You show up to vote only to discover you're not on the voting rolls.
You show up to vote and are told you need to show ID, or that you have the wrong ID.
You show up to vote and the line is so long you can't wait.
You show up to vote, press the button for your candidate and the machine registers the vote for her opponent.
You show up to vote, you cast your ballot, and your vote isn't counted. Neither are the votes of millions of other duly registered citizens.

Voter disenfranchisement takes these and other forms, and is a huge and growing issue in this country. The integrity of our elections affects all of us. If the focus of your social change work is on another issue, please take a moment to notice whether or not you depend on elected officials or their appointees to achieve any of your goals. If you do, you need the information that will be provided in this session.

Learn about the struggle to make sure that you get to vote AND that your vote is counted as cast. Why are some progressive organizations willing to live with unverifiable "electronic ballots," while experts in the field claim these machines mean death to democracy? What do the firings of U.S. attorneys have to do with election integrity? What's the difference between "voter fraud" and "election fraud?" And what can we do to ensure a true democracy in the U.S.?

Panelists from the election integrity movement will detail the current threats to democracy from the use of "electronic ballot" technology, how these machines are used to disenfranchise voters en masse, and the movement to ensure a tabulated, accessible paper ballot for every voter, including voters with disabilities and minority language voters.

The panel will be moderated by Brad Friedman of The BRAD BLOG (www.bradblog.com).

Additional invited panelists include:
David Cobb, Liberty Tree Foundation for a Democratic Revolution
Bob Fitrakis, Columbus Free Press
Cynthia McKinney, former Congresswoman from GA
Anita Rios, Ohio SEIU, Green Party
Defenders of Democracy, GA
Diane Shamis, Progressive Democrats of America

A unified movement for democracy that encompasses the above issues and more, working together to register voters and perform people's oversight of all parts of the election process (including pollwatching training for pollworkers, monitoring and videotaping election problems, investigating and prosecuting those responsible for interfering with fair and transparent elections) while it simultaneously uses lawsuits and legislation to further its goal of true democracy, can and must bring justice to our election system.

Format: panel discussion followed by question and answer period, followed by group brainstorm about how to further educate the people of the U.S. about the need to act now to ensure democratic elections in the future.

This workshop will be conducted in English. Panelists may provide handouts. There is currently no plan for interpretation.