Democracy

Block the Vote

by Sheldon Rampton — August 25, 2004 - 10:00pm

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other civil rights leaders say the Republican Party is mounting a campaign to keep African-Americans and other minority voters away from the polls this November. "In recent years, many minority communities have tended to align with the Democratic Party," states a new report cosponsored by the NAACP and People for the American Way.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, August 26, 2004

Pre-Emptive "Traitor" Baiters

by Diane Farsetta — August 15, 2004 - 10:00pm

"Federal agents and city police are keeping tabs on people they say might try to cause trouble at the Republican National Convention, questioning activists, making unannounced visits and monitoring Web sites and meetings. ... The intelligence unit of the New York Police Department ...

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Associated Press, August 16, 2004

Painting Happy Faces on Black Boxes

by Diane Farsetta — August 1, 2004 - 10:00pm

"It's amazing how far the reputation of electronic voting has fallen," writes Center for Media and Democracy researcher Diane Farsetta.

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AlterNet, August 2, 2004

Crossed Wires and Banana Republicans

by Diane Farsetta — July 29, 2004 - 10:00pm

Florida's Republicans are getting mixed signals about November.

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Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2004

This Song Was Made For You and Me

by Sheldon Rampton — July 25, 2004 - 10:00pm

The Richmond Organization, a humor-challenged corporation that owns the copyright to Woody Guthrie's classic folk song, "This Land Was Made For You and Me," is suing over a hilarious parody that uses Guthrie's song to lampoon George W. Bush and John Kerry. Columnist Dan Gillmor points out that the company is "dishonoring Woody Guthrie's memory, not that it seems to care.

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CNN, July 26, 2004

Not-So-Democratic Convention

by Diane Farsetta — July 22, 2004 - 10:00pm

"One cannot conceive of other elements [that could be] put in place to create a space that's more of an affront to the idea of free expression," said U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock, after touring the Democratic National Convention's "free speech" protest zone in Boston. The zone is "bordered by cement barriers, a double row of chain-line fencing, heavy black netting, and tightly woven plastic mesh," with "coils of razor wire" along elevated train tracks.

Main Source: 
Boston Globe, July 23, 2004

An E-Vote and a Prayer

by Diane Farsetta — July 18, 2004 - 10:00pm

As "voters took to the streets in 19 states ... to protest paperless electronic voting machines" at "The Computer Ate My Vote" rallies, the high-tech industry lobby group Information Technology Association of America fought back.

Main Source: 
EWeek, July 19, 2004

GOP's Denial of Democracy Attack

by Sheldon Rampton — June 30, 2004 - 10:00pm

The former head of a GOP Marketplace, a Republican consulting group, has pleaded guilty to jamming get-out-the-vote efforts on election day in New Hampshire two years ago. The company used computer-generated phone calls to flood phone lines that were set up so voters could call for rides to the polls.

Main Source: 
Associated Press, July 1, 2004

Another Setback for the E-voting Lobby

by Sheldon Rampton — June 13, 2004 - 10:00pm

Bowing to the demands of hundreds of angry members, the League of Women Voters has rescinded its support of paperless voting machines. About 800 delegates who attended LWV's biennial convention in Washington voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution that supports "voting systems and procedures that are secure, accurate, recountable and accessible."

Main Source: 
Associated Press, June 14, 2004

Disabled Rights vs Verified Votes?

by Diane Farsetta — June 10, 2004 - 10:00pm

The New York Times editorializes, "Voters should have complete confidence about their ballots' being counted accurately and ...

Main Source: 
New York Times, June 11, 2004
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