The Oregon VRC Alert (Spring 2006)

April 4-June 8: Highlights from the National Summit to Save Our Elections will be telecast on Channel 21 by Portland Indy Media Center.

May 1-16th: Volunteer as a Citizen Election Observer! (See details below.)

May 20 & 21: Attend the Democracy for America Training Academy featuring Oregon VRC & Secretary of State Bill Bradbury!

June 5: Greg Palast is coming to Portland! He will speak at the First Unitarian Church at 7:00 PM. His presentation will include election issues, including looking ahead to 2008. Go here for details.

The primary election is coming up on May 16th and we're looking for volunteers across the state to observe the voting process in their counties. We need people who will be available weekdays during the 2 weeks before the election, if only for just 1 or 2 hours. This election observation program is important for assuring fair and honest elections. It will also support Oregon VRC's goal of making our election system a model for the rest of the nation. This program will also be in full swing for the general election in November. Observing during the primary election is an excellent way to gain experience and also help us recruit more concerned citizens for this activity.

Coordinator: David H. Jackson (email: jackson3 [at] SpiritOne [dot] com / phone: (503) 246-6827)

Purpose: To engage citizens in democracy by encouraging direct observation of the election process and to contribute to the integrity and improvement of elections through public participation.

Overview: Citizen observers will go to their county election office during the two week primary election period and observe a variety of processes such as machine testing and certification, ballot sorting, handling & counting, signature verification, the interaction of election staff with the public. Citizen observers will then send a written description of their observations and recommendations to the Oregon VRC. Click here for details and click here for a downloadable flyer.

Oregon VRC is looking for volunteers around the state to help with the grassroots election integrity movement.

Volunteer & supporter outreach:
We need a volunteer who can assemble and maintain an email contact list and database for all our supporters. This vital task takes moderate computer abilities and dedication to the details.

Gathering of information on election equipment used in Oregon:
The Oregon VRC has some information from some counties on what equipment they use for their elections but we need to gather and compile detailed information on each county elections office. Equipment includes the manufacturer and model of the scanners and tabulators, the version of software, etc. Additional information that would be useful to attain includes who writes county ballot definition files (BDF's), and whether they have an in-house IT person working with their elections office. We're looking for someone who can help us gather and compile this information. If you're a detail-oriented and/or technical type of person who likes to gather data, this may be just the right the task for you.

Graphic design / website graphics:
If you have skills and abilities in graphic design, in the use of Adobe Illustrator or another vector graphic design program, and you have some time to help in this area, please let us know.

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