As discussed on today’s BradCast along with some breaking news today, there is much more than simply voting and hoping for the best for your favorite candidates that you can do — that we need you to do — to help protect democracy this year. [Audio link to full program follows below this summary.]
Among our coverage today…
- Iran launched nearly 200 missiles into Israel on Tuesday in response to Israel’s recent attacks on the leadership of the Iran-sponsored Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Those attacks were in response to a year of Hezbollah rocket attacks over the border into northern Israel beginning the day after Hamas‘ deadly raid in southern Israel one year ago next week. Israel has now vowed retaliation for Iran’s attack today, and Hezbollah vows to continue their own attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, in what U.S. officials and others see as a potential escalation into full-scale regional war, or at least a rekindling of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
- After midnight last night, some 45,000 dockworkers from walked off the job, shutting down ports on the East and Gulf Coasts in the first strike by the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) in nearly 50 years. The workers are demanding what they describe as long-overdue wage increases and contract guarantees against job-killing automation at the nation’s ports. The White House is said to be encouraging a quick resolution between the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents port and shipping companies who’ve seen record profits in recent years. If the stoppage continues for several weeks, it is likely to result in higher retail prices and supply chain shortages again, just weeks before the Presidential election.
- Amid ongoing devastation in six southeastern U.S. States following the monstrous Hurricane Helene — now the second deadliest U.S. storm in the past 50 years — officials at the North Carolina State Board of Elections have begun issuing guidance to voters and local election officials in the most devastated counties in the western part of the state. That support now includes emergency kits described as “election offices in a box” to help local officials register voters and process absentee ballots until Internet and cell service is restored in those communities. More details, for NC voters and election officials alike, is now available via ncsbe.org.
- But it’s not only in storm damaged communities where the public is going to have step up this year help carry off successful elections. In fact, public oversight of our elections is the best and only way to ensure they are free, fair and accurately tabulated in a way that Americans can have confidence in the reported results.
Republicans appear to have finally figured that out this year, as the RNC claims to be recruiting and training tens of thousands of poll workers and watchers. I explain, on today’s program, why I think that’s actually a good thing…presuming they don’t intimidate voters or election officials…and presuming that Democrats, independents and third-party supporters all do the same thing.
We’re joined today by longtime election integrity and protection expert EMILY LEVY, founder and director of Scrutineers.org, to explain how her non-partisan, non-profit organization is helping to train folks like you to be both poll watchers and poll observers, particularly after the close of polls, when tabulation at precincts is formalized and when members of the public can play a key role to help ensure tallies are accurate. These efforts can also prove helpful in disproving false claims of fraud after the election!
“We encourage people to observe the processing and counting of votes,” Levy tells me, in describing some of the group’s training sessions for volunteer observers. While acknowledging that it’s impossible to see inside of tabulation computers, she notes “the processes around it and the output, and what’s done with the output, can be observed. In most places, you don’t need any special authorization.”
“In our training, we talk about what you’ll be able to see when you observe, how to check out what you need to do, what kinds of things to look for and then, also, what to do if you see something that doesn’t seem quite right to you.”
In addition to discussing how Scrutineers works and what they do, we also discuss the unique challenges for many of us longtime election integrity champions in the wake of the past four years or so of Trump’s blatant lies about election fraud and our electoral system.
Please stop by Scrutineers.org for dates on upcoming training sessions that you can participate in from home, anywhere in the country. And thank you in advance for your helping to protect our democracy! We really need you this year!
- Finally, Desi Doyen joins us for a special coverage edition of our Green News Report in the wake of the devastation and tragedy of Hurricane Helene, which — no matter how obscenely longtime climate change deniers like Donald Trump and Florida’s Sen. Rick Scott are now attempting to lie about it — has been perfectly predictable and warned about by scientists for years. That, as Republicans pretend they have no idea how such a monster storm and horrific disaster could have come about…
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