Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 October 2004 — Page 8

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2004

RIGHT

► Continued from Page 1 and have yet to receive your voter registration card, political officials say proceed to the polls anyway. Upon arrival at the poll, you must check in with the clerk to verify your information by signingthe poll book. If your name is not in the poll book does not mean you can not vote. Ifyou feel that you are a registered voter but your name is absent in the poll book, as a voter you may file a provisional ballot A provisional ballot allows a citizen to cast a vote. The vote will not be counted until the day after election, after the county board decides if the vote will be valid. “We have attorneys for the Indiana! Civil Liberties Union working with OBV who we will send out to the polls if there is a problem,” said OBV coordinator Cordelia Lewis-Burks. “We will have volunteers with twoway radios, who can call the problems into the office.” “When you go, know your voting

rights,” Porter said. “At every precinct should be a voters right poster hanging, please read that if you have any problems.” If you are registered and have signed the poll book, proceed to the voting booth, where you may cast your ballot in private. In the voting booth are instructions on how to select your candidates. The ballot is set up in three columns, one per political party. For those interested in selecting all candidates for one party, you may fill in the circle for that particular political party. But if you want to split ticket, and vote for persons of two separate parties you must select every candidate you are voting for individually. Once you have selected your candidates, move on to the Optical Scan voting machine to cast your vote, the vote will be tabulated as it goes through the machine. If there is a problem with your ballot, the machine will beep.

'There are people out here to assist voters,” Porter said. “Operation Big Vote, will assist with anyone who has questions, problemsorjustneeds a ride to the polls.” OBV, a non-partisan national organization, is out to increase the Af-rican-American turnout at the polls. This year, the program will offer transportation to those who need rides to their precinct Voters may call for a ride to their precinct all the way up to Tuesday. OBV will assist voters with finding out if they are registered voters and where to vote. If you would like to contact OBV to schedule a ride to the polls or have a questions call (31?) 924-5482. All Indianapolis will beopenfrom 6 am. to 6 p.m. For information on yourpoUingplace contact theMarion County Election Board at (317) 3275100 or local party headquarters or the Indianapolis League of Women Voters.

Powell nudges China

International Herald Tribune Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that China had agreed to discuss the American request for a new dialogue over the jailing of Chinese citizens and other human rights violations, possibly restoring a process that broke off this year because of Chinese objections to American criticism of its practices. Powell also said thathehad sought to encourage China to have a dialogue with Taiwan and to resolve its differences with Taiwanese leaders. But on this subject, Chinese leaders responded negatively, giving Powell what an aide said was “an earful” of criticism over the American military aid to the Taiwan government The official news agency' of China reported that President Hu Jintao had told Powell that it was in the common interest of China and the United States to oppose Taiwan’s independence. Speakingto reporters afteramoming of meetings with Chinese top leaders, Powell said the agreement to discuss a possible resumption of the human rights dialogue came as he again expressed to China’s foreign minister, Li ZhaoxinnAmerica’scon-

cem about the arrest of a research assistant working for The New' York Times. As he had after meeting with Li on Oct 1, Powell said the Chinese foreign minister would Took into the matter” but that the research assistant Zhao Yan, was being dealt with according to Chinese law. “We did have a pretty candid exchange on the subject” Powell said. Senior State Department officials said after Powell’s comments that they viewed Zhao’s arrest as an illustration of the general problem of the lack of rule of law in China, where dissenters and others are often seized and punished without due process, and that this should be the subject of broad Chinese-American talks. A senior official said the Chinese had improved their human rights record two years ago, but then lapsed last year into the practice of arresting people without regard to their legal rights. Earlier this year, the United States introduced a resolution criticizing China at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Powell said in Beijing that he had told Chinese leaders that China had been “moving backward” on human

rights “with respect to detention of journalists, with respect to other individuals w'ho have not been able to move out as freely and participate in civil society as freely as we would like to see.” He said that for the last year, the United States and China had thus not spoken with each other about this issue “as openly and candidly as we should.” On Taiwan, American officials have recently been saying that despite the well-publicized focus over the last year on China’s help in holding negotiations with North Korea on its nuclear program, Chinese leaders had become increasingly vocal about American support for the Taipei government Despite American support for Beijing’s position thatTaiwan is part of China, successive American administrations have given it military aid to defend itself against attack. President Bush’s comment in 2001 that the United States would do “whatever it took” to help Taiwan defend itself was a major source of irritation with Beijing, and since then China has objected to the sales of destroyers, submarines, air-to-air missiles and reconnaissance aircraft.

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hank You! •‘T v ^ ‘ . ■ *« ■ „ *. . . '/fyf /•.. • , •*

My name is Bill Crawford, State Representative, and I want to personally thank each of you who have voted for me in the past and ask that you vote for me on Tuesday, November 2nd. The best way to vote for me is Vote Democrat by filling in the

Democrat oval on your Election Day ballot

By voting for the Democratic Straight Party Ticket you will make sure that Democrats maintain the advantage needed to bring you the good government and the quality of life you expect.

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BY VOTING STRAIGHT DEMOCRAT YOU WILL.. • Keep Evan Kayh in the U. S. Senate •Julia (arson in Congress • Governor Joe Kernan and Kathy Davis in the State House • Billie Breaux and Glenn Howard in the State Senate • Jeh Bardon, John Day, Mae Dickinson, Greg Porter, Ed Mahern, Carolene Mays, David Orcntlicher, Vanessa Stunniers and myself, Bill Crawford in the House of Representatives. • f inally hy voting democrat you will elect Ken Ackles, Coroner; Mike Rodman, T reasurer, and Mary Catherine Barton, Surveyor.

Now more than ever, your vote is needed on Tuesday, November 2nd. r ote Democrat, Vote Early, Vote Democrat to Empower Our Community.

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Authorized and paid for by The committee to reeiect Bill Crawford, Bill Crawford. Treasurer.