Voter Confidence Resolution

Saturday, November 19, 2005

RESOLUTION of the Eureka Greens
a Local of the Green Party of Humboldt County (GPHC)
covering Eureka, Myrtletown, Cutten, Pine Hill, Humboldt Hill and Samoa

Voter Confidence Resolution

Whereas, An election is a competition for the privilege of representing the people; and

Whereas, Each voter is entitled to cast a single ballot to record his or her preferences for representation; and

Whereas, The records of individual votes are the basis for counting and potentially re-counting a collective total and declaring a winner; and

Whereas, An election's outcome is a matter of public record, based on a finite collection of immutable smaller records; and

Whereas, A properly functioning election system should produce unanimous agreement about the results indicated by a fixed set of unchanging records; and

Whereas, Recent U.S. federal elections have been conducted under conditions that have not produced unanimous agreement about the outcome; and

Whereas, Future U.S. federal elections cannot possibly produce unanimous agreement as long as any condition permits an inconclusive count or re-count of votes; and

Whereas, Inconclusive counts and re-counts have occurred during recent U.S. federal elections due in part to electronic voting devices that do not produce a paper record of votes to be re -counted if necessary; and

Whereas, Inconclusive results have also been caused by election machines losing data, producing negative vote totals, showing more votes than there are registered voters, and persistently and automatically swapping a voter's vote from his or her chosen candidate to an opponent; and

Whereas, Inconclusive results make it impossible to measure the will of the people in their preferences for representation; and

Whereas, The Declaration of Independence refers to the Consent of the Governed as the self-evident truth from which Government derives "just Power." Therefore be it

Resolved, Because inconclusive results, by definition, mean that the true outcome of an election cannot be known, there is no basis for confidence in the results reported from U.S. federal elections. Be it further

Resolved, The following is a comprehensive election reform platform likely to ensure conclusive election results and create a basis for confidence in U.S. federal elections:

1) voting processes owned and operated entirely in the public domain, and
2) clean money laws to keep all corporate funds out of campaign financing, and
3) a voter verified paper ballot for every vote cast and additional uniform standards determined by a non-partisan nationally recognized commission, and
4) declaring election day a national holiday, and
5) counting all votes publicly and locally in the presence of citizen witnesses and credentialed members of the media, and
6) equal time provisions to be restored by the media along with a measurable increase in local, public control of the airwaves, and
7) presidential debates containing a minimum of three candidates, run by a non-partisan commission comprised of representatives of publicly owned media outlets, and
8) preferential voting and proportional representation to replace the winner-take-all system for federal elections. Be it further

Resolved, When elections are conducted under conditions that prevent conclusive outcomes, the Consent of the Governed is not being sought. Absent this self-evident source of legitimacy, such Consent is not to be assumed or taken for granted. Be it further

Resolved, The Secretary shall transmit this resolution to the GPHC General Assembly and all GPHC Locals, GPCA State Coordinating Committee and Green Issues Working Group, Emerald Region of the GPCA and constituent county organizations, Voter Confidence Committee, Velvet Revolution, President George W. Bush, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Congressman Mike Thompson, Senator Wes Chesbro, Assemblymember Patty Berg and the media.

Signed,

Paul Sanderson, Chair
Eureka Greens, GPHC Local

Conspiracy theory detached from reality - Guest Column

Conspiracy theory detached from reality

11/02/05

Guest Column

The Eureka Reporter

I read with amusement the accusations by Democrat Stephen Lewis of a “takeover” of his party by the Green Party’s agenda. What struck me as funny was the assertion of an anti-corporate agenda by Greens, who he seems to think are behind the Democracy Unlimited petition against corporate campaign contributions.

I encourage Mr. Lewis, and especially those Democrats on their Central Committee more eager to jump on that initiatives’ bandwagon, to read the Green Party’s platform, which you can find through www.greenhumboldt.org. Our agenda emphasizes greater corporate responsibility, combined with encouraging economic diversity and growing strong communities. Nowhere do we call for abolishing corporations or stripping them of their basic protections under law. Responsible Greens know that most corporations are small businesses, while a minority have gotten out of hand and deserve the attention of law enforcement and the civil courts, not to mention a more vigilant media.

As a matter of fact, the Green Party of Humboldt County’s most recent General Assembly saw a lot of concerns expressed with how the corporate initiative is written. With a clear lack of consensus in the face of considerable opposition, we declined to take any stance on the matter until after it qualifies next year. The Eureka Greens have also seen some pointed questions directed at this measures’ backers and will again at our next meeting on Saturday Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. As always, we will gather at Has Beans Coffee where all are welcome to join in the discussion.

Local Greens are also considering an alternative initiative which would equally limit all contributions directed at candidates or recall elections to $500, no matter the source. We don’t have to be anti-corporate to support common sense campaign finance reform. I hope we will endorse this alternative at our General Assembly on Saturday Dec. 3, when our meeting of all Green Party members comes back to Eureka.

While his jokes played on the local media wore thin, Mr. Lewis went on in his opinion column last Sunday to spread even more inaccuracies about the Greens. He should come forward with any documentation of a “campaign coordinator” for the Green Party of Humboldt County, because I can find none. It even turns out that Michael Twombly, whom I’ve never seen at a Green Party meeting, isn’t on our most recent roster of voters provided by the county elections office. I’ve never even met him, although I did notice him on HCTV Channel 12 where he was promoting the Local Solutions PAC.

I encourage you to read the newsletter Local Solutions puts out. In a copy I found at a local café, it lists their endorsed candidates, along with markers for those also endorsed by the Democrats and meeting details for their Central Committee. If the Greens had equal say in this PAC, wouldn’t our endorsements and our meetings be listed? These people have never contacted me or anyone else in the Eureka Greens, so this conspiracy theory of yours just won’t fly. If anything, the Green message would be more likely to get diluted in such an arrangement. After the complete failure of David Cobb’s safe states strategy, we’re not in a hurry to try that again.

I’d like to see Eureka Reporter staff take the trouble to find out what the local Green perspective is before giving undue credibility to such unfounded accusations. Certainly Patrick Riggs was asked for a response, shouldn’t we be given the same treatment?

As for Mr. Lewis, please consult with us before you assume what our position is and start to resort to Green-scare tactics reminiscent of Joe McCarthy. Our independent perspective just might continue to surprise you.

(David Giarrizzo, eurekagreens.blogspot.com, is the Eureka Greens Steering Committee representative and Green Party of Humboldt County secretary. Opinions expressed in columns and guest opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Eureka Reporter or its staff. Readers who would like to respond to any letter, column or guest opinion may e-mail letters and guest opinions to editor@eurekareporter.com.)