If you are worried about Election 2006, this message is for you. The Black Box Voting CITIZEN'S TOOL KIT contains 20 modules, listed below. Begin actively managing your elections by choosing one thing to do. This is your chance to suggest improvements to the tool kit.

Choose one action - any action. This is YOUR tool kit to help you and your group take action and monitor upcoming elections, so contribute input as desired.

A FRAME OF REFERENCE: You own your government, it's not the other way around.

When you own something, it's up to you to manage it. The Citizen's Tool Kit was created through combined expertise with many of our nation's most effective and experienced citizens, to help you learn the citizen management skills that work. If you depend on others to do this for you, you may just lose your country.

TELLING IT TO YOU STRAIGHT: WE'RE IN TROUBLE

Our electoral system is fundamentally broken. It's NOT going to be fixed by November. And we don't have a lot of time to make things right.

What happens when the owner of a business doesn't do anything to manage it? Pretty soon it doesn't exist. Let's not kid ourselves: The same thing can happen to our democratic republic.

We need to take this seriously. Your children and grandchildren will inherit the government you give to them. If you don't take action, who will?

Black Box Voting is not going to organize you, fix the government for you, or manage your efforts. We WILL provide you with the tools to have a real impact, either individually or by gathering together in small groups of 5 to a dozen people. We will provide you with mentoring if you need it. This is not a top-down initiative, it's roots-up, and it's your turn to reach for sunlight.

If you've been under the impression that the American citizenry can win back our elections by clicking "send" on an e-mail or writing letters to our representatives, or even by passing a law, think again. Those of us who have been in the trenches know: Laws are being ignored willy-nilly, public records are being withheld from citizens, and the voting machines we're using are junk.

If you aren't convinced, here is a presentation you can review -- it's pictures and captions, a quick read (but due to so many pictures, a slightly slow download, allow a few minutes even on high-speed connections): http://www.blackboxvoting.org/toolkit-presentation.pdf

You can also use this presentation to explain the situation to others.

For more, and for the Citizens' Took Kit, go to http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/36341.html