Tuesday, December 18, 2007

HAVA: Help Aging Volunteers Activate

My recently widowed grandmother is looking for an election integrity group to volunteer with in the vicinity of Boca Raton, FL. I told her I would put the word out and help her make a connection.

In all fairness, she can be difficult. She is blind in one eye and losing what sight remains in the other (in medical parlance: "she can't see worth spit"). She is not quite deaf, but has trouble hearing. And on a scale from ornery to cantankerous, she's both. I'm just guessing, but I think she'd be good at rallies or protests because she likes to yell.

Since an accurate picture may not necessarily be flattering, and I don't want to distort your first impression, here is an actual image of my grandmother, Edith Berman, at a family function a few years back.



I love that picture. And I'm pretty sure it is popular with others in my family. So it seems like as good a choice as any.

So here's the thing. I have no idea how she might make herself useful to an election integrity group. But she is a human being striving to maintain a sense of vitality in what remains of her life. For all its flaws, the Help America Vote Act is at least on the right track in recognizing that all voters, including those with any kind of handicap or disability, should be able to vote privately and independently. Can the election integrity movement set a similar standard? We would do well to embrace our own HAVA: Helping Aging Volunteers Activate.

I did some preliminary searching but didn't find an election integrity group in Boca Raton, FL. Please leave a comment at We Do Not Consent or e-mail me any referrals. Thanks!

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Posted by Dave Berman - 10:43 PM | Permalink
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Sounds like a wonderful woman! I found these two sites that might be helpful.

We The People for Verifiable Voting Reform
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/1301/?gj=sj5

Florida Fair Elections
http://www.floridafairelections.org/

~P

Posted by Blogger Unknown @ Dec 19, 2007, 9:31:00 AM
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Your granny might check out the South Florida (SoFlo) Raging Grannies, to see if they are a good political/personal fit:
SoFlo Raging Grannies.
If so, they might be able to help her.
Another suggestion -- the Palm Beach County Peace & Justice Coalition might be able to connect her with a helpful group.

Good luck!
P.S. Don't bother visiting my blog -- It's resting uncomfortably, at the moment. (Hoping for more energy in 2008.)
;-)

Posted by Anonymous Anonymous @ Dec 24, 2007, 5:37:00 AM
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Thanks you guys. I have made some contacts for her so we'll see. Hopefully I'll have some stories to tell before too long.

Posted by Blogger Dave Berman @ Dec 31, 2007, 11:06:00 PM
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