ATLANTA, GA – Two leaders of elections watchdog groups, John Fortuin and Garland Favorito, called for former Secretary of State Karen Handel to withdraw her gubernatorial bid on the grounds of a lack of ethical conduct during her tenure as Secretary of State. The leaders also challenged state and local news media to investigate ethics questions for all candidates.

The charges of inappropriate ethics included evidence that:

• She took tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from individuals directly connected to the voting machine vendor lobbyist, Massey and Bowers;

• She reversed her position on Georgia’s unverifiable voting machines after accepting the contributions;

• She allowed a voting machine vendor lobbyist to have undue influence and control over the Secretary of State office by appointing a partner of the lobbying firm as her deputy;

• She conducted politically motivated investigations cited in many of the 60 impeachment articles filed in the General Assembly against her Inspector General, Shawn LaGrua;

John Fortuin, videographer of 6 years of State Election Board meetings, elaborated: “We believe there is clear evidence that the Secretary of State office has been an epicenter of political corruption for 8 years. Just like her predecessor Cathy Cox, Karen Handel has gotten a free pass from the media on ethics questions. Although the improprieties cited have been well documented for months and even years in some cases, only a couple of news media outlets have carried stories about them.”

To illustrate the point the leaders cited the Lowndes County State Election Board case 2008-00133. They contend that the impeachment articles and supporting documents clearly indicate that a voting machine technician was framed to cover-up violations committed by an elections supervisor who was an acquaintance of Karen Handel.

The HR1714 articles of impeachment filed by the General Assembly can be found at: http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/fulltext/hr1714.htm.

Documents concerning the Lowndes Co. State Election Board case can be found at http://www.voterga.org/more/index.cfm?Fuseaction=more_15727

The raw video is posted here so you can make up your own mind on what the outcome should have been. 

US Senate Candidate Vic Rawl's Election Protest - Part 1 from EyeOnGeorgia on Vimeo.  Click here for more viewing options.

See the amazing lineup of expert witnesses to this South Carolina Democratic Primary FIASCO. Watch all the parts and then tell me, what were the Executive Committee members thinking when they voted as they did. Did this testimony go over their heads?

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp has slapped the wrists of Douglas County election officials who committed felonies, thus preventing a full investigation and trial into their illegal practices.

Brian Kemp follows in the footsteps of his crooked predecessors Karen Handel and Cathy Cox and lets his Douglas County cronies walk away from a major fraud case. Kemp and the State Election Board fail to refer the case to an administrative law judge for a full hearing, and despite public protest, the Douglas County Officials remain free to rig the 2010 election.

While this incident is outrageous in and of itself, it is actually symptomatic of the regulatory capture of the State Election Board (SEB) by the major political parties, in this case the Republican party. The major political parties have used this SEB as their "get out of jail free card" for their partisan operatives who have their hand caught in the cookie jar (or the ballot box and it's virtual counterpart, the Elections Results Server).  The video is the raw testimony given on 6/09/2010, unedited.

Kemp Slaps Wrist of Felonious Election Official from EyeOnGeorgia on Vimeo. Click here for more viewing options.

See the below sites for more info:

http://politicalvine.com/politicalrumors/law-and-justice/the-railroading-of-laura-gallegos/

http://www.voterga.org/more/index.cfm?Fuseaction=more_15727

For Georgia Voters:  Click Here To Find Your Polling Place 

Georgia & Nationwide:
Report Election Problems at 1-866-OUR-VOTE

If you experience problems trying to vote, or your polling place is experiencing problems, (not opening on time, voting machine failures,  voters are being turned away from the polling place, etc.) call 1-866-OUR-VOTE

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The Georgia Secretary of State office has flagged tens of thousands of voter registrations as invalid by challenging the Photo ID and Social Security identity information on record.

We urge all voters to confirm the status of their voter registration or the status of their Paper Absentee Ballots and Absentee Ballot Requests by clicking here to visit the Poll Locator tool provided at the Georgia Secretary of State web site.  If you have questions or problems with the information presented there you should contact your County Registrar's office immediately.

Our allies at VoterGA.org have been preparing for two years for the hearing that Judge Michael D. Johnson will preside over on Monday Sept. 8 at 2:30pm in Fulton County Superior Court, in Room 8B at 185 Central Ave, downtown Atlanta, approximately two blocks south of the Underground Atlanta and the Five Points Marta station. 

We need you there to show support for our fair elections case in court, and to prevent the powerful electronic voting lobby from applying pressure to the judge to dismiss this case, despite the evidence favoring a judgment in VoterGA's favor to declare electronic voting unconstitutional.

The VoterGa.org suit can benefit all nine million current and future Georgia voters. It contends that our current electronic voting method is illegal and unconstitutional according to state law.  A review of the case's legal arguments includes astonishing facts regarding our voting machines' machine inaccuracy, recount-ability, improper certification, and lack of  ballot secrecy, as well as Georgia's illegal acquisition of these machines.   Constitutional challenges include counts regarding the legitimacy of an “electronic ballot”, people's participation in elections, equal protection, and due process. 

Please consider taking some time off from work Monday to bear witness to this historic occasion and show support for fair elections.  There are 72 seats to be filled in this courtroom and we need to fill them all!  Badges of support will be available at the entrance to the courtroom. 

Please send this message to your email lists, and to anyone who believes democracy is a core American value that is worth defending.   Thank you,

John Fortuin
404.438.2389
Defenders of Democracy