From: Chellie Pingree, CEO Common Cause [mailto:causenet@commoncause.org]
Sent: Thu 10/28/2004 6:46 PM
To: Zayas, Carmen D
Subject: Your Impact on November 2

Dear carmen ,

We want to share with you two of the latest election news reports coming out of Florida in the last 24 hours.  Just yesterday, reports emerged from Broward County, Florida that U. S. Postal Inspectors were trying to find thousands of missing absentee ballots <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599751603085839714255>   that should have been delivered to voters in one of Florida's most populous counties.  We read in The Washington Post this morning <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599752603085839714255>   that Broward County officials are now planning to replace 20,000 of those missing ballots.

And, here is the key reason why those officials from Broward County moved so quickly to address this potentially dire situation:

With voters jamming phone lines saying they haven't received absentee ballots in the mail, elections officials planned to mail out thousands of replacement ballots.

Those are your phone calls, which prompted the action by Florida election officials.   So far, through our alert line at 1-866-MYVOTE1, we have already received more than 28,000 phone calls - roughly 2,000 from Broward County alone!  Our voter alert line is transferring most of those calls directly to local election officials.

You can see how your actions to protect the integrity of our election process are having a direct impact on our voting system in key states.  Let's stay vigilant and keep the pressure on so that we can see more stories like these telling how election officials are taking measures to address voter concerns.

We sent you an e-mail two days ago, requesting your support to help equip our three war rooms <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599754603085839714255>   in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. with additional legal and communications staff and logistical capabilities so that we are totally prepared for Election Day:

www.commoncause.org/fight2000repeat <http://www.commoncause.org/fight2000repeat>

Your response <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599755603085839714255>   has been amazing!   We have already raised more than $30,000 in less than 48 hours!  We need your continued support now so that we can finance additional logistical requirements.  We have to manage in a rapid response manner the overwhelming volume of press inquiries we have been receiving on our Election Day activities, and the crush of calls flooding our voter alert line.  In fact, the press interest in our preparation for Election Day is so high that we are going to have international election observers visiting the war rooms in Philadelphia.  This is why we need your support to help us be fully prepared for Election Day.  Can you help us raise another $15,000 in the next 24 hours for our work on November 2?

www.commoncause.org/fight2000repeat <http://www.commoncause.org/fight2000repeat>   

Your actions are already making a clear difference in this election, so let's stay at it.   Please share this e-mail <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599756603085839714255>   with all of your friends and family, who are just as anxious about the integrity of our voting process on Election Day.

We have less than five days to go.  During that time, we will be tracking on our blog major news stories <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599757603085839714255>   from all the key battleground states dealing with voter intimidation, voting irregularities, and other serious potential problems at polling places.  If you hear of any election-related issues and stories, or would just like to share your personal experience with voting, please make sure to post those stories on our blog <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6599758603085839714255>   or e-mail them to us at elections@commoncause.org.

Thanks again for all the work you're doing and your commitment to Common Cause.

Sincerely,

Chellie Pingree
CEO & President, Common Cause