Source: Mother Jones

(Also see Virginia voter fraud case expands to focus on GOP firm – promoted by lowkell)

The following press release is from Virginia’s nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition . Also see True the Vote’s True Agenda and ‘True the Vote’ Volunteers Intimidating Voters?.

Revealed: New True the Vote documents show organization misleading poll watchers

Virginia’s nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition calls on officials to ensure ill-trained poll watchers don’t block eligible voters

ATTACHED: Please find attached a copy of the coalition’s letter to authorities. A copy of the True the Vote Virginia training manual is available at http://www.progressva.org/TTV-…

Virginia’s nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition today released new training materials obtained from Texas-based True the Vote that reveal the organization has been misleading Virginia volunteers on state election law and voting procedures. In a letter to officials including Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the State Board of Elections, and Virginia’s US Attorneys, the coalition expressed concern that, “Virginia poll watchers that rely on the erroneous “training” in True the Vote’s boilerplate poll watcher manual pose a grave risk of fostering an environment of confusion, hostility and intimidation. Worse, these ill-trained poll watchers could intentionally or inadvertently make it harder for Virginians to vote, especially new voters, voters of color, voters who need language assistance, and voters with physical disabilities.”

The coalition found numerous serious inaccuracies and misleading statements in the True the Vote Poll Watcher manual, including erroneous statements on ID and signature requirements, misstatements of Virginia’s procedure for challenging voters, and incorrect information about the balloting procedure for voters who are in line when the polls close at 7pm. Multiple contradictory statements between “general” information and Virginia-specific rules only increases the probability that poll watchers relying on the manual on election day will foster an environment of confusion, hostility, and intimidation.

“The training materials released by True the Vote for Virginia volunteers are part of a widespread effort that could lead to longer lines at the polls, or worse, turn away eligible voters,” said Courtney Mills, staff attorney for the Fair Elections Legal Network. “The State Board of Elections and all County Boards of Election should direct election officers to use their power to ensure the election runs smoothly and all eligible voters that want to cast a ballot can vote. Election officials and both political parties should take steps to ensure workers and volunteers do not prevent voters from their civic duty to vote.”

“Every eligible voter should be assured that they can cast a ballot that counts,” commented Anna Scholl, Executive Director of ProgressVA Education Fund. “No poll watcher who has been trained with false or misleading information should stand in the way of voters exercising their constitutional rights.”

“Voters who have questions about voting or think their constitutional rights have been violated should call the nonpartisan election protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE,” said Dara Lindenbaum, associate counsel with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.          

The coalition reminds election officers that under Virginia code 24.2-604, they have the authority to remove persons, including poll watchers, who are disturbing, disrupting, or delaying the voting process. Poll watchers who are intimidating voters or impeding the voting process based on the erroneous information contained in the True the Vote manual can and should be removed from the polls.

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Virginia’s nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition was formed to ensure all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. Coalition partners include Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Common Cause, Fair Elections Legal Network, Advancement Project, Virginia New Majority Education Fund, and ProgressVA Education Fund.

If this doesn’t motivate you to donate, vote, volunteer, etc. to reelect President Obama, I’m not sure what will!

The choice this election is an easy one.  It all boils down to whether you believe in the idea that 1) we are all in this together or b) you believe in every person for himself. If you believe we are all in this together, then you should support President Barack Obama.  If you believe in on-your-ownership, then the other side  has the guy for you, Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney is the candidate of on-your-ownership health care, Medicare, Social Security, student loans, home loans and more. He doesn’t support a minimum wage. He pretends he never got any help or legacy from his wealthy and famous father.  That itself is a lie, but his pretense otherwise feeds the mythology that Mitt is a self-made man. He isn’t.  

Over and over Mitt Romney has told us he doesn’t believe in community response. He doesn’t believe in FEMA (though now his campaign desperately pretends he does). He doesn’t believe in Homeland Security (only Department of “Defense,” which is to say euphemistically, war). Mitt Romney would abolish nearly all of the federal government except the department of war. And you can bet his sons will not serve in the wars he has planned.  They served in their church missions, after all.

Mitt doesn’t even believe in real charity. He and his wife keep talking about their “huge” donation to the Church of LDS. It turns out that the church doesn’t get all that much from Mitt’s various tax avoidance “charity.” But Mitt gets an income and tax deductions along with the money growing tax-deferred anyway.  

President Obama is not only the better choice for the 99%, he is the only one who gets that government is necessary to meet needs citizens alone cannot fill. The nation’s infrastructure depends upon a federal paradigm. But in Mittworld, highways, even those built with public money’s, would be sold off for a song to privateers who could charge whatever they want for us to drive down the highway. Mitt doesn’t even believe in (local) publicly employed police and fire departments. And he has publicly opposed any increase in their hire, via the stimulus. He said we don’t need any more of them! For him it’s everyone for himself and God help us all.

While Mitt Romney opposes more hiring of police and fire personnel, President Obama gets that the resources of our government are most importantly used when our fellow citizens are in crisis. It is the very essence of defense and homeland security. You and I were inspired this week when we saw President Obama and Chris Christie working together to solve storm-related problems. These two leaders understand what Mitt and his supporters do not, we are all in this together. If the Northeast is struggling, so too is America. If the South or Southwest suffers, so too does all of America. There is only the United States of America, not the on-your-ownership America. In Bush and Mittworld we have seen how that would play out.  And it would be a horrendous future for an America which will be much brighter if we realize we are one.  As the hymn goes, “We would be one.”

The following press release is from the Kaine campaign. Also see Two former guvs: Kaine and Warner push for Senate for coverage of Kaine's and Warner's visit to C-ville, as well as a comment from 5th CD Democratic Congressional candidate John Douglass (“We feel a real surge in Virginia”). 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2012  CONTACT: Kaine for Virginia Press Office (804) 359-7106 press@kaineforva.com   TIM KAINE, MARK WARNER CAMPAIGN ACROSS VIRGINIA IN BEGINNING OF FINAL STRETCH   Richmond, VA – Today, former governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine was joined on the campaign trail by U.S. Senator Mark Warner for a series of events highlighting Kaine’s economic strategies including leveling the playing field for small businesses and investing in education, workforce development, and infrastructure. They also thanked some of the thousands of grassroots volunteers who are working hard to elect Kaine on Tuesday. Kaine began the day at Alexandria Seaport Foundation, a nonprofit that uses boatbuilding to teach technical and leadership skills to at-risk youth. While serving as a missionary in Honduras, Kaine worked as principal of a technical school teaching young people skills they could use to better their lives. “I’ve seen firsthand how teaching students career skills increases their economic opportunities.  A skilled, prepared workforce contributes to a stronger economy here in Virginia and helps our nation compete in an increasingly global and dynamic economy,” Kaine said. “Whether it's at the school where I taught in Honduras as a missionary or at this workshop in Alexandria, teaching kids the skills they need to fill engineering jobs or carpentry jobs is critical to the growth of our economy.” Senator Mark Warner joined Kaine in Harrisonburg, where they led an employee town hall of more than 100 participants at Rosetta Stone. Kaine and Warner have known each other for more than 30 years. During the discussion, Kaine shared his views on how to create jobs for Virginians in an ever-changing economy. “Everything about Tim Kaine's life and career has been about service. He's a good guy who will roll up his sleeves in Washington and do his job for the right reasons,” said Warner. “With all the issues we face right now, we need people up there like Tim who will be bridge builders and fixers, not just tear others down.” “Small businesses and their owners remain the innovators and backbone of our economy.  In order for them to succeed though, we must develop a talented workforce that can fill the jobs of tomorrow and increase their connection with global markets by improving and expanding our infrastructure,” Kaine said.  Later in the day, Kaine and Warner stopped in Charlottesville to rally more than 125 voters at the local OFA office on the Downtown Mall to thank them for their grassroots activism and support. They then traveled to Lynchburg for an event outside historic Kemper Street Station where Kaine spoke about the importance of infrastructure investments in creating jobs and positioning the Commonwealth for success. “As Governor I understood that investing in our infrastructure – like roads and rail – created jobs in the short term and then raise the platform for economic success in the long term,” Kaine said.  “The extension of Amtrak service to Lynchburg, which was championed by a bipartisan coalition of legislators, has been a great tool for economic development for businesses in this area. Projects like this, or extending service to Roanoke, or other projects across the country, will strengthen our national economy if Congress is willing to act.” Finally, Kaine and Warner ended the day with a pair of events to thank grassroots supporters in Lynchburg and Roanoke.   “The work you do, the doors you knock on, and the phone calls you make, are critical, not only to our success on Election Day, but to the future of our country.  We need you to continue that person to person contact through November 6th and we’ll show America that the power of grassroots support is much greater than that of secret outside money and attack ads,” Kaine said. With just five days left before Election Day, Kaine will continue his travels across Virginia talking to voters about his vision and strategy to create jobs and move us forward.

Wow. These are actual Romney supporters? I mean, they’re just (pick one or more adjectives): a) hateful; b) bigoted; c) nuts; d) clueless; e) brain dead; f) ignorant; g) rabid. It’s astounding, but there are tens of millions of people like this in our country. Sometimes I wonder how we ever make any progress at all. Ugh, I feel like I need a long, hot shower. More to the point, we can NOT let these people win; can you imagine what they’d do to this country? So do whatever you can possibly do in the next 4 days to elect Democrats across the board. Thanks.

P.S. Great job as always by New Left Media! How they can stand being in the presence of people like this and also keep their cool is beyond me….