NATIONAL ELECTION REFORM CONFERENCE

From: Bernie Ellis
Date: 03/21/05 10:48:00
To: undisclosed-recipients:,
Subject: Peeling back the mandate: Keeping the spotlight on a fraudulent election (& what you can do) 7

THE NATIONAL ELECTION REFORM CONFERENCE IS HAPPENING IN NASHVILLE ON APRIL 8-10. THIS GRASSROOTS EVENT WILL BE HISTORIC. YOU NEED TO REGISTER AND COME!!IF YOU CAN HELP US WITH CONFERENCE PLANNNG/EXECUTION, WE'LL BE MEETING EVERY WEDNESDAY AT BONGO JAVA AT 6:00 PM. FROM NOW UNTIL APRIL 6. COME HELP US MAKE THIS A SUCCESSFUL GATHERING. Greetings to everyone on my email list: Over the past six months, our paths have crossed as we all learned about the 2004 election fraud and communicated with each other -- virtually or face-to-face -- about our concerns. Since our first public rally (our first Gathering To Save Our Democracy) in Nashville on December 12 (on the steps of the State Capital), we have held 24 similar Gatherings in middle Tennessee. The second Gathering, on December 19, was back on the State Capital steps, but this time we were bundled against the high teens sub-arctic wind and cold like concerned Ukrainians. Since then, we've held Gatherings with civic and political groups and with groups of concerned citizens, of all political persuasions and life circumstances. Our January 2 Gathering at Benton Chapel on Vanderbilt University's campus drew over 125 people for three hours of speeches and discussion. In just the past two weeks, we've met with three different county Democratic organizations (from the largest counties to the smallest) to devote over two hours to review and discuss the evidence for malfeasance in the 2004 election and the need for immediate election reform and election justice. And while we've continued to discuss our concerns here in Tennessee and on the internet, there has been a steady drumbeat of concern that has continued to build inside and outside the mainstream media. These four links are recent examples (all of them call the 2004 election results in question): 1)Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair, "Ohio's Odd Numbers" http://www.vanityfair.com/commentary/content/articles/050214roco052) Steven Freeman and Josh Mitteldorf (In These Times): A Corrupted Election: Despite what you may have heard, the exit polls were right -- http://www.inthesetimes.co--m/site/main/article/1970/3) In The Northwest: Teresa Heinz Kerry hasn't lost her outspoken way (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/214744_joel07.html4) Robert C. Koehler (Chicago Tribune columnist) Peeling Back the Mandate: Voting rights are once more at the forefront of the civil rights movement http://www.commonwonders.com/archives/col285.htmI wanted to review briefly where we are and what we've been able to accomplish so far as a way to announce to all of you that our most ambitious Tennessee Gathering to date -- a national conference on the 2004 election and the need for election reform -- is going to happen. Our small grassroots group of election reform volunteers here in Tennessee has pulled together a phenomenal two day conference (April 8-10), with the encouragement, help and active involvement of many of the country's most prominent names in the fight to protect and defend our democratic franchise. I want to invite you, and everyone you know, to come join us for some or all of this historic event.The web-link to the conference registration is at www.freepress.org/conf.php You can go on-line and read more about the conference and you can also register to attend and donate to help us cover conference expenses. Don't be deterred by the $30 registration fee. We view that registration fee as a suggested donation only, and we welcome serious election reformers of any and all means. You can register and come to the conference free if need be and certainly without having to pay anything that you cannot afford. We want you there, and everyone you know who remains seriously concerned about these issues. (Some of you have already registered, and we are looking forward to seeing many of you in early April.) I hope this long memo has whetted all of your appetites for what we are working to accomplish here in middle Tennessee in less than three weeks. If you are interested in coming, the main sessions are at the Jefferson Street Missionary Baptist Church (2708 Jefferson Street) from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm on Friday night, April 8; and from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm on Saturday, April 9. (The pre- and post-conference discussion groups will occur at Tennessee State, Vanderbilt and Fisk.) I have attached a one page flyer on the conference and the tentative conference agenda that I would encourage you to send on to your like-minded friends. I have also attached a list of the supporting individuals and organizations, as of yesterday. But I want to show you below the people who have agreed to come to Nashville and speak (in rough order of first appearance): Civil rights leaders, Tennessee: Tex Thomas, Sonnye Dixon, Charles KimbroughMichael Grant, TN NAACP Statewide coordinator, Voting Rights Act celebrationsCliff Arnebeck, Ohio, Moss v. Bush Bob Fitrakis, Ohio, Moss v. Bush, www.freepress.org Leatrice Tolls, Ohio recount volunteerR.H. Phillips, Ohio election fraud researcher Joanne Roush, Wisconsin, Ohio recount volunteer Bernard Windham, Florida, Data Analyst, national election data sets (including EIRS) Judith Alter, New MexicoPaul Lehto, Washington stateJohn Gideon, Washington state, votersunite.orgAndrew Silver, North Carolina Kathy Dopp, Utah, USCountVotesJonathan Simon, Massachusetts, exit poll researcherRobert Koehler, Illinois, syndicated columnist, Chicago TribuneBrad Friedman, California, BradBlog/Velvet RevolutionR. Lee Wrights, North Carolina, Vice-Chairman, Libertarian National Committee David Cobb, California, 2004 Green Party Presidential candidate Barbara Burt, Maine, Common Cause Lara Shaffer, California, Open Voting Consortium (OVC)Phil Fry, Ohio, Citizens’ Alliance for Secure Elections-Ohio Larry Quick, Illinois, National Ballot Integrity Project Teresa Hommel, New York, Where’s The Paper/OVCLarry English, Tennessee, Information Impact International Lowell Finley, California, Help America RecountDavid Lytel, Washington, DC, Honest Elections CampaignSusan Truitt, Ohio, Citizens’ Alliance for Secure Elections (CASE)-AmericaClinton Curtis, Florida, Whistle-Blower(and others to come) So far, we have people coming from 24 states. As mentioned earlier, the plenary sessions for the conference in Nashville will be from 5:30 pm Friday, April 8 until 6:00 pm, Saturday, April 9. However, we are also scheduling pre-conference (Friday afternoon, 1-4 pm) and post-conference (Sunday morning, April 10, 9-noon) discussion groups on topics of interest to the election reform and election justice movement, to give us even more time with these national experts. Topics will include: 1. Worthy (or emerging) state-level election reform models 2. Conducting an election audit: what is required? 3. Be the media: Strategies for increasing public awareness of election reform 4. A status report on Tennessee’s election reform legislation5. Essential elements of a free, fair and verifiable election 6. Thinking & Acting for the Country: National Election Reform Strategies & Movements 7. Election Statistics 301 – An even more detailed review of the “data” 8. Electronic voting – the good, the bad and the really bad (and what to do about it) 9. Legal strategies for election justice (Sunday only) ------------So folks, here's your chance to be part of an historic event, right here in the mid-South in the early spring. Come join with the other Tennessee election reform activists and others from throughout the country on April 8-10 as we update ourselves, the media and the world about our urgent need for election reform and election justice here in the United States. Come listen to the people leading this fight, people who have much to say. Please join with us in promoting, attending and supporting this national Gathering in Nashville on April 8-10. Reminder: If you live in middle Tennessee: we will be meeting each Wednesday from now to the conference to make all the arrangements for a successful national Gathering. If you live in Nashville or the surrounding area and you can help at all with conference logistics, please come to Bongo Java (across from the International Market) at 6:00 pm on Wednesdays and pitch in. We could really use your help. Thanks. Once again, you can go on-line for more information and to register/donate at www.freepress.org/conf.php Once you register, if you live outside middle Tennessee, we'll send you a list of hotels, the updated program and other stuff. We hope to see you in Nashville in early April (if not at Bongo Java beforehand). If we don't see you soon, let's all keep spreading the word and working for free, fair and verifiable elections. If we do, we might just take our country back. Bernie Ellis