Confusion Surrounding Robo-Calls in North Carolina

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

Comments

[noahsmom823]

Liar, liar, pants on fire! In bed with Hillary, eh? Ooooh, bad move on your part.

[prototypek]

My bullshit meter is at full tilt... Your organization is deceitful and your "registration" efforts are nothing more than a criminal enterprise engaged in voter suppression.

[PennP]

According to SourceWatch, Maggie Williams, Hillary Clinton's longtime buddy and current campaign manager, is or was on the "Leadership Team" of Women's Voices, Women Vote.

Let's think about this. If you have hundreds, thousands of people coming to the polls on election day who think they're registered, thanks to this group, but are not, you're going to have a lot of chaos and distress. It could lead to claims of voter registration fraud, claims that have been manufactured by this group's fraudulent assurances to would-be voters.

What would be the upshot of that kind of outcome? How could these events benefit the Clinton campaign? What other results might this kind of tampering with the process produce?

[newpantaloons]

Here's a list:

WOMEN'S VOICES Leadership Team
Page S. Gardner, Founder and President, WVWV
Joe Goode, Executive Director, WVWV
Ruth Ferguson, Chief Finance Officer, WVWV
Nancy McDonald, Resource Development Director, WVWV
Hal Malchow, President, MSHC Partners
Pat Griffin, Griffin Williams Critical Point Management
MAGGIE WILLIAMS, Griffin Williams Critical Point Management

Directors
Page S. Gardner, Founder and President, WVWV
Ashley James, Student Activist, De Paul University
Michael Lux, President, American Family Voices
Mimi Mager, Partner, Heidepriem & Mager
John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress
Margaret Rheinstein, Community Activist

Advisory Board
Chair - Barbara Lee, RW
Patricia Bauman
Heather Booth
Chris Desser
Anna Greenberg
Anne Hess
Richard Plepler
Ruth Skovron
Gloria Steinem
WVWV Legal Counsel

Also this, posted by FreeForAll on Talking Points Memo

First of all, WVWV is a 501 c 3 organization which means they cannot do anything to support a particular candidate.
WVWV spent $88,842.00 for "strategic planning" from Griffin William CPM. Isn't that Maggie Williams company? They also spent $225,854.00 on polling and focus groups from Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research. Why would a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to voter registration have to spend that kind of money on focus groups?

There is also a company called Woman Voices Women Votes Action Fund which is a 501(c)(4). The same people seem to be on both boards.

[minneapolismn]

Great catch. It's nice to see this site has no journalistic integrity and will let anyone write a spin/advertisement under the guise of news.

[evekendall]

All Clinton operatives.

[bellecloche]

Do you then deny the allegations, Ms. Gardner, that your organization broke North Carolina law by using an automated voice message with an untraceable, blocked phone number?

[metropolitan]

geez, if you do a google image search for "lamont williams" you mostly get african americans. is it a coincidence this name was picked?
http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en&q=%22Lamont%20Williams%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

[sfbayani]

This should be properly investigated.
If your group is found guilty of either federal or state law,
you should pay the price for it - and the IRS should remove your 501(c)(3) status.
Here's calling the authorities, please!

[AllaboutME]

Race Vs Gender. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

[rubyji]

Today, I am ashamed of my previous support for WVWV. They claim that their campaign in North Carolina was designed to get unregistered, single, female voters to register to vote in the November general election. However, there is overwhelming evidence indicating quite the opposite.

* The voice on the calls is a male calling himself “Lamont Williams.” Not exactly ideal for the supposedly female target audience.

* Many of the people who received the calls are married, male, and/or already registered.

* WVWV is no newcomer to politics. They have been operating since at least 2004. They are a well-funded organization with a savvy staff. The two top leaders each have at least two decades of political experience a piece.

* In fact, many WVWV staff and advisors gained experience working for the Clinton Whitehouse. For example, board member John Podesta served as President Clinton’s Chief of Staff for over two years.

* There is no way that these seasoned political operatives could have missed the fact of our prominent May 6 primary, or that anyone with experience in voter engagement wouldn’t be fully aware of the timing involved.

I can only logically conclude that they are either intentionally suppressing voters or are criminally negligent and unable to carry out their stated mission of “Improving unmarried women’s participation in the electorate and policy process.” Either way, the only responsible step I can imagine is immediately cease operations and consider whether to reorganize or disband this organization.

[PennP]

So you think the targets may be already-registered voters--an attempt to create confusion, and possibly the sense in those voters' minds that they are NOT actually registered----so they won't bother going to the polls?

If the targets are largely African-American, that would bear out the hypothesis. Regardless, this is the kind of thing Keith Olbermann seems to like to get his mitts on. Enough nefarity, big names, big money, and a disingenous statement by the "founder." Hmmm.

[StephenS]

You really think that WVWV wants fewer people to vote? If you read the article above, you'll see that they got about 27,000 new North Carolina voters through previous mailings this election cycle.

Here's WVWV's 20-second phone message, as recorded on an answering machine:

"Hello. This is Lamont Williams. In the next few days, you will receive a voter registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is fill it out, sign it, date and return your application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard. Please return the registration form when it arrives. Thank you."

It does not mention WVWV, but it's just a robo-notification that a voter registration packet is coming.

You're right that, even if they're focused on the fall election, it's really dumb of them in the last couple of days to mail this set of forms between the deadline for potential Democrats to register to vote for the primary and the primary itself.

You're wrong if you think that mailing lists and phone lists will screen out everyone except unmarried women - you buy the best list you can find and afford.

[rubyji]

Well, if they're not trying to depress voter turnout, then they're criminally incompetent. Given the extensive political resumes of the staff and board of WVWV, it's hard to believe they could be that ignorant about outreach. I just can't logically believe that these pros would do something this poorly.

[inthemachine]

do a google image search for "Lamont Williams"
it tells you everything you need to know about the motivation for these "confusions"

[bridgietherease]

This is such a dirty trick!!! Unbelievable. You people are no better than Nixon!

[metropolitan]

* In Arizona last November, election officials were "inundated with complaints" after Women's Voices sent a mailing erroneously claiming that recipients were "required" to mail back an enclosed voter registration form. Many who received the mailing were already registered; the mailing also gave the wrong registration date. Secretary of State Jan Brewer denounced the group's tactics as "misleading and deceptive." A similar mailing in Colorado that month "[drew] fire and caused confusion," according to a state press release.

* In Wisconsin, state officials singled out Women's Voices for misleading and possibly disenfranchising voters, stating in a press release [PDF]: "One group in particular -- Women's Voices. Women Vote, of Washington, D.C. -- apparently ignored or disregarded state deadlines in seeking to register voters," sending in registrations past the January 30 deadline and 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. Sarah Johnson of Women's Voices "seemed confused by the confusion."

* A 1.5 million-piece Women's Voices mailing in Florida falsely stated: "To comply with state voting requirements, please return the enclosed application." Pasco County's elections supervisor called it "disingenuous"; another said it created "a lot of unnecessary panic on behalf of the voters," reported local newspapers. Sarah Johnson of Women's Voice said, "I'm sorry to hear that."

[luvthelaw]

That's really sad. If they were really trying to help women, this is just too embarrassing. I would hate to think they were really so incompetent and never learned from their mistakes. If they were trying to confuse those they thought were likely Obama supporters, it is simply beyond disgraceful.

[the964kid]

I don't see any difference between Hillary Clinton and Karl Rove. No morals or ethics for either. I actually think its good that Hillary is showing the entire country just how petty, desperate, and pathetic she is.

[elioteo]

WVWV also did polling and voter registration efforts in NH, where "exit surveys suggest nearly a 30-point swing between Iowa and New Hampshire among unmarried women, one of the highest swings of any major demographic subgroups."

I'm sure the HIllary campaign's direct mail hit piece that erroneously questioned Obama's commitment to choice helped too.

I didn't think 501(c)(3)s could get involved with stuff like researching and polling and developing targeted mail for political campaigns?

[qwr]

I don't believe you.

[BDunne]

WHATEVER!

Maggie Williams, Hillary Clinton's Campaign Manager, sits on the board of Women's Voices Women's Votes, the DC Nonprofit behind the NC Robo-Calls. These calls have been clearly programmed to suppress AA votes. This same company has engaged in similar campaigns in 11 states, including the VA and OH primaries. It has attributed its actions to innocent mistakes in each case, many of which have broken state (and federal?) laws.