"The Election Center"
The Fox Guarding the Hen House:
Read about the Election Center Ethics Conflict, Money Trail, and Bad Ideas & Influence
Does the Election Center lobby for the voters' or for the interest of the voting industry? The Fox in the Henhouse Series, Part III This week a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, The Election Center, will be in Washington DC in full force to lobby our Congressmen. The Joint Election Officials Liaison Committee, comprised of election administrators associated with a range of professional organizations, will be gathering on the first days of the new legislative session to influence decisions, like they influence the actions and decisions of state election directors across the country.....
They are back at it again, the ethically challenged Election Center. ...After that encouraging, patriotic, and heart warming description of the Election Center and its focus on democracy, have alook at what is buried near the bottom of the page - the "money changers" clause.
"The Center’s members also include suppliers of election products and services, including voting systems, voter registration software, voting booths, ballots, election supplies, etc. Members are able to visit with the providers of those goods and services at the national conference where members can learn what is available in the latest technology and election products."
...Take a look at the Election Center's List of Election Legislation - nowhere do you see even a negative reference to HR 550, considered the "Gold Standard" by the Verified Voting Foundation, and strongly endorsed VoteTrustUSA, Common Cause, Working Assets, MoveOn, Electronic Frontier Foundation and voting integrity organizations across the country. Read more
| August 26, 2005 The Election Center: The Fox Guarding the Hen House |
|
Editor's Note: The Election Center influences the actions and decisions of state election directors across the country. In this article, originally published on VoteTrustUSA.org in June, 2005, Joyce McCloy takes a close look at the organization. New photos supplied by John Gideon.
How long will "The Election Center" be allowed to act as an educator, trainer and advisor of election officials? How long will it continue to give bad advice to North Carolina election officials?
The Election Center viewed from the East
|
According to its listing at www.guidestar.org The Election Center is a it is non-profit agency,a 501 C whose job is to " EDUCATE/TRAIN ELECTION OFFICIALS"
"The Election Center" has financial ties to the top 3 voting machine companies: Doug Lewis admits that "The Election Center" received money from Diebold, Sequoia and ES&S as well: Article
On the Voting Machine Makers' Tab - As doubts have grown about the reliability of electronic voting, some of its loudest defenders have been state and local election officials. Many of those same officials have financial ties to voting machine companies. While they may sincerely think that electronic voting machines are so trustworthy that there is no need for a paper record of votes, their views have to be regarded with suspicion until their conflicts are addressed. New York Times article
Read "Corporate Control of the Election Process" about those who hold the sacred trust of overseeing the election procedures and voting systems in this country, and their ties to those who profit from their decisions. Article
Money Trail & Huge Piles of Cash!
Election Center Tax Forms -spill the beans accidentally - lists Donations from Sequoia, maker of voting machines:
"THE ELECTION CENTER" accidentally listed the $40,000 donation from voting machine vendor Sequoia Pacific on their 2001 tax return. This return listed donations of $10,000 per year for 1997, 98, 99 and 2000. The IRS does not require this to be listed, not all donation sources are listed this way.
In their last public tax return, for the year 2003,
-
the Election Center had $874,759 in cash on hand at end of year.
-
the Election Center also had unrealized gains of $142,916
-
Doug Lewis paid himself $100,164
-
Gary Bartlett worked 10 hours per week (unpaid)
10% of Election Center's Budget from Voting Machine Companies?
On 10/22/2005 article Bartlett (Director of the State Board of Elections "said that about 10 percent of the Election Center's budget comes from the voting-equipment industry. He said, though, that the companies do not have significant influence over the center" Winston Salem Journal
Bad Ideas and Bad Influence
"The Election Center" says that paperless electronic voting is safe:
In May of 2003, R. Doug Lewis of the Election Center widely distributed a letter stating that DREs cannot be tampered with. Doug Lewis's opinion carries a great deal of weight with election officials.
According to Dr. David L. Dill, of Stanford University, this letter by Lewis demonstrates profoundly disturbing complacency and a serious lack of understanding of computer security, and, indeed, computer technology, by the very organization that is supposed to ensure the integrity of the systems we are worried about. article
The Election Center opinion is refuted point-by-point by David Jefferson, a computer scientist
How "The Election Center" Influences North Carolina Election Officials:
- Top North Carolina Election Officials get their advice from this organization.
- Many NC county election directors are members and receive training and "education" from "The Election Center.
- The NC State Board of Elections makes critical decisions on election procedures and technology in our state.
- NC's push for paperless voting fits the Election Center's philosophy
- North Carolina has paperless electronic voting in 40 of 100 of its counties.
The Election Center, which claims to be non-partisan, accepts money from voting machine vendors and then turns around and recommends the technology sold by those same people?
NC's Executive Director of Elections (and Election Center Board Member) Gary Bartlett pushing the state towards paperless DREs: "It seems like every jurisdiction that has purchased (DREs) loves them," Bartlett said. "The optical scan is old technology, and there are more issues with it, like not following ballot instructions, residual votes and a host of other issues.....
The State Board of Elections decides to put a "moratorium" on certifying new voting machines the day that AccuPoll presents it's touchscreen machine to the board. AccuPoll makes a touchscreen with a full size paper ballot.
March 26, 2004 AccuPoll Receives Federal Qualification For Electronic Voting System, Not allowed certification in NC
March 26, 2004 - The NC BOE won't certify new machines - new machines create voter verified paper ballot! New Bern Sun Journal article Deputy Director for Administration of the NC SBOE, Johnnie McLean claims that if DREs had paper ballot, would lead to vote selling:
"The possibility of vote buying is one of the reasons North Carolina elections officials balk at requiring voting machines that have a verifiable paper trail."
"'Nobody wants to say that because that's not a popular thought now,'
said Johnnie McLean, deputy director for administration of the North Carolina Board of Elections, while discussing the pros and cons of various voting machine systems available and in use in the state."
"But the elections board has thought of that. There is a fear that if there is a verifiable paper trail, it would open the door to vote buying," she said.
George Gilbert, Director of Guilford County Board of Elections, is on the "Election Center National Task Force on Election Reform". Election Center link His county has had paperless voting for years. Gilbert is totally opposed to a Voter Verified Paper Ballot.
Gilbert lobbed AGAINST state and federal legislation for Voter Verified Paper Ballots. (See our Guilford Page ) Guilford County is like a beta test for any type of electronic voting or computer gizmos.
He is a member of SAAFE, a coalition "opposed to current bills that would require that all Direct Record Electronic voting systems produce a contemporaneous paper replica (CPR), euphemistically referred to as a 'voter verified paper record.' Article
.
Like asking the Fox to guard the "hen house" -
The Election Center will continue to influence election officials until it is charged with an ethics violation or otherwise discredited.
|
How long will "The Election Center" be allowed to act as an educator, trainer and advisor of election officials? How long will it continue to give bad advice to North Carolina election officials?
Election Center - and North Carolina Officials' Involvement:
Glitzy Election Center Events Subsidized by Voting Machine Companies --
August 2005 --Guess Who Went to Hollywood with Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia - Your election Officials? Event description of the National Conference Beverly Hills/Hollywood August 2005 here
North Carolina Election Officials who went to Hollywood with Diebold, Sequoia and ES&S here
|
August 24, 2005 "The Election Center's" conference for election officials, agenda reads like an advertisement for Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia:
~Dinner Cruise on the Potomac for election officials is sponsored by Sequoia Voting Machine Company ~
The names Sequoia, Diebold, and ES&S are listed on the bulletin for the August event. This is a form of endorsement by association. Election center link
The Election Center allowed the following 3 voting machine vendors to play a large part in the ceremonies:
- Diebold will be sponsoring the welcome reception.
- Sequoia will co-sponsor a dinner cruise on the Potomac and Monuments by Night Tour.
- ES&S is sponsoring the graduation luncheon and awards ceremony.
The lectures included topics such as:
|
|
NC Officials and their membership in the Election Center:
Gary Bartlett, The Executive Director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections is a member of the Board of Directors of "The Election Center".
This can be verified at the Election Center's website
Bartlett is also on this committee: Election Center National Task Force on Voting Accessibility: Election Center article . Oddly, of 7,363 paperless electronic voting machines in North Carolina, few if any are disabled accessible. |
|
Johnnie McLean, Deputy Director for Administration of the N.C. BOE is on the "Election Center National Task Force on Election Reform". Election Center Link |
George Gilbert, Director of Guilford County Board of Elections, is on the "Election Center National Task Force on Election Reform". Election Center link
The following have been listed on the Election Center website only incidentally. Many election officials simply want to participate in a professional organization, and the EC is about the only national one available.
Tammy Polk Hinton, Mecklenburg County North Carolina Project Manager BOE link
Glenda M. Clendenin, CERA, Director Moore County Board of Elections is on the "Election Center National Task Force on Election Reform". Election Center link
Election Center Honors and Recognition Committee:
Kathie Chastain-Cooper, Forsyth County Director of Elections - has a link to Election Center on the Forsyth County BOE website. Kathie is pro-DRE, Forsyth County has $3.1 Million for purchase of new voting machines. Forsyth is a punch card county at this time.
Cherie Poucher, Wake County Board of Elections Election Center honors list
|
