Uncounted Tonight at the Belcourt

Posted by Mary Mancini on February 4, 2008 under Uncategorized |

This morning we interviewed Filmmaker David Earnhardt, who is bringing his election integrity opus, Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections, to the Belcourt Theatre tonight at 6:30 and 9:00 PM.

This feature length documentary tells the story of this systemic threat to our democracy powerfully and thoroughly by examining in factual, logical, and startling terms how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity across the U.S.. And let me tell you, it is easy.

UNCOUNTED is showing tonight - the night before Super Tuesday - on purpose. The date was chosen as a symbolic reminder that each of us must be vigilant in protecting our right to vote, which is the cornerstone of our democracy.

And although you think it might be depressing, it’s not. It’s also an uplifting story of a small group of whistleblowers who transform the movie from an overwhelming and frustrating indictment of our election system into an uplifting story of American patriots hell-bent on doing the right thing. These men - computer programmer Clint Curtis, who is directed by his boss to create software that will “flip” votes from one candidate to another, Utah, County Clerk Bruce Funk, who is locked out of his office for raising questions about security flaws in electronic voting machines, and Californian Steve Heller, who gets convicted of a felony after he leaks secret documents detailing illegal activities committed by a major voting machine company - embody what’s best about our country.

U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, who will join Filmmaker, David Earnhardt, and Tribune Media Services Journalist, Bob Koehler, for a panel discussion following the 6:30 PM screening, says it best, “If you don’t know that your vote is counted, and counted fairly, then we have no democracy. It becomes rule by a small group of elite insiders who manipulate what looks like a democracy for their own advantage.”

Watch the Trailer.

Listen to our interview with David Earnhardt.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.