard, members of the online progressive community - including many Kossaks! - have been working together to collectively and democratically craft a Netroots Platform. Now we're rolling out what we've created and asking what you think. Democracylover in NYC's diary from earlier today is serving as the 'Mothership' as the planks are individually diaried.

Without further ado, here's the Electoral Reform plank:

We believe that the basis for any democracy must be free and fair elections. We therefore endorse the following reform proposals to ensure the fairness of our elections and to make participation in our democratic system more accessible to Americans.

Drop what you're doing right now and let's talk about the position of John Edwards' pants.

"Take it from me - every vote counts." - Al Gore

I dare anyone to look me in the eye and tell me, with a straight face, that one single vote will affect the outcome of the election. Yes, each vote does matter - and I am living proof of that.

On Tuesday I won my bid for re-election as a Democratic Precinct Delegate. My margin of victory? One.

In case you missed it, we just sent out an e-mail to our members asking them to write to the Federal Election Commission and demand an investigation into Wal-Mart's shady tactics. If you haven't heard, the Wall Street Journal broke a story on Friday about mandatory meetings Wal-Mart was having where they were telling their employees not to vote for Democrats. This is, hands down, a disgusting abuse of power, and it may just be illegal too! So take a minute or two to write to the FEC.

Below is the full message that went out to our members, if you didn't get it, you should sign up!

Countless newshounds with dry eyes and sweaty palms hammering at their keyboards in a diligent cacophony hoping to be the first to catch the first utterance that spells the end of a political campaign.

ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Gallup, Time, AP, Reuters, Slate, Drudge, Huffington Post -- all sources, all targets, for rage, shame, fear, laughter, hope, and "news".  

We hear about the "horse race" and its associated paraphernalia, be it tire pressure gauges, polling results, haircuts, shoes, racism, feminism, capitalism, communism, terrorism, religion... but none of this stuff really matters unless... (more after the fold)

Just got an email from the Obama camp, presumably because I'm a member of 'lawyers for Obama'. Help me spread the news!

Here's the opening:

Real change only happens when new people enter the political process and make their voices heard.

That's why this campaign is launching an unprecedented Voter Protection Program that will fight to promote and defend the voting rights of every American.

More after the fold...

I knew that it was predicted to be a light turnout, but I discovered what they meant when I voted during my lunch hour and was the ONLY voter at the poll.  THIS MUST NOT HAPPEN IN NOVEMBER!

A few days ago, my husband received an email from a friend of my father.  The email, sent to an undisclosed list, blasted Obama on taxes.  It was full of dire warnings about how taxes would double under Obama, even for those making less than $60,000 a year.  The email included a number of links that were either broken or never existed.  And the article it cited actually supported Obama's tax position, not McCain's.  For us, this was the last straw.  Below you will find the email we sent in response.  It has been picked up by a number of our friends on the D side who are sending it out in response to the emails they receive.  

We are tired of remaining silent in the face of the poor decisions Republicans have made over the past eight years.  We have come to believe that those who gave us the Bush administration -- Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, et. al. can no longer be trusted to vote intelligently.  And, we are prepared to tell them that!  Feel free to cut and paste the response below and adapt for your own response.

Something my grandfather always said, which my father has carried down throughout his life - we've even turned it into a verb...Whenever we want something done, and done NOW we say "LSMS" which means "less shit, more sugar". To this day I still have no idea what fecal material has to do with sugar, but when I hear the call I move - and fast!

"Drive for Obama on Election Day!"

Today’s WSJshows just how important the Employee Free Choice Act [EFCA]is to creating a more equal America and addressing corporate power—Wal-Mart and Cintas are fighting to stop this legislation which would help protect workers who want to unionize. EFCA is a key part of making jobs safer and fixing the income inequality crisis.

I’ve written here before about Cintas, a company that has violated employees’ rights under federal labor law and supported weaker regulation of hazardous solvents.

A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility. A provisional ballot would be cast when:

The voter refuses to show a photo ID (in regions that require one)
The voter's name does not appear on the electoral roll for the given precinct.
The voter's registration contains inaccurate or out-dated information such as the wrong address or a misspelled name.
The voter's ballot has already been recorded
Whether a provisional ballot is counted is contingent upon the verification of that voter's eligibility.

Update 8/1/2008: Problem solved! Talked with NYC Board of Elections office yesterday morning. They had the correct ballot forwarding information in their computer records. So, in October they will forward my ballot for the presidential general election to my mom's house, and all is fine. I'm grateful to the competent and patient woman who works the phone there.

Below is the diary from before the problem was solved. Hopefully, in the future, someone doing a Kos search on a similar issue will find it useful.
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I need help! I'm about to leave for 6 months backpack traveling, and it looks like voting isn't going to be as simple as it appeared earlier. I need advice.

I'll be voting from somewhere in Central America, as a New York city/state resident.
My problem: The NY City board of elections told me I was all set to vote from abroad, and it looks like they made a mistake!
I leave for Guatemala City, Guatemala on Sunday, 8/3/2008... and just received a 'transfer notice' from my NY City address that didn't get sent to the correct address they said they would send to! I won't be staying in any place very long, and have no fixed plans for country/village - things would be much easier otherwise.

Ok there's a diary up about how the 18-35 Obama supporters need to work on us old folk so more of us vote for him. While I applaud the writer sentiment I think he/she maybe missing a far bigger problem which Democratic Youth Strategy Council should be concerned about. Getting out the youth vote.

The following is from todays' US News and World Report

A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is some question in regards to a given voter's eligibility. A provisional ballot would be cast when:

The voter refuses to show a photo ID (in regions that require one)
The voter's name does not appear on the electoral roll for the given precinct.
The voter's registration contains inaccurate or out-dated information such as the wrong address or a misspelled name.
The voter's ballot has already been recorded
Whether a provisional ballot is counted is contingent upon the verification of that voter's eligibility.