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Despite the general importance of verification, and all the specific additional
reasons why US elections need verification more than ever – machines that
provide no assurance that votes are recorded as cast, a highly partisan
election adjunction structure, extensive evidence of election fraud in recent
contest, and considering just how much is at stake – the fact that verification
is not happen is itself an indictment.
Election integrity is essential to our
democracy. At EI, we work tirelessly to promote the following issues:
Verification
Polls and polling,
Statistical analysis
Auditing
Demystification
Website building
Write articles
Develop education materials
Democracy-Building
Communications
Events
Verification:
Election Integrity will continue to
conduct independent Election Verification Exit Polls and make data immediately
available to interested observers. We will also continue to provide consultation
to other groups that want to do their own vigilance.
Exit polls are but
one tool to use to verify election results. We aim to work with others to use
telephone and internet polls, as well as other types of statistical analysis
using registration data and vote change.
Not a single
political scientist in America
reports “Election Fraud” or anything to that effect as an
area of expertise. There are hundreds who develop theoretical models of “voting
behavior” or idealized systems, e.g., comparing the theoretical utility
maximization of Instant Runoff Voting systems with those of Condorcet voting
systems (under idealized conditions), but few dare tread in the real world.
Election Integrity is committed to doing so.
Demystification:
In principle, free
speech is another cornerstone of the American compact, the first amendment of
the constitution. Yet critics of the status quo engage in an almost tragic
self-censorship; Bush, Baker, and Cheney may brazenly throw out the most blatant
lies and never think twice about it, yet those who claim the mantel of election
reform begin by almost tripping over themselves so as not to accuse anyone of
actual fraud.
What is the best
strategy for rousing the American Public about election fraud? It is a difficult
question because the worldview that fraud implies is largely foreign (or at
least has been) and unintelligible to its sensibility. But our position has been
and will be to give truth a chance – to lay the facts on the table as openly as
we can, to pull no punches in delivering the truth, to say what we can as
strongly as we can, but no stronger.
Democracy
:
In the end, however,
building grass roots verification capabilities may be the only way to really
build democratically.
Americans, it seems clear, suffer from many basic misunderstandings about
power and politics. It is yet one more fairy tale to expect to hold any say in a
powerful nation by simply showing up to cast a ballot once every four years.
Power is not ceded, nor granted; it must be fought for and won. Democracy is
about the art to working together to achieve collective goals. Unfortunately,
democracy in
America
is
severely atrophied and will take some time to build.
The structure of
Election Integrity reflects our desire to build democracy. We have committees of
volunteers who take tasks on as they are able to, and complete them working in
collegial groups.
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