Election reform? PARTISANS DISCUSS 'REFORM'

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Sun, 8 Jan 2006 21:48:44 -0600

Election reform? PARTISANS DISCUSS 'REFORM'

 

 

 

 

Election reform? Republicans and Democrats embark on election reform

with help from voting companies, front groups, pundits and a few

genuine election reform groups peppered in.

 

 

http://rawstory.com/exclusives/alexandrovna/carter_baker_electoral_reform_contro\

versy_414.htm

 

 

 

PARTISANS DISCUSS 'REFORM'

Questions surface regarding legitimacy of Baker-Carter election reform

commission

By Larisa Alexandrovna | RAW STORY Staff

 

 

Serious questions of conservative partisanship have surfaced

surrounding an electoral reform commission co-chaired by former

President Jimmy Carter and erstwhile Secretary of State James Baker,

RAW STORY has learned.

 

The Carter Center denies any involvement with the Baker-Carter

Commission on Federal Election Reform even though they are on much of

its literature. Carter stepped down from the center in March.

Perhaps most significant, however, is the partisan makeup of those on

the Commission's panels. In a situation reminiscent of GOPUSA and

Gannongate, a recent election reform group has seemingly sprouted from

nowhere and in short order landed a seat at the table.

 

As revealed earlier by Brad Friedman of Bradblog.com, The American

Center for Voting Rights appeared on the election reform scene less

than a month ago. It is led by GOP operative and election attorney

Mark F. ( " Thor " ) Hearne who also managed to appear as the only voting

rights group to Rep. Bob Ney's (R-OH) recent House Administrative

Committee hearings on Ohio voting issues during the 2004 election.

 

ACVR is not, however, the only controversial entity to appear as

either a witness or a panelist before the Baker-Carter Commission.

 

Highly Credentialed Republican " Non-Partisans "

Hearne, who delivered a 31-page document to Ney's Committee assessing

Ohio's 2004 election issues, did not reveal during the hearings that

he was until very recently the national general counsel for the

Bush/Cheney '04 campaign.

 

Hearne was also general counsel to Gov. Matt Blunt (R–MO) for the 2004

election; counsel to the Bush/Cheney '04 ticket; and also served as an

attorney for the Bush/Cheney 2000 campaign.

 

The contact for ACVR is also a Republican operative, former

communications director for the Republican National Committee Jim Dyke.

 

Dyke pioneered " astroturf " letters, or letters to the editor that

appear to be written by constituents but instead are drafted by

political operatives. During the 2004 election, Dyke traveled the

country creating what appear to be front groups to disseminate

anti-Kerry disinformation. He was also the source of many of the

registration irregularity complaints generated in Ohio, and recently

set up a Social Security lobby group.

 

As a spokesman for the RNC, Dyke commented on the Purple Heart

bandages he helped distribute: " Democrats continue to try and hide

their own candidates' many positions on the same issue (Iraq) by

attacking the president's leadership. "

ACVR, which is neatly located at a Texas P.O. Box, was invited to join

the Baker-Carter Commission on Federal Election Reform within weeks of

its formation.

 

To help publicize ACVR, team Dyke and Hearne turned to Cybercast News

Service, which has intimate connections to the Swift Boat Veterans for

Truth campaign, Unfit for Command—a character assassination of Kerry's

Vietnam years—and to the CBS memo controversy through a mutual

relationship with Creative Response Concepts a PR firm that deals in

political battles.

 

 

Mapping it Out:

 

http://rawstory.com/images/other/hearne.gif

The mysteries surrounding ACVR as well as its various connections to

highly partisan groups, to some of the members of the commission and

to some of the witnesses and speakers are so complex that RAW STORY

had to create a visual representation of entanglements in order to

better clarify on how this group may have developed.

 

After seeing the full map (click on the image to enlarge), Rep. John

Conyers (D-MI), who held Congressional hearings on Ohio's election

irregularities and fueled the effort for the Ohio electoral challenge,

issued the following statement Thursday.

 

" These connections truly are astounding, " Conyers said. " It apparently

wasn't enough that Republican officials helped sway the election in

favor of Bush—now they've even created a phony voting rights group to

combat the real work that progressives are doing to make sure that

every vote is counted. "

 

Panel choices have partisan ties

Ethics and Integrity Panel:

 

John Fund is a highly partisan Wall Street Journal editorial board

member who has repeatedly attacked election reform activists as

conspiracy theorists, stating " When it comes to electronic voting,

most liberals are just plain old-fashioned nuts. "

 

Colleen McAndrews is a partner in a law firm representing Governor

Schwarzenegger and the treasurer for his campaign. She is considered

to be a " behind the scenes force in the Republican Party. "

 

Elections and Help America Vote Act Current Status Panel:

Kay J. Maxwell is president of the non partisan League of Women

Voters, whose strong support for a paperless ballot, despite the

demands of hundreds of its members, split the League (here and here).

 

Gracia Hillman is the chairwoman of the U.S. Election Assistance

Commission, which is an official part of HAVA. She was appointed by

President Bush.

 

Voting Technology and Election Administration Panel:

 

Jim Dickson is the Vice President for Governmental Affairs, American

Association of People with Disabilities, a highly regarded

non-partisan group. He has called all who question electronic voting

" geeks. "

 

Other members of the various panels are perhaps more representative of

the election reform movement, including David Dill of

VerifiedVoting.org; Barbara Arnwine the executive director of Lawyers'

Committee for Civil Rights; and Richard L. Hasen who is a law

professor and legal blogger.

 

A spokesman and senior adviser to Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who conceded

the election over Ohio, said the Commission's attempt at electoral

reform was " deceptive. "

 

A spokesman and senior adviser to Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who conceded

the election over Ohio, said the Commission's attempt at electoral

reform was " deceptive. "

 

" It's as deceptive as it is dishonest, " David Wade, the senator's

communications director, said.

 

" Talk about a window into the Republicans' sincerity on electoral

reform, " he added. " This is the height of cynicism. First they cook

the intelligence on Iraq, now they create a shadowy operation to hide

the truth on electoral reform...With news like this, it's pretty clear

the Republicans have other plans. "

 

The Commission Omission

 

James A. Baker III, the Texas attorney who represented the Bush/Cheney

campaign during the 2000 election suit in Bush v. Gore and Secretary

of State to President George H. W. Bush, will co-chair the election

reform commission along with President Carter.

 

The Commission on Federal Election Reform will be hosted by American

University's Center for Democracy and Election Management and in

association with Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for

Public Policy, electionsonline.org, and the Carter Center.

 

But RAW STORY has learned that the Carter Center flatly denies any

involvement with the Commission, even though the Center is listed on

all of the Commission's materials and official Web site. This is

despite the fact that Carter has stepped down from the Center and that

the Center is not endorsing or working in association with the commission.

 

" They must have just phrased it that way because President Carter

headed this organization, " said a confused Tynesha Green, a

spokesperson for the Carter Center. " But I know for a 100 percent that

there is no program [at the Carter Center] that is involved with it. "

 

RAW STORY contacted President Carter, but he was unavailable for

comment. Baker's assistant slammed the phone down without comment.

ElectionLine did not return calls placed to its founder Doug Chapin.

 

Commission for all?

 

The Commission is open to attendance by the public via application.

Carter, Baker and the panel will be housed in a private room and

teleconferenced into the Kay Center which seats 250 people and in

which the public will be housed.

 

Many applying for one of the 250 coveted seats found that they were

required to provide background information for security reasons.

The Secret Service, however, says that they have no knowledge of this

event, not even knowing who was on the advance team. The Service

provides security for former presidents.

 

Through their spokesperson Lorie Lewis, the Service expressed that

such precautions were odd given that the public would be sequestered

from the entire panel and seated in a large auditorium.

Lewis contacted American University, after which she confirmed to a

RAW STORY researcher that her initial assessment was accurate.

 

" It was reasonable to do the checks for the people in the small

enclosed room, " Lewis said, but saw no reason for conducting checks of

the public attending the Kay Center viewing of the event.

 

A spokesperson at the Center for Democracy and Election Management at

American University, Nicole M. Byrd, expressed concern surrounding the

confusion of attendance screening, but said that audience members were

screened should an opening become available in the private room.

 

" We are only asking for background information of people interested in

sitting in the smaller room with the President, " Byrd said.

 

One individual applying to the convention confirmed that she was told

that if she wanted to be in the panel room along with the speakers and

witnesses, then she would have to provide background information;

otherwise, she did not have to provide any personal information beyond

the normal application.

 

Byrd explained that should the panel room have " no-shows " or extra

room, she will have to pull people in from the Kay Center. " It is

simply that if anyone from the public wishes to be pulled in should

space become available, " says Byrd, " then they need to tell us in

advance of their interest. "

 

Byrd also expressed concern about people randomly sending in their

Social Security numbers when " only background checks on people

attending the in the smaller room " would be required.

Absence of a progressive voice

 

Many election reform activist groups find it difficult to believe that

Congressman Conyers was not invited to sit on any of the panels,

though he was invited to sit in the Kay Center along with the public

to watch the commission via live feed.

 

In speaking with RAW STORY, a source close to American University

explained that this would be a good event that should help expand the

HAVA laws. When asked about what particular incidents and/or

allegations would be addressed, the source only identified paper

trails as a major point.

 

This reporter pointed out that the Conyers' report, the document that

essentially resulted in the historic Ohio electoral challenge did not

seem to be part of the panelists' discussion topics and asked why it

was that Conyers was relegated to watching the events via a live feed

instead of sitting on a panel. The source said not inviting Conyers

was simply " a missed opportunity. "

 

In a letter sent to Carter on Monday of this week, Conyers asked to

participate in the commission. He has not been invited.

postCount('carter41305'); No comments

 

Raw Story researcher Muriel Kane contributed to this report.

Disclosure: Raw Story is non-financial affiliate of the media reform

arm of Velvet Revolution, a group that works on electoral reform.

Article originally published Apr. 14, 2005.