NewMexicoMatters.com

From Black Box Voting: THE ROAD TO BOONDOGGLE IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS: HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT (HAVA) LOBBYIST LIST

(Warning: You might really hate this story.) This story represents months of original research by Black Box Voting. We went into this looking for the defense industry contractors we'd heard had lobbied for the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). That legislation has been blamed for the touch-screens (DREs) that showed up all over America. Well, that's not what we found. The real story on who was behind HAVA may come as a surprise to you. It was to us..

Permission to reprint and distribute granted, with link to http://www.blackboxvoting.org

THE ROAD TO BOONDOGGLE IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS:
HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT (HAVA) LOBBYIST LIST

Question: What happens if you lobby a lawmaker for $4 billion in expenditures for touch-screen voting machines and go back to that same lawmaker two years later asking to dump DREs?

Answer: You lose credibility. It might be hard to lobby for other things. It's politically embarrassing. And your members, or funders, might have a few questions to ask about the prudence of your lobbying expenditures.

BUT HOW COULD ANYONE HAVE KNOWN?

The road to voting computers was paved with good intentions. No one knew that some of the programmers for voting computers would turn out to be convicted embezzlers.
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/2197/14318.html

CONTINUE READING HERE

Technorati Tags: corruption, Elections, HAVA, lobbying, media, news, NM, Politics, reform, Republicans, Voting

Who Should Foot the Bill For Counting Votes

Contrary to popular opinion New Mexico's paper ballot system is hardly a model for the rest of the nation. The reason is that though we might mark our preference on paper ballots, we still rely blindly on proprietary software and sometimes-temperamental hardware, to identify the winners of our elections.

But what about that verifiable paper trail, you might ask? That path is blocked by New Mexico’s election law, which not only lacks an automatic recount trigger for close elections, but requires any candidate seeking a recount to pony up a down payment equaling 10% of the estimated total cost and 100% of the cost should the recount not change the outcome of the race. Furthermore, as we saw in CD 1 when Madrid decided to turn her attention back to statewide ambitions, the only individuals with standing before the state to seek a recount are the candidates.

The total effect of our assbackwards election law is that we voters in New Mexico dependent on the one group least likely to pursue a recount. And with no standing of our own to seek verification of the vote count’s accuracy, we’re left with no choice but that of the candidates own conclusion as to the value of an accurate vote.

However, before the end of the session, the legislature will likely change how recounts are conducted and financed.

To our legislators I have the following to say:

First, please don’t leave us to depend on the candidates to pursue an accurate vote count.

Second, since we have paper ballots, why not give us a verifiable paper trail. Don’t force the voting public to rely on a vendor’s word that the count is accurate. Require that a sufficient and significant percent of ballots statewide be counted by hand and compared to the machine tally.

Third, don’t be afraid of discovering problems in the vote count because you don’t know how or who should pay for the full recount. There’s no dollar figure that can be affixed to the value of the public’s confidence in the outcome our electoral competitions.

Fourthly, don’t treat vendors machines and software used in elections any differently than you do vendors of other services, require them to stand behind their products and to put their money where the mouth is by requiring performance bonds equal to the cost of a full hand recount for every race in which their equipment was used to determine the winner. This isn’t a far-fetched idea. North Carolina passed such a law after 2004.

If the concern is that we already signed the contract with the vendors, remember that these guys are still getting big bucks from the maintence contracts and the software upgrades they install. Require the performance bonds on the new software and rigorous tests by the state on existing hardware before each election.

This wouldn’t be a radical course to take, it would be the financially responsible one to pursue. Considering the New York Times, January 4th report by Christopher Drew, in which it was reported that Ciber Inc, of Greenwood CO., the “laboratory that has tested most of the nation’s electronic voting systems has been temporarily barred from approving new machines after federal officials found that it was not following its quality-control procedures and could not document that it was conducting all the required tests.” It would seem appropriate that the state of New Mexico, would seek further assurances from the vendor of our voting systems as to the effectiveness of their product and that these assurances take the form of Surety Bonds.

If, in the course of examining the initial tabulated results, the state / county should discover errors between the machine count and the hand count to warrant a full hand count, then the cost would be paid for by the bond, since in essence it would be necessary due to the failure of the vendors product.

Furthermore, this would free up state funds to be used where they should be, in examining a large enough percentage of the vote to ensure the accuracy of the final tally and not in paying for the recount should a flaw in the system be discovered.

If ever there were a service that should be financed with tax payer money it's elections.

The priority for the state and local government has to be must be the public's confidence in the results of our electoral competitions. Trying to kick the bill down the candidates only suggests we're pinching pennies and cutting corners when it comes to counting votes.

But if the state were to stop being a disinterested party when it comes setting the standard for how votes are counted and required the vendors to guarantee their product the way other vendors do when dealing with the state, then maybe the state could take its proper role as the lead advocate for accuracy in our electoral process.

Technorati Tags: CD 1, Elections, New Mexico, Politics, Voting

From Stop the War Machine: Political Symposium on Iraq after the 2006 Elections

Andrew Ross (formerly of the Naval War College) to host war panel at UNM
tomorrow. Ross hosted the Reliable Replacement Warhead symposium in
September at which people were prevented from dissenting and Bob was
arrested. Ross is the Lockheed Martin professor of war and empire at UNM
and will be joined by Mark Peceny who supported the war and empire
symposium.

______

Panel Discussion to be Held on “The November Elections, the New Congress and
Iraq”

The University of New Mexico Department of Political Science, Political
Science Graduate Student Association, Office for Policy, Security, and
Technology, and Institute for Public Policy present “The November Elections,
the New Congress, and Iraq: A Panel Discussion,” Friday, Jan. 26, Noon-1:30
pm, Student Union Building, Ballroom C.

Did the November 2006 midterm elections represent a political realignment?
What are the consequences of a return to divided government in Washington?
Is the United States changing course in Iraq? Should it? How might the 2008
presidential elections shape up?

Join Political Science faculty Lonna R. Atkeson, Mark Peceny, Michael S.
Rocca, Andrew L. Ross and Christine M. Sierra for a broad-ranging, incisive
discussion of these and other questions about the implications of the
November 2006 elections, the shift in control of Congress, and the debate on
the way ahead in Iraq.

For more information contact Andrew L. Ross, Professor of Political Science
and Director, Office for Policy, Security, and Technology at [email protected]
or 277-7391, or Ms. Stephanie Grant, OPST Program Administrator, at
[email protected] or 277-1391.

http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/001655.html#more
_________

Mayor Forms Exploritory Committee To Start Leveling Field Against Denish

KOBTV.com - Chavez forms committe for governor's race

Last Update: 01/23/2007 12:25:14 PM
By: Reed Upton

Video

Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez says that he has formed an exploratory committee to consider a campaign for governor.
Chavez, in a phone call to the Eyewitness News 4 newsroom, said that he formed the committee and is making his announcement because Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish has already declared herself to be in the race for governor and is raising campaign money.
Governor Bill Richardson, who is seeking the Democrat's nomination for president, is serving his second term as governor and cannot run for the office again.
Chavez, who is currently serving his third term as mayor, ran before for governor.  He won the Democratic nomination for the office in 1998 but was defeated by incumbent governor Gary Johnson in the general election.
Chavez is the only person ever to be reelected as mayor under the city’s current form of government and the only person to serve back-to-back terms as mayor.
He is a former Westside state legislator.     

The Richardson--Kissinger Connection

Richardson's rise: Tracking Gov. Bill Richardson's Political Career

JANUARY 2001: Leaves the federal government. Begins work as senior managing director of [Henry] Kissinger McLarty Associates, headed by the former secretary of state. He also takes work as a part-time lecturer at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and United World College in Montezuma, N.M., and gets named to boards of several businesses and organizations.

Technorati Tags: Bill_Richardson, Henry+Kissinger

A Small Room For Big Ambitions

Ched MacQuigg, candidate for APS School Board on a crowded room of candidates at a recent League of Women Voters Forum.

The room only holds 60 people to begin with. If you make room for 10 candidates, their families and supporters, the media’s disingenuous appearance, several members of a publicly funded, private police force "just in case", and a lawyer or two from Modrall;

Independent Analysis of Election Canvass Reveals Major Errors

Analysis being conducted by election integrity experts of New Mexico's 2006 certified canvass results have already identified two alarming oversights.

____________________________________

Bernalillo County Precinct 557 Total Vote CD1 = 1271 Votes 

County Summary signature roster = 992
 

see SOS 2006 Canvas Report County Summary page 31 of 35 line 13, Bernalillo PDF page 136.

see SOS 2006 Canvas Report County Summary page 35 of 35 line 13, Bernalillo PDF page 140 line 13.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bernalillo County Precinct 407 signature roster exceeds the number of voters registered in that precinct as of Nov 7, 2006.

Signature Roster = 1004  see SOS 2006 Canvas Report County Summary page 25 of 35 line 04, Bernalillo PDF page 130

.

Precinct 407 Total registration = 876 see New Mexico Voter Registration Statistics Report Jurisdiction/Precinct November 07, 2006 page 7 Bernalillo PCT 407 see last column "Total Registration."

Download the canvas and voter registration report HERE

Technorati Tags: Elections, NM, Bernalillo

Tobacco Settlement Payments Reduced Because Companies Making Less Money

Beacon Journal | 01/19/2007 | Funding could go up in smoke:
Ohio could find itself shorted tens of millions of dollars in tobacco-settlement funds if a Wall Street analyst is correct.

Bear Stearns Cos. said late Thursday that it has learned that payments scheduled to be made this year to states that participated in a 1998 health-care settlement with cigarette makers could be reduced $1.14 billion from a projected $6.45 billion.

That is a reduction of about 17 percent.

Ohio is budgeted to receive $295 million in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, and a like amount in the next. If the reduction is applied across the board, Ohio's payment could be cut to $244 million.

About $251 million of Ohio's tobacco settlement money in the coming fiscal year is slated to go to construction of school buildings. The rest was slated for programs such as biomedical research and public health.

New York-based Bear Stearns, citing unnamed industry sources, said the Brattle Group, a consulting firm hired by the states and cigarette makers, issued a preliminary report earlier this week finding that the restrictions imposed by the accord have been a ``significant factor'' in reducing manufacturers' market share.

Cigarette makers may use the decision to withhold part of the projected $6.5 billion they owe states this year under a provision that allows them to adjust payments based on market share. A final report from the Brattle Group is due in February, Bear Stearns said.

Technorati Tags: Politics

The Climactic Richardson Release: NM Governor Announces Presidential Campaign Exploratory Committee

For Immediate Release
Contact: Pahl Shipley
505.982.2291 | [email protected]

January 21, 2007

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Announces Presidential Campaign Exploratory Committee

Richardson has unparalleled experience and proven record of success as a Congressman, UN Ambassador, Energy Secretary, and Governor

SANTA FE, NM--New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced the formation of a Presidential campaign exploratory committee, with the clear intention of seeking the Democratic nomination for President in 2008.

"I am taking this step because we have to repair the damage that's been done to our country over the last six years," said Richardson. "Our reputation in the world is diminished, our economy has languished, and civility and common decency in government has perished."

"The next president of the United States must get our troops out of Iraq without delay. Before I became Governor of New Mexico, I served as Ambassador to the United Nations and as Secretary of Energy. I know the Middle East well and it's clear that our presence in Iraq isn't helping any longer," said Richardson.

"Our next President must be able to bring a country together that is divided and partisan," said Richardson. "It is clear that Washington is broken and it's going to take a return to bipartisanship and simple respect for each other's views to get it fixed. Most public policy solutions these days are coming from Governors and state government. On issues like the environment, jobs, and health care, state governments are leading the way. And that's because we can't be partisan or we won't get our jobs done. That's a lesson I've learned as Governor and that's what I'll do as President."

When New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson speaks about embracing diversity, the American dream, and public service, he speaks from unparalleled experience. Born November 15, 1947 in Pasadena, California to an American father and Mexican mother, Governor Richardson grew up in Mexico City before moving to New England, where he attended high school and college. He has dedicated his life to public service, as a United States Congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy, and now as Governor of New Mexico.

This past November, Richardson won re-election to his second term as Governor of New Mexico with a resounding 69% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in state history. He was supported by Democrats, Republicans and Independents, winning in both urban and rural counties. New Mexicans overwhelmingly endorsed Governor Richardson's aggressive efforts to improve education, cut taxes, build a high-wage economy, expand health care access, invest in renewable energy and make New Mexico safer.

Bill Richardson's fiscally responsible governing style has allowed New Mexico to tackle important priorities, while maintaining a balanced budget and the highest reserves in state history. He cut $230 million in bureaucratic waste, invested in new opportunities for New Mexico's children and returned more than $1 billion dollars in taxes to working families. His innovative policies have turned New Mexico's economy around, with 84,000 new jobs, rising personal income and a growing high tech sector that includes manufacturing, aviation, and renewable energy.

As Secretary of Energy to President Bill Clinton, Bill Richardson implemented tough efficiency standards to save energy. And as Governor, he has made New Mexico the Clean Energy State by requiring utility companies to produce energy through renewable resources and reduce carbon emissions.

Before becoming Governor, Bill Richardson served in Congress for 15 years and helped President Clinton pass the economic plan that created millions of jobs and led America to its first balanced budget in 30 years.

Appointed by President Clinton as the Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson worked with world leaders to build alliances and help prevent the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea. Bill Richardson has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the release of hostages, American servicemen and political prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba. Governor Richardson recently negotiated a 60-day cease fire in war-torn Darfur following direct talks with rebel leaders and the President of Sudan.

As Chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association, Governor Richardson raised more than $28 million for gubernatorial candidates and helped elect the first Democratic majority of governors since 1994. Governor Richardson also served as Chair of the Western Governors Association, Border Governor's Conference and the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Bill Richardson has been married to his high school sweetheart, Barbara, for 33 years. Richardson received a BA from Tufts in 1970 and a MA from Tuft's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971.

The Bill Richardson for President Exploratory Committee will be headquartered in New Mexico. Key staff will include:

Dave Contarino: Contarino ran Richardson's first campaign for Governor, served as his Chief of Staff for 3 years and most recently was the Chair of his re-election campaign.

Amanda Cooper: Cooper was Richardson's re-election Campaign Manager and Fundraising Director. Cooper oversaw raising $14 million for the Governor's re-election campaign and led the effort to raise $28 million for the DGA in Governor Richardson's two year term as Chair.

Pahl Shipley: Shipley was most recently the Communications Director and Chief Spokesperson in the Office of Governor Bill Richardson. Shipley is a 25-year award-winning veteran of television news and prior to working for Richardson, he served as the News Director at KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Colleen Turrentine: Turrentine served as the national fundraising director for the Democratic Leadership Council. Before that, she worked for the 2004 Joe Lieberman presidential campaign.

Richardson's Senior Advisors will include:

Steve Murphy: Murphy is a founding partner of Murphy Putnam Media, a premiere Washington media consulting firm. Murphy was Dick Gephardt's National Campaign Manager in 2003-2004 and managed his Iowa caucus campaign in 1988.

Mike Stratton: Stratton has served in numerous senior roles in several Democratic Presidential Campaigns and has served as a long-time Senior Political Advisor to Richardson.

Mark Putnam: Putnam, a founding partner of Murphy Putnam media, has been a media consultant and campaign strategist for over two decades. He's written, directed, and produced over 1,000 commercials for campaigns in 46 states, including helping elect five Governors, six U.S. Senators, and dozens of members of the U.S. House.

Jeff Eller: Eller is the CEO of Public Strategies in Austin, and a veteran of the Clinton 1992 Campaign and the White House.

Jennifer Yocham Poersch: Yocham Poersch, a former deputy finance director for the 2004 Lieberman campaign, will work with Cooper on national fundraising. Poersch worked for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, including a stint as senior adviser to committee chairwoman, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington

Joe Velasquez: Velasquez is Richardson's advisor on Labor and Political Affairs. Velasquez was the Head of the Department of Community Service for the AFL-CIO. Additionally, he was a former member of the DNC staff and a Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President Bill Clinton.

Calvin Humphrey: Humphrey has worked with Richardson for many years as his Foreign Policy Advisor, traveling to Iraq and most recently, Sudan on hostage rescue and other missions. Humphrey served as the Democratic Staff Director, Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives and previously was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of International Affairs.

Andre Pineda: Pineda is the Founder and President of Pineda Consulting, a California-based, Latino-owned firm specializing in political polling and strategic communications. Pineda has over 15 years of experience working for some of the biggest names in the political consulting business - Peter Hart, Geoff Garin, Fred Yang, Rich Schlackman, and Stan Greenberg.

Suzanne Cole Nowers: Nowers is the CEO of Nexus Direct, a top direct marketing firm, who worked for Richardson's re-election and whose clients include the DSCC to coordinate our direct mail fundraising.

To view Governor Bill Richardson's video statement in both English and Spanish please go to: www.richardsonforpresident.com
 

Technorati Tags: Bill_Richardson, Bill_Richardson_For_President_2008

Bill Richardson For President Website And Issue Positions

Bill Richardson for President Exploratory Committee | On The Issues | On The Issues

Iraq
Our next President must be able to get us out of Iraq -- I think that it's obvious George Bush is too stubborn to face the reality that our presence in Iraq isn't helping any longer. I've served as our Ambassador to the UN, President Clinton's Special Envoy, and as Secretary of Energy. I know this region well, I've been there, I even met with Saddam Hussein and secured the release of hostages. And I know what has to be done. We need to be frank with the Iraqis that we've done our part and it's time for them to take over responsibility for their own security. We should take the lead in facilitating national reconciliation and bringing in other countries from the region to do their part, and we need to get real about helping rebuild Iraq and creating jobs for the 40 percent who are out of work. Assuming George Bush doesn't do that, and I think that's a safe assumption, I believe with my foreign policy and diplomatic experience and willingness to state a clear, unequivocal policy I'm the best candidate to get it done. And I'm confident I can make that point in the campaign.

National Security/Foreign Policy
Our next President must be able to restore our standing in the world and I believe I'm the best candidate to do that as well. As someone who has successfully negotiated with some of the world's toughest tyrants, I know face-to-face diplomacy can work. To become a respected international leader again, we need a national security policy that is tough and smart, a military second to none, a firm commitment to building diplomatic alliances, we need to defeat terrorism, and that's our number one national security challenge, we need to promote freedom, alleviate poverty, and stop global warming. The current administration has done none of those things and that means the next president must be able to get started in the first hundred days, again with a clear agenda and proven ability to get the job done.

Partisanship
Our next President must be able to bring a country together that is divided and partisan. That's the way I've operated as Governor and that's what I'll do as President. Frankly, I think Washington is broken and it's going to take a return to bipartisanship and simple respect for each other's views to get it fixed. All the public policy solutions these days are coming from Governors and state government -- on the environment, jobs and the economy, health care -- it's coming from the states. And that's because we can't be partisan or we won't get our jobs done. That's a lesson I've learned as Governor and that's what I would do as President. I just got re-elected with 69 percent of the vote-in a red state- and I got 40 percent of the Republican vote. I can bring people together to solve problems.

Environment/Energy
Our next President must be able to start reversing Global Warming and making real progress on energy independence and that means making a real commitment to renewable sources of energy. That's what I've done in New Mexico where we're requiring that 10 percent of all energy come from renewable sources and we're moving toward 20 percent, we've provided incentives for solar, wind, biofuels and other renewables, and again that's what I'll do as President. As Energy Secretary I implemented tough efficiency standards that have saved consumers billions in energy costs. Everybody talks the talk on these issues -- I've done it.

Jobs/Economy
Our next President must be able to make our economy work for the middle class and start creating good paying jobs again. In New Mexico, one of the poorest states in the nation, we've created 84,000 new jobs, many of them high tech jobs in industries like renewable energy, aerospace, and communications. We've done that with innovative approaches like a tax credit for companies who create good paying jobs, tax incentives for start up high tech businesses, and targeting job creation in rural areas. We've done it by making a real investment in public education, paying our teachers more but tying those increases to tough standards, and by using our resources more wisely, with less money for school administration and more in the classroom. And we did it with tax cuts, the right tax cuts, and with a balanced budget. Getting back to a balanced budget is a big part of sustained economic growth, too, the kind of growth that creates good jobs and actually reduces poverty. And that's what I'll do as President. We need to work with business, that's where the jobs are created after all, instead of engaging in ideological warfare, and we need the right kind of tax incentives, not just tax cuts for the wealthy and income transfers from the middle class to big corporations.

Healthcare
We must work to provide health insurance and access to quality, affordable health care, for all Americans and frankly we'd save a lot of money by doing it. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars every year paying the costs of health care for the uninsured. In New Mexico, a poor state, we have faced huge health care challenges. However, we've extended health insurance to tens of thousands of New Mexicans -- kids, working families, and small businesses -- and we're working on a plan to cover every person. The bottom line is that people must have good coverage that works.

Immigration
As the California-born son of an American father and a Mexican mother, and as the Governor of a border state, I understand better than most the effects of immigration on our country -- legal and illegal. I declared a state of emergency on New Mexico's border to crack down on illegal activity and protect our citizens. I also believe we must pass comprehensive immigration reform to help secure our borders, protect our workers and our economy, and to be true to the ideals that have made this country great -- a country of immigrants.

Technorati Tags: Bill_Richardson, Bill_Richardson_For_President_2008