Is Your State Ready For November 4th ?

With a growing concern of a total meltdown of the election system this year, we will be releasing specific details of what we find in our State Election Readiness Survey.

We begin our research today in Nevada. After speaking to a public official from the Nevada Secretary of State office today, we find that Nevada has taken steps to increase the numbers of voting machines and polling places in the state's two largest counties.

Here are the details of those changes as outlined by the Nevada Secretary of State:

Anticipating record turnout, Nevada has increased the number of polling places and voting machines in its two population centers, and has increased opportunitiesfor early voting throughout the state, increasing voter accessibility.

More Polling Locations
Clark County:
2008: 339 Polling Locations
2004: 329 Polling Locations

Washoe County:
2008:  99 Polling Locations
2004:  92 Polling Locations

More Voting Machines
Clark County:
2008:  4,041 Machines
       807,721 Registered Voters
      199 Voters per Machine
2004:  2,895 Machines
      684,313 Registered Voters
     236 Voters per Machine

Washoe County:
2008:  1,327 Machines
      231,470 Registered Voters
      174 Voters per machine
2004:  1,117 Machines
      233,095 Registered Voters
      209 Voters per Machine

Statewide the number of voting machines has increased from 4,913 in the 2004 election to 6,888 for the 2008 election. The increase in machines has reduced the number of voters per machine statewide from 218 voters per machine in 2004
to 174 voters per machine in 2008.

The Brennan Center of Justice, in a state-by-state survey of their own, found that Nevada does need improvement in their preparedness as it relates to contingency plans in the event of an emergency. There is no state mandate requiring counties in Nevada to use emergency paper ballots in the case of machine failure.

The report gave Nevada generally good marks in other areas such as ballot reconciliation and post-election audits. For full details of the Brennan Center of Justice report, click here.

From Inside the Presidential Debate Hall

It's not every day that you have an opportunity to attend a Presidential debate. That's especially true when the venue happens to be your alma mater. 

As you can see in the photos, the town hall debate portion of the gallery was very small. This was all the television audience ever saw. Not only did the televised area occupy a small portion of the stage itself (which was a tiny portion of the arena), it was partially walled off and well separated from the rest of the auditorium. All of the dignitaries, press and ordinary guys like me were kept well back from the debate stage. There were 900-1000 of us located behind Brokaw, none visible to the television audience. 

You probably heard several members of the chattering classes complaining about how cold it was. They weren't lying. The AP writer sitting on my left was actually forced to put on a coat during the middle of the debate, and a magazine publisher to my right brought an extra pair of socks to keep her toes warm. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) warned us in advance of the cool gallery climate. Since 1960 when Richard Nixon complained about the hot overhead lighting, causing him to sweat profusely, the CPD keeps the debate hall temperature in the low 60's.

As for my impressions of the debate itself as I watched it live, John McCain from the beginning looked old and defeated. He often sounded like a candidate who was trying to convince himself of his own answers. When he actually did answer a question, his answers were broken and blurry. He was stiff as a board, and his delivery reminded me of those "Now, Sonny boy..." lectures my great-grandpa used to give me when I was ten years old. Although John McCain repeatedly urged us to believe he wanted to be our friend, those sitting near me didn't buy it. 

Interview With Anti-War Activist Adam Kokesh

Earlier this week, ElectBlue obtained an exclusive interview with anti-war activist and ex-Marine, Adam Kokesh. Although Mr. Kokesh has been a an outspoken member of Iraq Veterans Against The War for some time, he recently gained increased national prominence by staging a very visible protest at the Republican National Convention in St Paul. During the live, prime time broadcast of John McCain's acceptance speech, Kokesh unfurled banners opposing the Iraq war and attacking McCain's record
on veterans' issues. As viewers will recall, he was quickly removed from the Xcel Center by security personnel.

Although ElectBlue disagrees with many of Mr. Kokesh's political views, he is clearly a man with a deep sense of patriotism and a true love of liberty. His devotion to a cause he feels is just has inspired many anti-war activists around the country.

Our interview:

ElectBlue: Tell us a little about your background.

Kokesh: I grew up in California, but consider New Mexico to be my home state. Actually, I was born in San Francisco.

ElectBlue: Did you grow up in a military family??

Kokesh: None of my immediate family was in the military.

ElectBlue: We're you always interested in joining the military or did you consider other career opportunities? 

Kokesh:  No. I was pretty set on being a Marine. I went to Junior Boot Camp when I was 14, and I fell in love with the idea there. I didn’t feel comfortable being an adult male without serving in the military. That was the first thing for me.  That, and putting my life on the line for something I believe in.

ElectBlue:  We understand that you graduated from a Native American preparatory school in New Mexico. Are you Native American?

Kokesh:  Nope. I’m the only white student to ever have attended.

ElectBlue: We know that you consider yourself a Libertarian now.  Did you become a Libertarian while serving in Iraq or were you a Libertarian before that?

Kokesh: I was a Libertarian before going to Iraq, but when I came home I purchased a lifetime membership because I could finally afford it.

ElectBlue:  Did you attend the 2008 Libertarian Convention?

Kokesh: I didn’t attend the Libertarian convention. I listened to most of it on the radio.

ElectBlue: Who are you supporting in this presidential election?

Kokesh:  I don’t know. I have a lot of respect for the other third party candidates. I think what’s important this year is that we show the establishment that there are people who care enough to vote but won’t vote for someone who has the corporate sponsorship.  I’ll say right now that I’m writing in Ron Paul’s name.

ElectBlue: What have you been up to since your appearance at the Republican National Convention earlier this month? Has your life changed now that you’ve been thrown into the national spotlight?

Kokesh:  This isn’t anything too new for me, I guess. It’s cool to come home and have a hundred new Facebook requests!   I’ve been a full-time activist for a year and a half. I’ve been making my presence known as much as possible. It’s been life-changing for me. Now, it’s back to the grind.

ElectBlue: You mention on your blog that you've had some difficulties with the Veterans Administration.  You also noted that after you blogged about the problems you got numerous phone calls from the VA trying to resolve them.  Do you think you’re getting more attention from the Veterans Administration because you’re such a well-known anti-war activist?

Kokesh: Definitely. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case.  Are they getting paid to read my blog?  I took on the Marine Corps [too]. It was a very public case last year. Everybody loves you when you take on McCain because nobody likes him. 

[McCain] really does have a bad record on veterans. My message was straightforward and right on. It’s just a fact. He votes against veterans. It’s a different perspective than what they are trying to put out.

ElectBlue: Did you plan in advance to protest during McCain’s speech at the RNC?

Kokesh:  I decided to do it the morning of. It just happened.

ElectBlue: Did you just walk into the Xcel Center with the signs you were holding?

Kokesh:  Nope. It was 20x50. I folded it up length-wise and duck-taped it to my calf. I was also there the day before for Palin’s speech. I almost disrupted her speech. But that wouldn’t have been as good.

ElectBlue:  What was your goal in making the protest at the RNC?

Kokesh:  One was to piss in McCain’s kool-aid. McCain is a disgrace to veterans.

Also, injecting my message and to challenge the perception that McCain’s a good veteran and good for veterans. Reframing the debate that we can’t win an occupation. I want to poke a hole in that perception too. A lot of patriotic Republicans don’t’ want to see us lose a war. But we’re not fighting a war. We’re in an occupation. They’re too emotionally invested to think about it objectively or think about it themselves.

ElectBlue:  How do you feel about the war in Afghanistan?

Kokesh:  It’s part of the same occupation and the same failed foreign policy. We might have had a better propaganda. We’re not at war. We’re just making a lot of defense contractors rich.

ElectBlue:  Is your position on Iraq closer to Obama's than McCain's then?

Kokesh:  I can’t in good conscious vote for a pro-war candidate. He’s advocating a surge in Afghanistan and sending troops into Pakistan. And he’s not saying anything about this Russia thing. He wants to keep 40,000 US troops in Iraq indefinitely, on permanent bases, with an increased reliance on private contractor mercenaries like Blackwater and a surge in Afghanistan. His wife is a member of CFR [Council on Foreign Relations]. If anything, Obama is more pro-war than McCain. You gotta read the fine print on Obama. It’s pretty scary.

ElectBlue: What are you long-term plans?

Kokesh:  I want to support Libertarian candidates.

ElectBlue:  Do you have any personal political ambitions?

Kokesh: Yes, I want to run for Congress in my home district in New Mexico when I move back.

I’ve decided to give my life to the cause. Right now, I’m working with the Campaign For Liberty - spreading the good word and inspiring people to take action.

ElectBlue: How do you fund your activism?

Kokesh:  I get paid to speak occasionally. I’m not motivated by money at all. I don’t have any qualms about being a broke activist.

Kay Hagan In Her Own Words

We are very pleased to post the following blog, sent exclusively to ElectBlue, by Kay Hagan, Democratic candidate for the US Senate from North Carolina. The seat is currently held by Republican Elizabeth Dole. Ms. Hagan writes:

Thank you for giving me the chance to update all the readers at ElectBlue about our campaign. I hope you will also take this chance and visit my website at www.kayhagan.com to learn more, watch our most recent videos and television ads, and tell your friends about my campaign.

Years from now, we’ll look back on this election – the historic turnout, the enthusiasm, the involvement of people from all walks of life, all ages, all over the country – and we’ll fully understand what we were all a part of in 2008.

There’s a groundswell of optimism here in North Carolina – optimism rooted in the fact that this is finally our chance for change, driving the belief that as tough as things may appear, the momentum is finally on our side.

When somebody asks me why I’m running, I tell them it’s because Washington is broken. Gas prices are nearly $4 a gallon; the opportunity to go to college feels farther out of reach; health care costs are putting pressures on every single family; and our economy is on the brink.

And while things are out of balance because the special interests have too much power in Washington, we’ve been doing things right in North Carolina. As a state senator for the past ten years, we’ve worked to increase teacher pay, raise the minimum wage and in my five years as the Budget Committee chair, we balanced our budget every year. Now that’s a far cry from what’s been going on in Washington.

With all due respect to Elizabeth Dole and her 40 years in Washington, she’s out of touch with North Carolinians and has become a reliable rubberstamp for George Bush, having voted with him 92% of the time. As North Carolinians are struggling to make ends meet, Elizabeth Dole continues as if it’s business as usual.

It’s a way of doing business that puts special interests and their lobbyists before working families in North Carolina; gives billions in tax breaks and incentives to oil companies when we’re paying nearly $4 a gallon; rewards companies who send North Carolina jobs overseas; and that’s built an economy structured around benefitting the big corporations while working families foot the bill.

I’m running for this seat because North Carolinians deserve better than Washington’s broken system, and I know I can level the playing field for middle class families. Thank you for your support!