November 03, 2006

Volunteers to film polls looking for voting irregularities

"Volunteer videographers plan to be out in force on Election Day to record any irregularities.

The idea is to provide a same-day record of problems that can be broadcast on the Web, rather than go unnoticed or be consigned to reports read days or weeks after the votes have been certified, said Ian Inaba, one of the creators of Video the Vote.

"The ability to put this stuff on video makes it much more accessible and will force, then, the discussion around voting rights in our country," said Inaba, a filmmaker, voting-rights activist and a partner in the Berkeley-based Guerrilla News Network Web site.

Fueled by concerns over the 2000 recount in Florida and irregularities in Ohio's 2004 elections, Video the Vote was created by Inaba, fellow filmmaker John Ennis of Shoot First and James Rucker of ColorOfChange.org.

The group is working in partnership with a number of other organizations, including Common Cause, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and the People for the American Way Foundation.

About 600 people have signed up nationally, with more expected, Inaba said.

Organizers are attempting to head off potential problems by running training sessions and issuing clear guidelines on acceptable behavior. Guidelines emphasize not disrupting the voting process, staying nonpartisan, obeying local election laws and not filming voters without permission."

The story is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at November 3, 2006 02:51 PM