If Donald Trump ever does leave the White House, we can in large part thank paper ballots.

Trump’s desperate assault on 2020’s popular vote has drawn justifiable contempt. But had this election predominantly been conducted on the computerized touchscreen machines that have dominated our electoral process since Florida in 2000, Trump could well be headed for a stolen second term.

Hand-marked and hand-counted paper ballots have long been at the core of the U.S.’s rising election protection movement. They were largely scorned after the disastrous 2000 campaign, when badly designed “butterfly ballots” and “hanging chads” undermined Florida’s election, giving George W. Bush an Electoral College victory despite losing the nationwide popular vote

High-profile hackers’ mockery of the machines has also helped to damage their credibility. For example, one professor hacked a “secure” touchscreen and got it to play the University of Michigan fight song.

At the December Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon, we discussed a progressive agenda for 2021, both locally and nationally. Many local activists reported on their goals and events for the new year.

Connie Hammond described the work of the Central Ohio Worker Center (COWC) and their victory in having Columbus City Council pass a Wage Theft Ordinance. Their main issue is wage theft and they will hold a seminar on it in February 2021. Their new member orientation will be January 16:

Most Free Press readers are familiar with Ohio House Bill 6, the infamous $1.3 billion electric ratepayer bailout of FirstEnergy’s nukes and coal.  And the bribery and racketeering scam revealed by the FBI last July, implicating FirstEnergy in illegally funneling money to legislators and later into opposition to a signature gathering campaign that would have overturned the bill.

There has been a lot of publicity, anger, and citizen outrage directed at the legislature to repeal House Bill 6 since the scandal broke. Yet the legislature, which took only 96 days to pass the bill, somehow cannot act on repealing House Bill after 145 days—until now.  

Although this is not a milestone that we wished to have reached, we would like to come together to recognize and reflect upon the 900 days that Miriam and her family have spent living in sanctuary. Let’s continue the fight (¡Que siga la lucha!) to ensure that Miriam does not spend a day more in the shackles of sanctuary.

Please join us on Sunday, December 13th at 6:00pm for a Zoom event that will include music, an update from Miriam herself, a call to action, ways to help Miriam and her family, and an hour to spend in the uplifting company of community.

ZOOM LINK for the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84893189981?pwd=RG1MKzJvU3VOYmJNelRMc2pNdXBUZz09

If you would like to help Miriam and her family directly but cannot attend the event:

Please visit our GoFundme and contribute what you can. All donations go directly to Miriam to cover basic needs and legal fees for when she is finally free: https://www.gofundme.com/f/miriam-and-family-at-first-english

Event plan: