So the Tim Robbins election drama continues on.. Robbins has now written a somewhat scathing letter to Gregory C. Soumas at the Board of Elections:

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Mr. Gregory C. Soumas
Board of Elections in the City of New York
Executive Office
32 Broadway
New York, NY 10004-1609

November 17, 2008

Dear Mr. Soumas:

I would like to publicly apologize for being such a dim-witted dilettante on Election Day. I was under the naïve assumption that I could vote where I voted in the last two elections. Your thoughtful letter pointed out that if I had voted in the recent primary election in September I would have discovered that I was no longer registered in the polling place I have voted in since 2004. Considering your position at the Board of Elections and your deep respect for the democratic process I must assume that my local 14th St. poll worker, Betty J. Williamson’s assertion that my name was on the active voter rolls for the primary in September of this year was erroneous and that she must be as confused and wrongheaded as I am.

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by Michael Chernis

I am neither a registered Democrat nor Republican, but rather an Independent who has voted in every Presidential election since I first was eligible in 1988.  I actually voted for a Bush for President once, though not the one who got in as a legacy.  I give this disclaimer to show that I try to think for myself and am not a dogmatic follower of either major political party, both of which I fear are run by corrupt and extreme elements that are out of touch with the mainstream, in hopes that maybe you may give what I have to say some consideration and not write me off as a “Liberal” whatever that means.

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The media continues to report about a potential Bradley effect (named after Los Angeles’ former mayor Tom Bradley who was ahead in the polls but lost the election. Pundits attribute it to white voters being afraid of publicly admitting their fear of voting for a black person, hence the difference between the polls and the outcome).  However, during this extremely long election, every state has already had a primary which has allowed millions of voters of all races to support Barack Obama. There was no Bradley effect in the primaries so why is the mainstream media hyping up this story?

The real concern for voters should be election fraud and problems at the polls. Evidence of voting problems already are rampant. Oprah already experienced problems at her voting booth. If there’s one person who shouldn’t experience voting problems, it’s the most powerful media woman in America.  There’s already video documentation of voting flipping in West Virginia and Texas, Missouri and Tennessee from Obama to McCain or Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney.

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Yes, I’m a bit obsessed with raising awareness about election fraud. I hope this doesn’t bore those of you who’ve never had your vote challenged or experienced any poll booth problems. However, perhaps you are one of thousands of people living in a swing state that has or might experience voter suppression and intimidation tactics. All of this brings me to Tuesday’s election, which is a wonderful opportunity to exercise your right to vote but also the day that plenty of dubious attempts will be made to suppress people’s right to vote. Who can forget election day 2000? Or 2004? Does anyone want a repeat of those dark days which unleashed the Bush fury on the world, twice?! (Even Republicans are finally tired of Bush; check out his “approval” ratings. How can a repeat of previous elections’ voter fraud madness be prevented? Voter protection! You, the voter, need to help to prevent voter disenfranchisement and election fraud.

If you experience or witness any suspicious activities, are denied the right to vote or have any voter questions, takepart and contact 1-866-OUR-VOTE or 866ourvote.org and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota for Spanish.

Last night I was chatting with some friends about the recent conviction of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens on seven counts of violating ethics charges. All counts are felony charges. In Alaska, a felon is not allowed to cast a ballot. So I started to wonder, will Ted Stevens, in his determination to continue his campaign for re-election despite the conviction, even be allowed to vote for himself?

I came across this great post on Huffington Post by Shayana Kadidal, which breaks down the specifics of the Alaska law to try to figure out whether or not Stevens will be entering a voting booth on Tuesday. As of yesterday, according to the AP, the jury was still out. But two hours ago, Slate posted this story, reporting that:

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Election day is fast approaching which means voters need to protect themselves against voter fraud, election theft and other threats to election integrity. After the documented disenfranchisement of voters in 2000 and 2004, organizations nationwide are tirelessly working to protect against this in 2008. To ensure fair elections, these election protection groups need to hear from voters who are disenfranchised or have problems at their voting booths.

According to FairVote, voters in the largest counties in 10 key swing states may experience problems on Election Day because of insufficient preparation and inadequate poll booth and machine allocation plans. And, Mother Jones magazine’s online map documents threats to fair elections.  While this is scary and intimidating, it also means that you, the voter, need to be informed and prepared to protect your right to vote on November 4th. I’ve compiled a few resources that are extremely important and useful to voters nationwide.

Know Your Rights as a Voter (a handy sheet that fits in your wallet):

Election Protection Wiki (brought to you by the Center for Media and Democracy. This fabulous Wiki site is a hub for citizens, activists and researchers to document voter suppression):

takepart If you have any questions or problems now or on election day, visit http://www.866ourvote.org/ or call 1-866-OUR-VOTE and 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota for Spanish.

Commonwealth of Virginia

The Virginia NAACP has sued the Commonwealth of Virginia and its Governor Tim Kaine over fears of a lack of preparation for the upcoming election. The suit alleges that with a record voter turnout predicted for the November 4th Presidential election, the state has not provided enough polling locations for residents to cast their votes. The state chapter of the NAACP contended that the lack of polling places, particularly in districts with large African American populations, who are expected to come out in full force this year, violates the Virginia state Constitution, the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The lawsuit asks the judge to rule for more voting machines in Virginia precincts in order to cut waiting times down to less than 45 minutes for voters, and should the wait exceed 45 minutes, for the passing out of paper ballots for those in line to cast their votes with. It also asks for an extension in the voting day, pushing the poll closing time back to 9:00PM from its current time of 7:00PM.

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Awesome!

takepart and get all of your voting info at GoVote.org

The first election I voted in was Gore/Bush in 2000. Needless to say it was a rude awakening to voting and politics in this country (I actually worked quite hard on the Gore campaign).   After that election I put my political dreams on hold (I wanted to run campaigns), and like the man I voted for, I decided that my energy would be better spent other projects that could help change the world - and thus turned to the cinema.

It is with that history that I am super excited for my little brother who will be voting in his first election this year - what an amazing first election to vote in!!   And even though I firmly believe the election is too far away to get excited by the current polls, I do have some hope that my brother’s first vote will end with a happier result than mine did.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Several topics really stood out this week, including the Oscars as social advocacy inspiration, civil rights and Black History Month, and lots of hot news on entertainment going Green. Check out our most popular posts of the week on these subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Happy Belated “Freedom to Marry” Week!

Rosa and Raymond Parks: Valiant Valentine #5

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Nicole:

Top 10 Oscar Picks to Inspire Social Action

Cornel West: Black Thoughts On Black History Month

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Giulia:

H&M’s “Fashion Against AIDS”

Ed Begley Jr. Goes Green

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Gina:

Top 10 Best Picture Winners That Inspire

Remixing “Chicago 10″

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Kerry:

How To Set the World On Fire Without Burning Out

Eco-Brokers Cater to Green Homebuyers