PDWV News

PDWV Spotlights Kids on the Election

The Nichols kids, Ruthie, age 9, and Joey, age 8, talk about the 2008 Election and have an exclusive interview with Democratic Candidate for WV Secretary of State, Natalie Tennant.

COMIC BOOK TARGETS VOTER EDUCATION

Local grassroots organization distributes voter education comic books aimed at preventing voter suppression.

 Charleston, W.Va., October 27, 2008 – In response to recent reports of voting problems in local counties, Progressive Democrats of West Virginia is distributing a comic book called “Steal Back Your Vote.”The book is distributed by the organization “No More Stolen Elections!”.Written by Greg Palast and Robert Kennedy, Jr., “Steal Back Your Vote” informs voters about steps they can take to ensure that their vote will be counted in the upcoming general election.PDWV has 2,000 copies available to distribute in counties where issues have been reported with electronic voting machines.PDWV is distributing the books in cooperation with local action groups.

According to Dave Nichols, State Coordinator for PDWV, six West Virginia counties have now reported issues with electronic voting machines.In all cases, the reports have involved votes being switched or replaced giving advantage to Republican candidates.“Voting integrity is not a partisan issue,” says Nichols.“With this comic book, we hope to get information into voter’s hands so that if they experience issues at the polls, they will know what to do to make their voice heard.”

The comic book outlines seven steps voters can take to make sure that their vote is counted.“The advice in the book is really practical,” says local voter advocate and PDWV member Sandy Fisher.“One of the steps [Palast and Kennedy, Jr.] advise is for voters to take advantage of early voting, so they won’t find out on Election Day that they are on a challenge list, when it’s too late to correct the issue.”Fisher also points out that of the approximately 3 million provisional ballots cast in the 2004 general election, over one-third were discarded uncounted.“Voters need to know that they should only accept a provisional ballot as a last resort.”

“No More Stolen Elections!” is a non-partisan campaign committed to voting rights, election reform, and deep democratic change.Initiated by the pro-democracy organization, Liberty Tree, “No More Stolen Elections!” seeks to achieve the reforms promised in the “Voter Bill of Rights.”

Robert Kennedy, Jr. is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone magazine and one of the nation’s leading voting-rights advocates. His Rolling Stone article, “Was the 2004 Election Stolen?” {RS 1002}, was the catalyst for national attention to the issue of vote tampering.Greg Palast, an investigative reporter for BBC, broke the story on illegal voter purges in the state of Florida during the 2000 presidential election.Copies of “Steal Back Your Vote” can be ordered or downloaded from “No More Stolen Elections!” on the web at www.nomorestolenelections.com.

PDWV Announces Annual Conference Dates

Upcoming conference will focus on legislative agenda; provide opportunities for networking.

Charleston, W.Va., October 6, 2008  The Progressive Democrats of West Virginia are pleased to announce the dates and location for our First Annual PDWV State Conference.  The event will be held January 23-24 (Friday-Saturday) at the Flatwoods Conference Center in Flatwoods, WV.  The goals of this conference are to promote networking among progressives from all across the state, establish PDWV's state-specific issues, and to organize and strategize around our legislative agenda for the 2009 West Virginia Legislative session.

The event will begin at 6:00 pm on Friday and continue through 5:00 pm Saturday.  The conference is being held over only two days to help keep expenses down for attendees.

Don't let the shorter time-frame fool you.  There will be several sessions with panel discussions from different legislators, groups and other elected officials.  Details are still being finalized for the event, though one WV State Legislator has already committed to attending with more to come.

An email was sent to everyone on the PDWV mailing list with instructions for responding.  If you are interested in attending but don't receive our email, or if you have any questions or ideas, please send your information to info@pdwv.org.  This initial contact is not considered a commitment to attend the conference, but rather a tool for the conference organizer to use to determine additional space requirements.  Additional information will be provided as details are finalized.

PDWV ENDORSES COAL RIVER MOUNTAIN WIND PROJECT

Proposed wind farm project would provide indefinite source of clean, renewable energy; could initially create up to 200 local jobs.

View of Coal River Mountain from nearby Kayford Mountain, courtesy of Coal River Mountain Watch

Charleston, W.Va., August 14, 2008 - Progressive Democrats of West Virginia recently endorsed the Coal River Mountain Wind Project. The project, proposed by environmental watchdog group Coal River Mountain Watch, would bring a wind farm to Coal River Mountain in Raleigh County, West Virginia.

From the PDWV Blog

PDA In the News