Pick up your phone and call these numbers. Demand an audit of the vote.
CALL*
- White House switchboard: 202-456-1414.
- Department of Justice: 800-253-3931 (then press option 5) or 202-353-1555.
- Your state senators and local representatives: Get their numbers sent right to your phone by texting your zip code to 520-200-2223.
- For more phone numbers and scripts, look at this call sheet. Useful contact information from it includes:
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Rep.). Local number 502-582-6304; D.C. number is 202-224-2541.
- Current Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Dem.). Local number 775-686-5750; D.C. number is 202-224-3542.
- Incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (Dem.). Local number 518-431-4070; D.C. number is 202-224-6542.
- Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (Rep.). Local number 608-752-4060; D.C. number is 202-225-3031.
- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Dem). Local number 415-556-4862. D.C. number is 202-225-4965.
*Numbers are often busy and when you finally get through, there can be long holds. Have your phone on speaker so that you can do other things while waiting. You also might find that voicemail boxes are full. Don’t be disheartened. It means the officials have had an overwhelming number of calls, which is a positive!
Don’t be lulled into inaction by reports that the DOJ isn’t “tallying” the calls and/or that it won’t initiate an audit “based on the volume of outrage they receive from voters.” Well, duh! I should hope not. Yes, there have been Facebook and Twitter posts incorrectly telling folks that the Justice Department functions like American Idol. But we should want the Justice Department to investigate the way department spokesman David Jacobs described in a statement: “Investigatory decisions are based solely on the facts and evidence as they relate to the federal statutes the department enforces.” It’s the incoming regime that threatens to disregard the law; we should hold onto proper procedure as long as we can.
“AUDIT THE VOTE” SUPPORTERS
That said, you should exercise your First Amendment rights and give any and all government officials a piece of your mind. Pressure them to examine the facts and evidence, rather than sitting on their hands. Let them know you’re watching. You’ll be in good company:
- A group including voting-rights attorney John Bonifaz and J. Alex Halderman, the director of the University of Michigan Center for Computer Security and Society, believes they’ve found persuasive evidence that results in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania may have been manipulated or hacked. (Source: New York Magazine)
- UPDATED TO ADD: Halderman says the New York Magazine story incorrectly represents some of his views, so please read his own words here.
- UC Berkeley statistician Philip Stark and MIT cryptographer Ron Rivest, both advisors on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, say there are good reasons to conduct a “risk-limiting” audit. (Sources: Berkeley News and USA Today.)
EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE
Keep in mind that the suspicion of Russian activity didn’t arise after Nov. 8.
In October, the director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement saying they were confident that the Russian government was trying to interfere in the U.S. election:
“The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations. The recent disclosures of alleged hacked e-mails on sites like DCLeaks.com and WikiLeaks and by the Guccifer 2.0 online persona are consistent with the methods and motivations of Russian-directed efforts. These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process. Such activity is not new to Moscow—the Russians have used similar tactics and techniques across Europe and Eurasia, for example, to influence public opinion there. We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.”
YOU HAVE UNTIL DEC. 19 TO SWAY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
Despite all of this, some friends have asked me, “Why bother? It’s all over. There’s nothing that can be done.” Happily, that is incorrect! It ain’t over the Electoral College votes. As the Atlantic reports in a story that explains the history and function of the Electoral College:
“Donald Trump was not elected on November 8. Under the Constitution, the real election will occur on December 19. That’s when the electors in each state cast their votes.”
There is the possibility of “faithless electors.” The non-partisan, non-profit Fairvote defines faithless electors as “members of the Electoral College who, for whatever reason, do not vote for their party’s designated candidate.” Politico has reported, “At least a half-dozen Democratic electors have signed onto an attempt to block Donald Trump from winning an Electoral College majority, an effort designed not only to deny Trump the presidency but also to undermine the legitimacy of the institution.” It’s an uphill battle, but Politico explains how faithless electors could help change our voting system even if they can’t sway this election.
Have your say by signing this petition to the Electoral College to make Hillary Clinton president in the December 19 vote.
NOTE: This post will be updated with more information. If you have additional phone numbers, addresses, or links to contribute for outreach, please leave them in the comments.