Just Because They Say “Election Reform” and “Voting Rights” Doesn’t Mean They’re Promoting Reform And Protecting Rights

I've been meaning to point readers towards discussion and criticism of the new Carter-Baker Commission On Federal Election Reform (CFER).

The two places to read up on it are The Brad Blog and Representative John Conyers, Jr.'s blog.

The short version of the story is that after the terrible problems in Florida (and elsewhere!) in the 2000 presidential election, a blue ribbon commission was established, with former presidents Carter and Ford at the helm. The Carter/Ford Commission issued a report, decidedly middle of the road in it's policy recommendations, but nevertheless far reaching, delving deeply into the issues and addressing many of the key areas of election reform. The report was a guiding document for the under funded and badly administered Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA)—which has turned out to be much more dubious than the tempered, bi-partisan efforts of the Carter-Ford Commission.

After the 2004 presidential election, which had even more disenfranchisement and irregularities than in 2000 (Ohio, Florida, New Mexico, etc.), a new commission was formed, again with President Carter, but this time with former Secretary of State James Baker III as Carter's Republican counterpart. James Baker, you may recall, led the efforts to block the recounts of Florida's votes in 2000. It was Baker's success that led to the US Supreme Court appointment of George W. Bush as president and the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of Florida voters. An odd choice for co-chair, no?

In the lead up to the first FCEF hearings earlier this week, The Brad Blog began covering a related scandal concerning the American Center for Voting Rights (ACVR), a phony election reform organization, which is really a right wing Republican front group. The leader of ACVR is Mark F. (Thor) Hearne, who is also the National Counsel for Bush/Cheney 04, Inc. ACVR's publicist Jim Dyke was previously the Communications Director for the Republican National Committee. In a Raw Story report on this scandal, Larissa Alexandrovna explains that

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.

To make matters worse, ACVR's leader, Hearne, has been seated on the Academic Advisory board for the Carter-Baker Commission.

In her article, Alexandrovna also raises concerns about the partisanship of a number of the other Commission panelists:

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."

Nobody from the Kerry/Edwards campaign is on the Carter-Baker Commission. Nobody from any of the numerous election reform groups that worked tirelessly to raise objections to the counting of Ohio's illegitimate electoral votes were invited to participate in the Carter-Baker Commission. And, most shockingly, Representative Conyers was not invited to be on the commission, submit his report [pdf] on Ohio's elections, or to participate in any fashion.

Representative Conyers wrote a letter [pdf] to President Carter, protesting his exclusion and the exclusion of other individuals and groups involved in electoral reform and voting rights. He's also written more on the matter here and here.