Vote, vote, vote.

[icarus]

I have two favors to ask of you.

First: Vote.

Second: Post about the Livejournal representative election. Urge your friendslist to vote and then post about the vote.

If massive numbers of fandomers surge to vote, then we will have our pick of fandom candidates. Instead of being a race between an anti-fandom candidate, jameth and fandom candidate legomymalfoy, we can have a race between legomymalfoy and rm.

I know we can easily reach 14,000 fandomers. I've added up the f-lists of those who've posted about the vote already. And you don't have to wait. Because you can change your mind between now and Thursday.

The three top fandom candidates:

legomymalfoy
rm
vichan

As of this moment, the numbers are:

jameth - 2508 (17.8%)
legomymalfoy - 3785 (26.9%)
rm - 1522 (10.8%)
vichan - 707 (5.0%)

I've nothing against this guy personally, but I don't like his paranoid campaign and troll history.
jameth attacked fandom once he fell behind, accusing us of sockpuppeting with up to 200 puppets per fandomer (seriously?) all based on an "anonymous tip." (Other moments that smack of conspiracy theories include fears that LJ is locking in votes and jameth blaming legomymalfoy for a supporter being kicked off IRC chat by burr86. Let's not forget the backhanded pre-emptive swipes at all the candidates, with the caption "I don't think _my_ platform is going to change. Not sure about anyone else's, though." Not someone I would want to work with. For more paranoia: He now fears Legomymalfoy's ahead because the LJ support team doesn't like him.)

Longstanding fandomers like telesilla (whom you might remember from her reporting of strikethrough and FanLib) and caras_galadhon and others, remind us jameth is a known troll, while bethbethbeth points out the strongly anti-fandom attitude of his supporters, which he's made no effort to contradict.

But hey, let's plague an epileptic's journal with flashing icons!
So I guess it should come as no surprise that his supporters are deliberately posting flashing icons in the comments of an epileptic's journal. At least one other epileptic has been affected, so turn off graphics if you click to rydra_wong's journal. The bigdecision08 community which is run by three jameth supporters has posted about this, unfortunately directing jameth's supporters to her journal. I've asked jameth what, since he's seeking a leadership role and has been comfortable telling people to vote for him in all three categories, does he have to say about this? So far, although he's fine with directing people to vote for him and then null out in all categories, not a peep. To rydra_wong it's not his problem. Nice guy. ETA: I asked him about it and he replied "what post?" This guy's totally full of shit. He'd already replied to rydra_wong's post several times. He's attempting to run on his RL credentials, but I've learned in comments here that someone who's worked with him IRL "does not have complimentary things to say about his skills with dealing with people."

I've collected endorsements of legomymalfoy here.

I've collected endorsements of rm here.

We've got great candidates. The current second-place candidate is someone I don't want, I don't know about you. He is anti-fandom.

Comments

[cambler.livejournal.com]

I honestly couldn't say if I think both sides would do it. My knee-jerk reaction is to say yes, but after Jameth asked people not to, I also think they likely wouldn't.

I think the RP contingent does, indeed, have less multiple account people in the 20+ range than do the trolls. But, that said, it's the trolls that worry me.

My RP friend said she voted for the fandom candidate because that's who she supports. I tend to hang out with honest people, in general, and she knows that she didn't hurt my feelings by speaking her mind.

The troll, again, not so much. I think there's a better chance that he feels that if there's enough stuffing, it'll create more drama. In any case, though, he's more of a real life "acquaintance" than friend, if you want to get the semantics straight. ;)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

My knee-jerk reaction is to say yes, but after Jameth asked people not to, I also think they likely wouldn't.

Will they? Oh good. Then Jameth can tell people to stop deliberately putting flashing icons in epileptics' journals.

Oh. Right. I remember now. He told me he can't influence people. Well. Based on what he said, nothing he says will prevent people from voting with multiple sockpuppet accounts.

My RP friend said she voted for the fandom candidate because that's who she supports. I tend to hang out with honest people, in general, and she knows that she didn't hurt my feelings by speaking her mind.

I have to say that I don't have a lot of respect for your friend, or her so-called honesty. If she was so honest, what was she doing voting for anyone with 70 sockpuppets in the first place?

But, that said, it's the trolls that worry me.

The trolls won't vote for legomymalfoy. They're more likely to vote for the "lulz" candidate, jameth. Or--most likely--vote randomly for someone who's losing badly, knowing troll behaviour. Or just lie about how many times they voted when in reality they voted, say, five times, to see if they could do it. Trolls don't tend to be trustworthy people. Or acquaintances.

Frankly, I've noticed you support jameth now. Jameth's cynically using this because he's losing. I see too many holes in what you're saying, and no proof whatsoever except your word. I don't know you. Even with someone I know, I'd have to see proof of something like this.

This story has holes like a collander.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

You confuse me.

First you say that people will do one thing, then you say they'll do another, and then you dismiss it entirely.

Yet I've said on many occasions, take my anecdotal evidence out of it entirely if you don't wish to count it. Honestly, I don't want you to count it, as that would mean you'd have to trust me, and I don't ask that of you.

So the bottom line remains that it can be done, it has been done, so no matter for whom the benefit, the results of the election are suspect.

Unless, of course, you believe that the scale of the fraudulent voting is so low as to make no difference. I don't share that belief.

As for my friend, I agree. Her actions were wrong, I do not condone them, and I'm glad she changed her votes.

As for supporters of Jameth, you're also right, they'll do what they want. That's also out of control.

As for the target of the troll votes, you may very-well be right. Let's presume you are - it still makes the voting results worthless, as there's no way to know for sure. What of the troll who piles votes on malfoy in order to create the "scandal?" That's just as ludicrous a conspiracy theory, but also just as valid.

In the absence of intent and motive, all we have is ability and evidence. And we do, indeed, have that.

Finally, I do not support Jameth. I am a candidate, myself, therefore I'm in direct competition with him. I am, however, civil to all candidates, enjoy his posts on a personal level, believe that he can, indeed, often be abrasive in his actions, but that he also has his serious points. And in terms of vote fraud, we tend to agree.

But if you're going to discount the facts upon which we seem to find agreement by an ad homimem with respect to the fact that I don't engage in the drama, well, there's not much I can do there.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I think it'll cancel out overall. We're not talking about the kinds of numbers that'll effect the results of the election. Unless it's common to have 70 RP journals. Which we both admit it isn't.

If it were me in charge of counting the votes, I'd wait till the end of the voting period, and then open each and every voting journal to check to see if they're RP journals or something obvious. With three or four people we could do it in a day or so. The RP journals are more likely to be discounted than lolcat socks. For obvious reasons I wouldn't do it until the end of the voting. I imagine LJ will do the same.

But I've already told you all this in Jameth's LJ.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Who watches the watchers? (calm down, tongue in cheek)

I'm in agreement that 70+ RP is high. 20+ is not.

And for the trolls, hundreds is the norm.

Again, we disagree on scope and scale.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Who watches the watchers? (calm down, tongue in cheek)

I don't go for that kind of paranoia.

I'm in agreement that 70+ RP is high. 20+ is not.

20+ is ridiculous as well. And, here I am, with the typical two RP journals, interimminister and niko_molokov, only voting with this account. Click on them. They're very obviously RP journals.

And for the trolls, hundreds is the norm.

Will trolls vote for the candidate from LJ Abuse who deleted their account? Unlikely. Again, we only have your word who this troll supposedly voted for.

I think the trolls will vote for jameth.

Again, we disagree on scope and scale.

No. We disagree on the evidence.

You say that you have evidence that you can't produce. I say that I don't buy your anecdote.

The only evidence I accept is the occasional post where people have talked about it, where I've seen screencap. The people in that conversation aren't big RPG players and wouldn't have 70 journals.

So I think your anecdote is bollocks. And I question your motives, sir.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

Again with the ad hominem. I'm this close to just giving up on being civil with you - and since I'm civil with everyone, that means we're likely done.

The evidence is clear. The non-anecdotal evidence that I have has been sent to LJ, who have acknowledged it and assured me that they may look at it and may do something about it, but also that there's not much that they can do.

So yes, the election is a farce.

You clearly don't agree. Fine. I accept your opinion as your own. We're done.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This is not a personal attack. Your evidence (about the troll and your friend with the 70 accounts) depends upon my believing your word. I don't know you well enough for that. In any debate you have to agree on what's acceptable evidence first.

[cambler.livejournal.com]

As I said, if you don't take my word for it, which I don't ask you to, eliminate the anecdotal.

Stick to the facts: at this point, at least ten people have posted screencaps of multiple voting, proving it's possible. They admitted to between two and ten accounts, each, and almost all of them said they retracted the votes afterwards.

So we have proof that it's possible.

Then we have known individuals with hundreds of accounts, self-identified trolls, who are active in the comments, who refuse to say, in public, whether they've used them or not.

So it's possible - check. People do have hundreds of accounts - check. People with that many are exactly the kind of people who would do it - check.

At this point, I don't care who they voted for. Make it me. Make it Jameth. Make it rm. I don't care.

We have ability, we have motive and we have opportunity.

I'd be thrilled if someone cops to it, but I don't see that happening.

But at the end of the day, to claim it's not happening is ludicrous.

I think we're done. You can have the last word now.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

In this country, the burden of proof is on the accuser. You don't get to switch the responsibility to me if you're the one making the accusation.