[Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES - Electoral College

[Raj Goel, CISSP]

Before we go tinkering with the electoral college, why don't we tackle 
the real culprit behind voter disenfranchisement - GERYMANDERING.


I happen to see the Electoral College (as the founders did) as a 
check/balance against popular opinion. (if you think popular opinion 
is always right...tell me what you think of POP music! :-) )

OTOH, I can't find a single, good defense for gerrymandering.

In this day & age, why can't we define districts either based on 
geography or population AND update them every decade, after the 
Census...NOT after every election when the winning party gets to 
divide the spoils?



--Raj

Rajesh Goel, CISSP
cell (917) 685-7731
CTO: Brainlink International, Inc.
raj at brainlink.com
www.brainlink.com
www.linkedin.com/in/rajgoel
www.rajgoel.com

You run your business, and leave the IT to us.

Author of "The Most Important Secrets To Getting Great Results From 
IT"


> --- Original message ---
> Subject: Re: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES - 
> Electoral College
> From: Corey Bearak <bearak at me.com>
> To: Kelly Welles <kelly at wellesfinancialservices.com>
> Cc: Michael Steger <msteger at steger-law.com>, Scott M. Bloom 
> <Sbloom at bloomreg.com>, Alexander Suslensky <alex at suslaw.com>, 
> Fredslist Gotham <fredslist at gothamnetworking.com>
> Date: Friday, 09/11/2012  1:07 PM
>
>
> Only tinkering might be to reflect what occurs in most Democratic 
> primaries.  Awards electoral votes based on the districts.  Award 2 
> EVs statewide for the 2 US Senators and then apportion the rest by 
> winner of each congressional district.
> It might prove to be interesting if some political scientists perform 
> an analysis of the last 1/2 dozen election to see how that works.
> The downsize is just as gerrymandering can concentrate voters to 
> diminish the strength of one party by concentrating its registrants in 
> fewer districts and thus maximizing its chances, it could actually 
> cause more voting rights and other issues.  So this alternative would 
> require non-partisan redistricting.
>
>
>
>
>
> Corey B. Bearak, Esq.
> Government & Public Affairs Counsel
> P.O. Box 135, Glen Oaks, NY 11004
> (718) 343-6779 ♦ facsimile (888) 379-3492
> Bearak at me.com ♦ CoreyBearak.com ♦ Bearak on TwitterIf you receive 
> this email and did not request it, please reply and I will kindly 
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>
>
>
>
> On Nov 8, 2012, at 10:46 PM, Kelly Welles 
> <kelly at wellesfinancialservices.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>
> My understanding is the Electoral College is here to stay. For better 
> or worse.
>
> In fact, you can Google the history and get some pretty informative 
> video clips and background. The Electoral College  was established by 
> the Founding Fathers. Nothing partisan about that group. Moreover,
> without it, Al Gore would have been President and Dems would have held 
> sway for 22 years. Gore had
> 500,000 more popular votes than Bush.
>
> Perhaps one of our legal voices will weigh in.
>
>
> Kelly Welles
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Kelly Welles, President
> wellesfinancialservices.com
> Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Accountants
> Specializing in Insurance and Benefits
> 733 Third Avenue @46th St. Suite 200
> New York, NY 10017
> Cell   917-626-8590
> Fax   212-541-5900
> ________________________
> WELLES FINANCIAL SERVICES
> Business & Personal Financial Strategies
>
>
>
>
>
> Kelly Welles is a Registered Representative and Investment Adviser 
> Representative of Equity Services, Inc.,. Securities and investment 
> advisory services are offered solely by Equity Services, Inc., 733 
> Third Ave., Suite 200, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212 986-0400. Member 
> FINRA/SIPC, Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Advisor Affiliate 
> of National Life Insurance Company (NLIC), Montpelier, Vermont. Welles 
> Financial Services is independent of Equity Services, Inc.
>
>
>
>
> From: Scott Bloom <Sbloom at bloomreg.com>
> To: Kelly at wellesfinancialservices.com; msteger at steger-law.com
> Cc: alex at suslaw.com; fredslist at gothamnetworking.com
> Sent: Thursday, November 8, 2012 8:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES
>
>
>
>
> Can we first abolish the Electoral College?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From Scott M. Bloom:
>
> We did not inherit the Earth from our parents...we are borrowing it 
> from our greatgrandchildren...
>
> Bloom Real Estate Group
> Office # 212-342-7444
> Blackberry # 917-327-2109
> www.bloomreg.com
>
>
> Viridian Energy-Go GREEN Wisely
> www.viridian.com/bloom
> www.viridiancares.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: fredslist-bounces at gothamnetworking.com 
> <fredslist-bounces at gothamnetworking.com>
> To: Michael Steger <msteger at steger-law.com>
> CC: 'Alexander Suslensky' <alex at suslaw.com>; fredslist 
> <fredslist at gothamnetworking.com>
> Sent: Thu Nov 08 10:14:13 2012
> Subject: Re: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES
>
> Mike,
>
> Thanks for this up-close, personal and disturbing account of Truth in 
> Voting. Isn't this travesty worthy  of the Supreme Court? Once Obama 
> puts another judge or two on the court? It is a patent violation of a 
> sacred American citizen's right and voter manipulation that rivals 
> gerrymandering in another guise.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Kelly Welles
> Chair, Diversity
>
>
> Kelly Welles, President
> wellesfinancialservices.com
> Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Accountants
> Specializing in Insurance and Benefits
> 733 Third Avenue @46th St. Suite 200
> New York, NY 10017
> Cell   917-626-8590
> ________________________
> WELLES FINANCIAL SERVICES
> Business & Personal Financial Strategies
>
>
> Kelly Welles is a Registered Representative and Investment Adviser 
> Representative of Equity Services, Inc.,. Securities and investment 
> advisory services are offered solely by Equity Services, Inc., 733 
> Third Ave., Suite 200, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212 986-0400. Member  
> FINRA/SIPC, Broker/Dealer and Registered Investment Advisor Affiliate 
> of National Life Insurance Company (NLIC), Montpelier, Vermont. Welles 
> Financial Services is independent of Equity Services, Inc.
>
> From: Michael Steger <msteger at steger-law.com>
> To: 'Alexander Suslensky' <alex at suslaw.com>; "'Raj Goel, CISSP'" 
> <raj at brainlink.com>; fredslist at gothamnetworking.com
> Sent: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 5:32 PM
> Subject: RE: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES
>
>
> I agree with Alex.  I spent yesterday in Philadelphia trying to ensure 
> that all eligible voters could vote and that no one who was eligible 
> (and registered) was turned away, especially in light of the current 
> state of the somewhat-suspended new Pennsylvania voter ID law.  What I 
> observed, in a ward that overwhelmingly voted for one party and where 
> all of the election officials and poll watchers were from that same 
> party, was significant voter  confusion, a lack knowledge of what the 
> current law required among the election officials and poll workers, 
> and substantial frustration among voters, many of whom were forced to 
> cast provisional ballots (which may or may not be counted).  A number 
> of citizens only cast provisional ballots after I informed them of 
> their right to do so or asked election officials to provide them with 
> one, this even though the election officials are supposed to offer 
> provisional ballots under multiple circumstances – all of this where 
> the election officials were supplied by the party whom 90% of the 
> voters were supporting.  I can only imagine how much voter 
> disenfranchisement there will be at the next Pennsylvania election, 
> when the voter ID law is fully enforced and there may be organized 
> efforts to challenge voters.
>
> I cannot fathom any legitimate reason why this country makes it harder 
> to vote than to buy a gun.  We should focus  on ways to bring more 
> citizens into the voting booth (vote by mail, weekend/early voting, 
> etc.) rather than keeping them out by forcing them to show ID, stand 
> in line for hours on a workday, having too few polling places/voting 
> machines, etc.
>
> Mike Steger
>
> Law Offices of Michael D. Steger, PC
> 1325 Sixth Avenue, 27th Floor
> New York, NY  10019
> (212) 956-9393
>
> 30 Ramland Road, Suite 201
> Orangeburg, NY  10962
> (845) 359-4600
> (845) 689-2155 (fax)
> msteger at steger-law.com
> http://www.steger-law.com/
> http://www.mistercopyright.net/
> Licensed in New York, California, Virginia and the District of 
> Columbia
>
>
> From: Alexander Suslensky [mailto:alex at suslaw.com]
> Sent:  Wednesday, November 07, 2012 11:49 AM
> To: Raj Goel, CISSP; fredslist at gothamnetworking.com
> Subject: RE: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES
>
> Raj,
>
> The last time I checked, we had a volunteer military.  So, I don’t 
> understand your analogy.  I have the privilege of knowing many young 
> and not-so-young men and women serving in our military and all of them 
> volunteer to risk their lives because they love our country.
>
> We shouldn’t have to suffer to experience voting in a “communal” 
> atmosphere.  If you want to experience the “communal” feelings of 
> politics, go to a campaign rally.  The goal for elections should be to 
> maximize voter participation.  Making voting more convenient, secure 
> and efficient improves democracy.
>
> Alex
>
>
> Alexander Suslensky
>
> Law Firm of Alexander Suslensky, P.C.
>
> 120 East 37th Street
> New York, New York 10016
> Tel. (212)  929-7333
> Fax (212) 929-7102
>
> Alex at suslaw.com
> http://www.suslaw.com/
>
> ***************************************
> U.S. Treasury Circular 230 Notice: Any U.S. federal tax advice 
> included in this communication was not intended or written to be used, 
> and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding U.S. federal tax 
> penalties.
> ***************************************
>
> This e-mail contains information that is confidential, may be 
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> Unauthorized use, dissemination or reproduction of this message is 
> strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.
>
> From: Raj Goel, CISSP [mailto:raj at brainlink.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 11:37 PM
> To: Alexander Suslensky; fredslist at gothamnetworking.com
> Subject: RE: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES
>
> I disagree with voting from our arm chairs.
>
> There's a communal aspect to voting, a social aspect and quite 
> frankly, if we ask or demand that YOUNG MEN & WOMEN FIGHT AND DIE 
> OVERSEAS, than the least we can do, is get off our rears and vote in 
> public.
>
> Besides, we've already seen what voting from our arm chairs brings.
>
> It's called Reality TV, Survivor and internet flame wars.
>
> -- Raj
>
> 917-685-7731
> Raj at brainlink.com
> Alexander Suslensky <alex at suslaw.com> wrote:
> At the risk of making some part of government actually efficient and 
> user-friendly, why can’t we just vote on the internet from the 
> comfort of our homes or offices?  If I can press  a button at my 
> office and wire transfer millions of dollars, why can’t I vote the 
> same way?  For those not fortunate enough to own a computer, polling 
> stations could still exist with computers and – just guessing here 
> – no lines!
>
>
> Alexander Suslensky
>
> Law Firm of Alexander Suslensky, P.C.
>
> 120 East 37th Street
> New York, New York 10016
> Tel. (212) 929-7333
> Fax (212) 929-7102
>
> Alex at suslaw.com
> http://www.suslaw.com/
>
> ***************************************
> U.S. Treasury Circular 230 Notice: Any U.S. federal tax advice 
> included in this communication was not intended or written to be used, 
> and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding U.S. federal tax 
> penalties.
> ***************************************
>
> This e-mail contains information that is confidential, may be 
> protected by the attorney/client or other applicable privileges,  and 
> may constitute non-public information. It is intended to be conveyed 
> only to the designated recipient(s). If you are not an intended 
> recipient of this e-mail, please notify the sender at (212) 929-7333. 
> Unauthorized use, dissemination or reproduction of this message is 
> strictly prohibited and may be unlawful.
>
> From: Howard Lipset [mailto:lipset at progressivemanage.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2012 11:58 AM
> To: Susan Zinder
> Cc: fredslist at gothamnetworking.com
> Subject: Re: [Fredslist] ODE TO OUR MISSING VOTING MACHINES
>
> I had this conversation this morning when I was on line waiting to 
> sign the register.
> The problem at my voting place in Port Washington was they had no 
> power, and their generators had to restart.
> I was number 82 in my AD to vote but I was the first that the scanner 
> actually worked  for.
> I was having mental difficulties about whether I actually wanted to 
> drop it in a sealed box for them to scan later.
> Further, my ballot had a number on it that corresponded to a number in 
> the book that I signed.
> Someone could actually work out not only who I voted for, but who  I 
> am.
> So much for secret ballots
> I really prefer the old levers.
> On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 10:41 AM, Susan Zinder <sfzinder at aol.com> 
> wrote:
> Gotham – I voted – have you?????
>
> So... This morning at 9:00 am I went and stood on one line to get 
> inside the polling place, another to get to the election district and 
> a third to scan in my ballot -- -  Took a half hour and was more 
> chaotic than I had ever seen it (2 of the 4 ballot scanners for over 
> 10 election districts were broken)
>
> I know I'm generally thought of as "liberal"  but when it comes to the 
> subject of voting machines - - I'm not liberal, I'm not conservative, 
> I'm  downright reactionary!!!
>
> I MISS THE VOTING MACHINES!!!!!!  You went in to the polling place, 
> the line at the election district was shorter - there were 2 machines 
> dedicated to the district -(not 4 scanners for 20 districts) - - 
> Signed in at the election district (noticed that my original signature 
> was legible and 25 years into legal practice my signature has just 
> become illegible - -oiy I'm getting old!)
>
> Oh - - look – that dad just took his son into the booth with him.
>
> Then.... You walked into the voting booth - and booth it was not a 
> table with metal on the sides to keep you from cheating on the exam, 
> where there's no room to bring your child once their out of the sling 
> or baby bjorn.  Heavy plastic curtains (oiy - they needed to be 
> cleaned, but that only meant that they had seen a lot of voting over 
> the years) You weren't filling in an SAT, PSAT or LSAT form - but you 
> went into a booth with the candidates identified in  front of you and 
> next to levers, levers and more levers.
>
> You took the big lever and pulled it to the right - - grrrrr - - it 
> said I"m now ready to accept your vote - - and you voted - - - you 
> didn't fill in blank ovals, you didn't press out chads - - you pressed 
> the levers down - - physical, click was the sound - then you looked - 
> did I press the correct levers?   Did I do it right - - wait, let me 
> read that proposal, wait - I know I end up voting down a party line 
> but that guy is on both party lines, for him I'll be bipartisan 
> (unpress one lever, press the other)
>
> Then check again - - did I do it right?  Hmmm.
>
> Oh, remember when I went into the voting booth with mom?  Fun mother  
> - daughter time.... OK, I'm taking too long here, want to leave time 
> for my neighbors....
>
> Time to pull the lever at the bottom from the right to the left.  Such 
> a big lever -  so satisfying!  And the sound  - it tells me - YOU HAVE 
> VOTED CITIZEN ZINDER!!!! YEA FOR YOU!!!
>
> Now… no sound, no acknowledgement, no receipt (at least when I scan 
> my check in at the atm, they give me a picture of it) - - not really 
> sure I should trust the guy who coded the scanner.
>
> But… I still voted, and hope for the best for the country. So…. No 
> more YEAs for me - -  It should only be yea for the country!!!
>
> Susan
>
> Susan Zinder
>
> Law Offices of Susan F. Zinder, PLLC.
> 1140 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor
> New York, New York 10036
>
> (o) 646-380-6715
> (c) 917-370-3369
> szinder at zinderlaw.com
>
> http://www.zinderlaw.com/
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> --
> Howard Lipset
> Progressive Management Inc
> 18 Longwood Road
> Port Washington, NY  11050-1260
> ofc 516 883 2962
> fax 207 433 2771
>
>
>
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