US Troops asked to waive right to a secret ballot- this is scary!

[PA Democrat]

Please note that the links of the company to handle military votes to the Republican party.

Members of the military will be allowed to vote this year by faxing or e-mailing their ballots - after waiving their right to a secret ballot. Beyond this fundamentally undemocratic requirement, the Electronic Transmission Service, as it's known, has far too many problems to make it reliable, starting with the political partisanship of the contractor running it. The Defense Department is making matters worse by withholding basic information about the service, and should suspend it immediately.

The Defense Department is encouraging soldiers to use absentee ballots or fax votes directly to local officials, when possible. But it also provides an alternative: Omega Technologies, a private contractor, will accept soldiers' faxed and e-mailed ballots on a toll-free line, and then send them to the appropriate local elections office. Handling ballots is always sensitive, but especially so when, as in this program, they are not secret. An obvious concern is that votes for a particular candidate could be reported lost in transit, or altered.

Omega Technologies is not an acceptable choice to run the program. Its chief executive, Patricia Williams, has donated $6,600 in this election cycle to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and serves on the committee's Business Advisory Council. And while everything about the conduct of elections should be open to public scrutiny, Omega is far too secretive. In an interview, Ms. Williams refused to say who would handle military votes, and whether they could engage in partisan politics. "I will not allow the public to invade the privacy of the employees of Omega," she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/03/opinion/03fri2.html

[demnan]

1. That's it

I'm writing a letter to Senator Warner today. This should not be allowed.

[Joanne98]

2. They're privatizing the vote...........

[PA Democrat]

4. Yes and the Republican operative who is the CEO

of the company could very easily alter those votes. There is NO SECURITY.

[seabeyond]

3. if i were military dude i would be more concerned

with harrassment or demotion or whatever if i wanted to vote for kerry. supression of freedom of choice in vote. forget losing my vote, that would be the least of my concern

[DemBones DemBones]

5. No way can this be allowed! These people are nuts!

How much lower can the GOP sink?

[silverweb]

6. How telling.

"I will not allow the public to invade the privacy of the employees of Omega," she said.

She should have just truthfully come out and said, "I will not allow the public to have any right to know a thing about our machinations against them."

[A_Possum]

7. Welp, that's the end of the line

I never thought I'd live to see it. Our entire democracy down the tubes.

[oly]

8. Appears that state voting laws would be broken and the

ballots would be spoiled and not counted. I don't think the idea is real. I guess they want some dem to object to the idea and paint the guy as undemocratic and unpatriotic.

[demnan]

9. My letter to the Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee

Dear Senator Warner:

I was reading today in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/03/opinion/03fri2.html) that the Defense Department is allowing the option for soldiers to vote without having secret ballots. Although the option for absentee ballots still remains I think even having this option for an open ballot is a bad idea. The chief executive of the company that handles it, Omega Technologies, is Patricia Williams, who has donated $6,600 in this election cycle to the National Republican Congressional Committee. I don't think this is an appropriate company to handle ballots that are open.

If anyone deserves to vote, and to have that vote counted confidentially, it is our soldiers. Let them have a say in whether they wish to return their elected officials to office, or not.

[PA Democrat]

10. Good job demnan

I am writing also.

[Supersedeas]

11. Who you voting for there corporal, seaman, airman, private

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. You're either with us or against us

yeah that'll help guys buck the peer pressure of choosing Kerry over Bushler. NOT.

[Cronus Protagonist]

13. The fix is in

No other way to look at it.

Lick Laura's Bush - Drop Bush Not Bombs! - FUCK BUSH
http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[PA Democrat]

14. kick

[DeepModem Mom]

15. kick

[MaineDem]

16. Kick

If this happens Democracy will take a step backwards.

[roseBudd]

17. They are afraid soldiers in Iraq will vote for Kerry

because they want to come home.

rosebud