This week, more than 276,000 North Carolina residents received a voter registration application from Women's Voices, Women Vote. North Carolina is one of 24 states where we mailed a total of more than 3 million voter registration applications.
In addition to the mailing, calls were made to mail recipients for whom we have working phone numbers to alert the household they would be receiving a voter registration form and encouraging them to register to vote. In advance of the mail, a letter was sent and calls were made to Gary Bartlett in the North Carolina Board of Elections Office notifying them of the intent and content of our mailing effort. A copy of the letter and a press release sent to North Carolina media announcing the registration effort is attached.
We understand concerns have been raised about the source of phone calls placed by Women's Voices, Women Vote. These calls were our sincere attempt to encourage voter registration for those not registered for the general election this fall. We understand North Carolina's primary registration effort deadline was April 11, (other than those participating in early voting who may register and vote at the same time this week). We apologize for any confusion our calls may have caused. Our intent and purpose was solely to call attention to the registration applications we hope will be completed and returned to the Board of Elections office making thousands more North Carolinians participants in one of the most important elections of our lifetimes.
Women's Voices. Women Vote has been in contact with the North Carolina State Board of Elections to work together to resolve any confusion regarding our voter registration efforts. Women's Voices. Women vote is also working with its mail vendor and postal officials in North Carolina in an attempt to delay the delivery of the voter registration applications until after the primary.
Women's Voices. Women Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to bringing the voices of unmarried women to our democracy. Our goal in this election cycle is to register 1 million of these women on their own, in turn helping to bring their concerns regarding making affordable health care, equal pay for equal work and a brighter future for themselves and the lives of their families, to the forefront of the election this fall.
Already this cycle, our voter registration efforts have generated more than 26,600 registration applications in North Carolina. Women's Voices. Women Vote first registered voters in North Carolina in 2004. Nationally, Women's Voices Women Vote registered over 100,000 new voters in both 2004 and 2006. Since July of 2007, almost 400,000 additional individuals have returned our applications in anticipation of participating in the 2008 general election.
Bryant (Ethel Bryant, Edgecombe County Board of Elections) agreed the method seems to be working. "They send out the voter's applications in a pre-packaged envelope with postage paid," she said. "Many are female and from rural areas, where it is harder to run out and get a stamp to post a letter. Since it doesn't need a stamp, they are able to drop it right in the mail."
"Voter Registration Cards Pour In," The Daily Southerner, February 29, 2008"This is, by far, the largest we've seen," Johnnie Mclean (deputy director of the State Board of Elections) said. One reason for the state's uptick are prefilled voter registration applications from a Washington-based voting advocacy (WVWV) group that were mailed to thousands of private mailboxes in North Carolina. Recipients can verify their information and mail the cards to the state elections office.
"Young Voters: Sign Us Up", Greensboro News-Record, March 9, 2008
I applaud the NAACP for filing a formal voter suppression complaint against WVWV. I also applaud Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who filmed a PSA for the group) for denouncing the WVWV's misleading NC robo calls.
We should not sweep this under the rug just because the group is headed by Democrats. What is important is the integrity of the vote and equal protection of the voter.
SHAME ON WVWV! I would had never guessed that members of the Democratic Party would engage in this horrific practice.
Connections: Served as as deputy politcal director for Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign and presidential transition team.
Donations: $4,200 to Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign in 2005; $2,500 to HillPAC in 2006.
2. Joe Goode, executive director
Connections: Pollster for Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.
3. Micheal Lux, board member
Connections: Worked on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, and later served as his special asst. for public liaison.
Donations: $2,500 to Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign in 2000-2001; $1,000 to HillPAC in 2002.
4. Mimi Mager, board member
Connections: Member of the Clinton-Gore transition team; founding member of Emily's List, which supports Hillary.
Donations: $2,000 to Hillary Clinton in 2007.
5. John Podesta, board member
Connections: Former chief of staff for President Clinton.
Donations: $2,300 to Hillary Clinton in 2007; $1,000 to HillPAC in 2001; $2,000 to Hillary's Senate campaign in 2000.
6. Hal Malchow, leadership team
Connections: Hillary Clinton's campaign owes Malchow's firm, MSHC Partners, nearly $1 million for printing expenses.
Donations: $2,000 to Hillary's Senate campaign in 1999-2000 and $2,100 in 2005.
7. Pat Griffin, leadership team
Connections: Former top advisor to President Clinton; served as asst. to the president for legislative affairs.
Donations: $4,600 to Hillary Clinton in 2007; $3,000 to Clinton from 2000-2005.
8. Maggie Williams, leadership team
Connections: Current campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, and many other ties to the Clintons.
Donations: $4,600 to Hillary Clinton in 2007.
Page S Gardner
1325 Darnall Dr
Mc Lean, VA 22101-3009
(703) 821-3374
Tell her Lamont says hello.
Asking Hillary about her association with this group (or the groups association with her) would be worthwhile as well.
Do yourself a Google search on the the name Lamont Williams, after you see the #1 link that comes up, note the description of the 'link'.
Nice eh?
Now hit the link at the top of Google for 'Images'.
Wow, it just doesn't get any better than that does it???
Mercy........
===============================================
ms. gardner
has your "non-partisan" organisation apologised to voters in
ARIZONA
COLORADO
WISCONSIN
MICHIGAN
FLORIDA
ARKANSAS
LOUISIANA
KENTUCKY
and OHIO
where you have employed the exact same highly questionable and barely legal (if not actually illegal) tactics to confuse and disenfranchise voters ???
ALONG WITH YOUR TEAM OF SOPHISTICATED AND HIGHLY SKILLED POLITICAL OPERATIVES, YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING, WHY YOU ARE DOING IT AND WHAT THE INTENDED CONSEQUENSES ARE
YOUR "APOLOGY" IS LAUGHABLE AND MEANINGLESS
Trying to avoid prosecution after being caught is more like it. An organization dedicated to getting women to vote, and has been for years, should know and follow the laws. They have done this in several other states and being investigated in more than one. To say it was a mistake should invite sniper fire.
Sen. Clinton's campaign manager was on the board of this outfit, this just takes it to a new low. They may want every vote to count, but don't want to give every voter a chance to be counted. Beyond sleazy.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4756048&affil=wabc
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4756048&affil=wabc
This organization’s mission statement is to bring ALL under represented groups into the electorate. Their current focus on unmarried women is due to this statistic: For the first time in the US, there are as many unmarried women -- single, separated, divorced, widowed -- as there are married women. These unmarried women account for over ONE QUARTER of all eligible voters in the US, yet they historically don't go to the polls in the same #s as their married counterparts.
African American women comprise 18% of this unmarried total. Why would WVWV purposefully try to disenfranchise the very group they’re targeting to bring to the polls?
WVWV is certainly not about alienating African American voters.
Go to their website (www.wvwv.org) – read their information and see for yourself (see the “Single Black Women Could Impact Vote” article, among others, under their “Research” section). They are not for or against any specific candidate; they are not for or against any specific party; they are truly a non-partisan organization wholly focused on bringing under represented groups into the electorate - a very important mission in this critical time.
Given the documented history of deception and illegal practices, I find the methods used very suspicious and lending no credibility that the group is actually working to accomplishment its stated objectives.
WVWV is clearly tied to one candidate (Clinton) and it seems apparent from the tactics used it is using its pseudo-womens voter group is nothing more than a 527 in disguise. Its disgusting.
All I remember is that they probably broke North Carolina law by not saying "Women's Voices, Women Vote" in their 20-second robo-call to let people know they'd be getting a voter registration packet.
Since Clinton and Obama announced for president, apparently WVWV board member Rheinstein gave $900 to Obama, Podesta gave $2,300 to Clinton, and McNary gave $2,000 to Clinton. Before that, Gardner, Podesta and Lux gave $7,700 or $8,700 to Clinton, and Podesta also gave $1,000 to Obama.
And there is nothing pseudo about mailing out 3 million voter registration packets and registering 400,000 voters since July 2007.
* In Arizona, election officials were "inundated with complaints" after a mailing claimed that recipients were "required" to mail back an enclosed voter registration form - also stating an incorrect registration date. The same occurred in Colorado.
* In Wisconsin, Women's Voices was accused of misleading and possibly disenfranchising voters, stating: "...apparently ignored or disregarded state deadlines in seeking to register voters, causing hundreds of Wisconsin voters who think they registered in advance" to actually not be.
* Michigan officials ended up "fielding tons of calls from confused voters" after Women's Voices did a February mailing to "380,000 unmarried women" -- including numerous deceased voters and even more that were already registered.
* In Florida a mailing falsely stated: "To comply with state voting requirements, please return the enclosed application." Pasco County said it created "a lot of unnecessary panic on behalf of the voters,"
* In Arkansas, a clerk reported that "the majority [of forms] sent back to the county come from registered voters, causing needless labor for office employees."
Problems with the group's tactics have also been documented in Louisiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
In each state, the same news: Deceptive claims and misrepresentations of the law -- sometimes even breaking the law. Wildly inaccurate mailing lists, supposedly aimed at "unregistered single women," but in reality reaching many registered voters as well as families, deceased persons and pets. Tactics that confuse voters and potentially disenfranchise them.
POOR SHOW
This is a huge deal - I'm sure that all of Hillary's loyal supporters would LOVE to know the kinds of Nixon/Rove tactics she's been up to in NC and dozens of other states!
Please, SuperDelegates, please stand up, singly or en masse ~ but soon ~ and bring this madness to a merciful end. If you don't, it will continue to be what it's been and that's one thing after another... after another... after another... after another... after another... after another... after another... ad nauseum. Keeping Hillary Clinton in this race would in the world of employment be termed negative retention.
We need a respectable and ethical person in the White House. One who is even-handed and objective. Someone we can be proud of and in whom we can trust to behave appropriately in all circumstances and situations. The one person on the campaign trail that clearly and unequivocally meets the criterion is Barack Obama, exclusively.