FEDERAL ELECTION INTEGRITY ACT OF 2005-Lautenberg

[KittyWampus]

Those of you who actually listened to the Senators who spoke heard Lautenberg mention legislation he is introducing.

Seems to me, if DU'ers are REALLY intersted in doing something positive they'd find out what they can do to bring this to fruition rather than constantly ripping on Lautenberg and others.

"FEDERAL ELECTION INTEGRITY ACT OF 2005 To be introduced by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg

Senator Lautenberg's Federal Election Integrity Act (FEIA) of 2005 would prohibit Secretaries of State and other state election officials with supervisory authority over the administration of Federal elections from participating in the political campaign or management of a candidate running for Federal office in their state. The FEIA creates a direct prohibition on State election officials from taking part in political campaigns by amending the Federal Campaign Act of 1971. ...

Conflict of Interest

There is an inherent conflict of interest when an election official charged with supervising the administration of an election, and ensuring the fairness and accuracy of the results has a direct role in the campaign of one of the candidates running for Federal office. In the 2004 Presidential election, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell was co-chairman of Bush/Cheney '04 in Ohio. On December 6th, 2004, Blackwell certified President Bush as the winner in Ohio.

This is the second presidential election that presented such a conflict of interest in a critical state. In the 2000 election, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris served as co-chair of President Bush's Florida campaign. President Bush's narrow victory in Florida gave President Bush the state's 25 electoral votes necessary to win the presidency...."

http://lautenberg.senate.gov/~lautenberg/press/2003/01/2005106933.html

[snot]

1. kick!

[KittyWampus]

2. Imagine GOP'ers OPPOSING This? We've Got The MOAWI

Mother of ALL Wedge Issues... Clean & Fair Elections.

[iconoclastNYC]

4. excellent point

And we can pick off the moderate republicans and turn them into independents (a la Jeffords) when the Con leadership starts punishing for thier 'disloyalty.'

The cons will fight anything that makes it harder for them to remain in power and that includes transparant and fair elections.

[Jersey Devil]

9. The GOP will probably champion this bill and make it their own

because it will not make a bit of difference. Unless there are other important reforms in the bill, simply prohibiting a Harris or a Blackwell from being on someone's campaign committee will change nothing. They will still be the same rabid partisans.

[AirAmFan]

26. Not necessarily. Did you notice how many Rethugs who spoke yesterday

proudly stated they had been Secretaries of State? SOS now is a valuable political plum appointment precisely because it promotes name recognition and offers so many opportunities to manipulate the electoral process. Lautenberg's attack on "states rights" to vias the election process would impede many Rethuglican plans for political careers, if the legislation were written properly.

[bloom]

3. That is good

Does it take a specific bill for every type of conflict of interest to take each type of conflict of interest seriously?

[DearAbby]

8. conflict of interest also when it comes to those producing the machines

in which the vote is counted. Does this have anything relating to that problem?

[Jersey Devil]

10. According to the link all it does is stop ceremonial chairmanships

of political committees by the Blackwells and Harrises of this world. Meaningless. They will be the same partisan hacks without the titles of "campaign chair", etc.

As for the machines, real reform would have open source programs running them designed and maintained by bipartisan groups.

The Repubs will probably not only let Lautenberg's bill pass (because it changes nothing), but will take credit for it and make it their own.

[abbiehoff]

13. But Blackwell is now taking credit for *'s win

If he had not been chairman of the * committee to re-elect, he probably would have done all of the same things, but he might not have been able to take credit for the win. He's running for governor, you know. I'd rather see him in jail.

[AirAmFan]

24. How could it be written so as to rule out misuse of official time and expenses

for partisan purposes? THAT is what we're really after. See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x261836

[mcscajun]

5. Thank you for bringing this up again.

When I heard my Senator talking about this I was cheering!

This is the kind of legislation we must get behind.

[Jersey Devil]

11. He's my Senator too, but where's the beef?

Would it have made any difference in Ohio this year or Florida in 2000 if those Secretaries of State were not allowed to be their states' Campaign Chairpersons for Bush?

This is not real reform. It is window dressing, a bone tossed to the crowd to satisfy the hunger for reform.

[mcscajun]

19. We'll never know what the difference might have been.

And if the Secretary of State can't be involved in the campaign (not just as chairperson but at all, at any level) then there's an information disconnect between the official and the campaign strategists et al that I think would be of some value to the transparency of, and our confidence in, the election process.

[Jersey Devil]

22. And without the title Blackwell would have been less partisan?

Are you kidding?

[mcscajun]

31. No...I didn't say she'd be less partisan.

I said she'd have less direct involvement; i.e. she'd lack constantly updated information from the campaign, etc.

Don't put words in my mouth, please.

[KittyWampus]

27. Several Other Senators Mentioned Changing HAVA & Ensuring Paper

trail.

So this isn't the ONLY piece of legislation on the Democratic agenda concerning Election Reform.

[mzmolly]

6. Stop making sense, I want to whine!

We need a single activism thread don'tcha think?

This battle has only just begun, thanks for recognizing that.

:hi:

[Jersey Devil]

7. FEIA wouldn't make one damned bit of difference

Big deal. Next election the Blackwell/Harris types won't be able to serve as ceremonial state chairs of the Republican presidential committees. You think that they'd be any less partisan without the titles?

What's really needed is to take elections out of partisan hands and to make sure every step of the way both sides are present and have an equal say in what is happening.

[merh]

14. It's a damned start for pete's sake!

Jeez - try positive activism, not just complaining.

[Jersey Devil]

16. What does it change?

Pardon me, but I seen nothing whatsoever that changes except their ability to rub it in our faces.

[merh]

23. Rubbing what in our faces?

Gawd, why the heck are you so angry with us? We are doing something, we are not just bitching and complaining, we are actively participating in our government.

We made Congress hear us, despite the repugs attempts to discredit as conspiracy theorists, despite the media black out, despite being ignored, CONGRESS HEARD US AND REACTED! They stood up this time, they have kept the election reform issue alive.

Sure, it's not the outcome I actually wanted, I fantasied that Kerry would be put in office, but heck, even I knew that wasn't going to happen.

CONGRESS PAID ATTENTION, we jammed the phones, we emailed like crazy, we faxed and we snail mailed and THEY PAID ATTENTION.

Yesterday was only a beginning, just like the integrity bill is only a beginning.

You want more, then I hope you qualify to run for Secretary of State in your state. If not that, then run to be on the Election Commission or the Board of Elections, whatever it is called where you live.

Let me know when you decide to run and I will be delighted to send your contribution a donation. I will even help on the email campaigns for you.

[mcscajun]

18. My thoughts exactly...

...we have to start somewhere.

[Jersey Devil]

20. In what way is it a "start"?

Would this in any way, shape or form change anything that Blackwell could do or a Katherine Harris could do as a partisan simply because they could not in the future wear a ceremonial title as a campaign chair?

I don't get it. I am all for election reform, but how can passing a meaningless piece of legislation "start" anything?

[mcscajun]

21. See my reply (#19) to your other post. (n/t)

[orpupilofnature57]

12. SO WHEN THE IMPEACHMENT, nepotism, skull boning as far as the

Eye can see,why couldn't the ?% see, the hell with Harris, who runs barter town?

[mattclearing]

15. Fantastic. I'll have to read it, but hopefully this is worth pushing.

eom

[FreepFryer]

17. Exactly. Looks like Andy's Elevator Shoutdown worked, sorta, well... :)

[seabeyond]

25. doesnt do any good to have laws if you dont prosecute

there were/are laws blackwell broke. he needs to be used as an example and prosecuted. i would suggest reid go after the orginization that blatanly threw away democrat registerations and then had dinner with bush the other nite.

[KittyWampus]

28. Umm, There ARE Lawsuits & Investigations Ongoing.

[seabeyond]

30. ummmmmm, yes i know

sittin out there.,

[bush_is_wacko]

29. Thanks for posting this, just got home from work and was wondering about

it. Going there now. BTW I agree completely. I want to help make this come about!

On edit: I also took the time to email Senator Lautenberg and thank him for his commitment to this effort. I hope others do as well. It took a HUGE leap of faith in the american public for them all to do what they did yesterday. they are all going to take some heat for this.

[Wilms]

32. Yesterday's meat was in the speeches. Not in the yea/nay.

And now, the roll out!!!

[Wilms]

33. His speech, like many of them yesterday,

had a lot of zingers in it.

I thought he said he was going to introduce this next week.

No time like the present.