(The Ballot Initiative Strategy Center is a progressive coalition working on ballot initiative stategies for progressives around the country. I helped co-found it 10 years ago and am still on their board. Their exec director, Kristina Wilfore, sent this important guest post in today. - promoted by Mike Lux)
Electoral gimmick deployed for the second time in California. Giuliani-linked campaign hires signature firm with a history of fraud allegations. Ballot Initiative Strategy Center releases new report on possible signature fraud.
You may remember that last month the original authors of the effort to reassign California's presidential electoral votes by Congressional district backed out of the campaign. Their reason? The initiative's main funders - a shadowy group from Missouri - refused to disclose their main backer.
Alas, sometimes you can't keep a bad idea down. The monster has been re-animated by yet another group of national right-wing strategists - many of whom also have close ties to the Giuliani campaign. They claim to have the funds (nearly $2 million) to collect at least 650,000 signatures by the end of November. Republican consultant David Gilliard told the LA Times, "Our budget is going to be whatever it takes to make the June ballot."
The short timeline for petitioning in California makes this effort to steal the Presidential election particularly open to signature fraud on a massive scale. One key member of this "Team Frankenstein" is Mike Arno, whose signature-gathering firm over the years has racked up fraud allegations from attorneys general and boards of elections in five states since Ballot Initiative Strategy Center began tracking signature fraud.
Thank you to the Matt, Mike, and Chris at OpenLeft.com for inviting me to blog here. As a blog reader, but infrequent contributer, I'm excited to join the discussion about how to propel this movement forward and bring together all the allies - national and local, insider and outsider, public figures and grassroots activists. My day job is in the political department of the AFL-CIO. I also work on the Analyst Group which is convened by the AFL-CIO and am co-founder and board member of the New Organizing Institute. That's for disclosure, though what I post here isn't official work of these organizations. Mike's post yesterday about the opportunities and challenges for labor and the netroots to build a strong relationship, has particular resonance for me - and sparked a great discussion. Thanks again to Matt, Chris and Mike for all your work to create this incredible, new space.
Last night, the former Alaskan Democratic party chairman Jake Metcalfe was in DC and stopped to meet with some folks. There was an interesting discussion with him about his background, family, why he decided to run for Congress, and what's important to the Alaskan electorate. Jake stepped down from the state party on Saturday to throw his hat into the ring in 2008 for the single house seat in Alaska. Jake has also worked as an attorney for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 1547) and has a lot to say about labor in Alaska, one of the most union-dense states. Pending the primary in August of 08, the winner will face off against Don Young, who is currently the subject of a criminal inquiry.
