This Time, the People Are Watching

Let's start with the conclusion: We encourage people to do their part for democracy leading up to Nov. 2, and then prepare to return to the streets on Nov. 3 (and perhaps beyond), at predetermined, symbolic, convenient locally-chosen sites.

Thousands and thousands of people have signed up all across the country, more than ever before, to volunteer to help get-out-the-vote on election day. And many of them have also recognized the importance of protecting the vote count in the day(s) after Nov. 2. Many have joined nov3.us, and signed the "No Stolen Elections" pledge.

We all remember what happened in Florida in 2000. A right wing cabal stole an election, partly in the dark of night, partly in broad daylight. As has been traditional in U.S. politics, the key to the theft was the abuse of poorer African American voters.

This is not the first time the Republican Party has stolen an election by warping the vote count in Florida. They also cheated in 1876, and their victory then led to the end of Reconstruction. In 2000 they cheated again, and their "victory" led to an unnecessary, illegal, immoral war; a declining economy for most working people, with a growing gap between rich and poor; an undeclared war on the environment, on labor unions, on the right to choose, and on civil rights; and open talk of Empire.

2004 is different than 2000. The Bush administration's attempt to govern from the hard right has ignited a massive, passionate, mobilized response from citizens across the country. Progressive forces have come together in both new and old ways for regime change at home. This time, they're on fire for change. This time they're on alert for cheating. This time they're watching.

There are two important jobs in these final days of the 2004 election: (1) It is the duty of all citizens to help generate the largest turnout possible, on and before election day. The more people who vote, the more attentive the next elected president will be to the people. So volunteer to get-out-the-vote. Vote early. Vote absentee. Take your friends and family and co-workers to vote. Send personal messages and IMs to all your friends. Don't just mass email them, write them individual emails – even better, write them personal notes. Give a few more dollars. Work on election day.

(2) Citizens who care about democracy must be prepared to defend the vote. There are things that can be done to better the odds that fewer votes will be discarded this time. There is a wonderful election protection operation - Election Protection 2004 that has been put together by an alliance of civil rights groups, to defend people's right to vote at the polls. This time, because so many people have mobilized, the GOP forces will have more trouble intimidating people at the polls, getting ballots tossed out on technicalities, ignoring provisional ballots, and knocking voters off the rolls.

But Florida also taught America that the battle for the right to vote may continue long after the polls close. We need to be ready. We must turn out the vote on Nov. 2, then defend it on Nov. 3 and after, right up until a new president is sworn in.

Florida 2000 taught us that there are many ways to cheat. Some are time-honored and old-fashioned, but deadly effective (intimidation at the polls, knocking minorities off the voting rolls, throwing out valid ballots in heavily African American precincts, extra holes punched in ballots in certain areas). Some are brand new, such as "black box" voting, brought on by the switch to new technologies.

To defend ourselves against all their potential tricks, we need people. We need eyeballs, watching every precinct. We need skilled techies, to look for the clues that will reveal black box cheating. We need organizers and grassroots activists, to provide support for voters at the polls, and to turn out so many new people that the would-be cheaters will be overwhelmed by the vote for change. We need lawyers. We need donors, big and small.