1. POPULAR SHORTCUTS:

- MOST RECENT ADDITIONS: For a quick check of everything new here, go to the top of the Black Box Voting Home Page to past 24 hours. You can also find this link in the left column of the forums area.

- YOUR STATE OR COUNTY: Click Forums and scroll down for a listing of every state in the US. Click your state for listings to find new and archived reports for each election jurisdiction in your state.

- AUTOMATIC E-MAIL NOTIFICATIONS: Just REGISTER or, if you are already registered, Edit your Profile to opt in for automatic notifications in the topics that interest you. For example, if you live in Florida, you may want to opt in for notifications related to Florida.

- More information on citizen oversight methods can be found in the Black Box Voting Citizens Tool Kit

2. CONTRIBUTE YOUR OWN ELECTION REPORTS - Share news stories and citizen oversight actions, and feel free to make use of the information and perspectives you find here for meetings, letters to the editor, and other actions you are involved with.

3. ALL FORUM PARTICIPANTS MUST PROVIDE REAL FIRST AND LAST NAME Here are the guidelines for submitting comments or other information: http://www.bbvdocs.org/policies.html

- You may request a privacy waiver by sending an e-mail to us. Please include your reason for requesting a waiver along with your full contact information

4. DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS DEPEND ON CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

- You are encouraged to evaluate the evidence and perspectives of others, and to weigh in with your own.

- Black Box Voting also has some participants who are especially qualified to provide input. Some of the all-stars here include Nancy Tobi, V. Kurt Bellman, Mike LaBonte, Catherine Ansbro, Tom Courbat, Deborah Sumner...

- We encourage you to sift through information and think for yourself. Real democracy is not about following the leader in lockstep. Think, agree, disagree, evaluate.

- Please do not speculate about the motives of other participants, or discuss people's personalities.

5. Make use of the social media sharing buttons located with each forum post and on the home page. Share with your friends through Twitter, Facebook, and other networking sites.

6. Enjoy your participation here. Black Box Voting provides the liveliest, most informative, and most participatory online election transparency workspaces you'll find anywhere!