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

[SDMack]

Lamont Williams? Why doesn't WVWV use its own name in its robocalls and mailers? Why would any legitimate "non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to bringing the voices of unmarried women to our democracy" hide behind a fictitious name? If this is just a mistake, just "confusion," why is it a recurring pattern?

The whole story: http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/04/facing-south-exclusive-dc-nonprofit.asp

This group is not a legitimate GOTV organization. More dirty tricks, Nixon-Rove-Clinton style.

[burnt]

You've got a bad case of the Harry Ickes, Page... that spinning sensation that you "feel"... serious trouble.

Hillary and Bill - putting the "nasty" in Dynasty since 1992

[drmavis]

Ms. Gardner,

Do you honestly think we're that stupid to not see through this?
Shame on you and your organization for this kind of behavior.
Absolutely despicable the tactics the Clintonistas will go to in order to maintain their grip on power.
Samantha Power was right.

DrMavis

[Bill3rdterm]

Look at you robots, attacking HRC as if somehow she is beyond some evil plan. Explain to me how, not having woman vote helps HRC? I'm still waiting for that answer.

[ched]

Robot here with your answer. The calls did not go out to single women voters, the group ostensibly aimed at, but instead went out to black voters. Moron.

[drmavis]

And why were these calls to "women" being made by a man named "Lamont Williams" ? Is this the best way to reach women?

[jethrock]

Can you spell Felony Page?

Clinton and her surrogates will truly stop at nothing.

This is just another example of why we need Obama in the oval office.

[MadamBlu]

Page,

This is simply not believable. As a single woman, I registered to vote via the Rock the Vote website. I printed out a form and mailed it to my state election committee. Never once was I asked to send Rock the Vote ANYTHING. Exactly what are these people sending you, and exactly what are you doing with these forms once you receive them back?

As far as the "Lamont Williams" calls (is there even anyone in your organization named Lamont Williams?), even telemarketers have to give a phone number where the person receiving the call can register a complaint. You're messing with something as sacred as voting and you're blocking the caller ID on these calls and not offering any further information or a number for people to call? It seems to me that if you have enough people to send out these 3 million 'voter registration packets', you would have a few people who could field some phone calls and answer a few questions.

Underhanded tactics look especially bad in an election that is watched as closely as this one.

[ched]

Sorry, lady. Not buying it.

You and your organization have launched the same voter suppresion campaign in far too many primary states for it to be mere coincidence. One would have thought that, after having been caught making hundreds of thousands of anonymous robocalls in Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Colorado and Arizona, all on separate occasions, and all on the eve of the primary (but after the voter registration deadline), implying that the targets aren't registered to vote, you would not have made the same illegal mistakes in North Carolina. One would be wrong.

Likewise, your pattern of sending deceptive mass mailings to minority voters insinuating that those voters are not registered when in fact they are -- again after the voter registration deadline -- belies your claim of innocence and ignorance of the law.

You are BUSTED, and better hire a good lawyer to replace your spokesperson, Ms. Johnson, whose "oops, sorry, I guess we missed the deadline" response to government and electoral officials is growing very, very tired.

[budfox]

A legitimate question: Is Women's Voices being used by Clinton operatives to try and suppress the vote of those voter whose demographics point to them being potential Obmaa voters ?

This appears to be a sophisiticated operation with built in deniability for the Clinton campaign.
Josh Marshall and TPM are on the case and hopefully the truth will come out.

[NavyMom]

DailyKos and TPM have blogs on the strong connections of the group behind the calls to Clinton supporters. Apparently this disgraceful tactic has a major Clinton connection.

[FLRhetoric]

Seems to be a lot of "confusion" everywhere this organization goes and they always seem to be surprised. Why is that?

It's time for the authorities to step in and put a sop t the well-crafted "confusion" that seems an inherent part of this group's efforts.

[Biracial1]

Maggie Williams sits on the leadership board. Go figure....

[Redmom]

So, Page how much money have you and John Podesta given to the Clinton Campaign?

All of sold your good names to get Clinton in the White House.

Shame on you.

[Siren]

Not only Maggie Williams, but Joe Goode who did polling for Bill Clinton in '92, and John Podesta, Clinton Chief of Staff 98-01. This is nothing but a very well funded group left sitting on standby for these shady purposes. Money goes in, consulting fees are taken, money gets shuffled and wa-la. Robo calls on demand at the time demanded.

And Gardener has made full donations to Hillary and nothing to Obama. Podesta donated a thousand to Obama, but well before Obama announced his candidacy for POTUS.

Further the target group is bogus. Too many other groups of voters have gotten these deceptive calls(white men, African Americans, pets, deceased people) well after registration deadlines but before the states primary for this to be anything but a menace that has broken some laws. I have called the NC Attorney Generals office and forwarded the info to them with a demand for an investigation. I called the DNC and demanded an investigation.

This 501c group has been a menace to voters, registrars offices have been needlessly hampered in there duties as freightened voters placed calls to ask if in deed they were registered to vote.

[gaiilonfong]

THEY ARE LIARS...th­is is all part of Hillary Rove Clinton(NeoCCon-NY) plan to disenfranchise voters...w­hat a disgrace..­.she needs to be thrown out of the democratic Party and LOSE her Senate seat....th­ey are as bas as Bush

[Bill3rdterm]

Take off your tin foil hat and come back down from your Obama High.

[Disgusted2010]

Take off your blinders. Your gal is a NEOcon. A crook, cheater, liar. No decent Dem will ever cast a vote for her. Ever.

[LCA]

So, why doesn't your group identify itself in the misleading calls from "Lamont"? Why is your group calling so many voters that are already registered? Why don't tell us which candidate the members of your board of directors contributed to? You are not a transparent group, and you have not abided by election laws.

[Biracial1]

Maggie Williams should be rejected/denounced by Hillary. I'm waiting for the press conference.


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

Holly Schadler, Lichtman, Trister & Ross, PLLC

[LCA]

Wow, all those Clinton supporters on that list. Fancy that. Hmmmmmmmm.

[LAJonathan]

Page, you forgot to mention these calls are illegal.

[dinger]

In each state, the Women's Voices campaigns have brought the same news and the same themes, again and again: 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.