Re-Democratizing Washington
Dear Jim,
How confident are you in the results of the recent election? Do you have absolute certainty that every legal ballot was counted properly, and that no ballots from ineligible voters were counted?
Ballots are still being counted, and numerous races in Washington state have a razor-thin margin. Whether the races are decided by 10 votes or 10,000, we should be able to trust the outcome. Free and fair elections are the foundation of America’s remarkable form of representative government. The principle of “one person, one vote” ensures that all voters share an equal impact in the outcomes of elections. And each person should be a legal voter!
I can’t help but think of the old Joseph Stalin quote: “It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” No thanks! In America the voters should decide the outcome.
Unfortunately, powerful coalitions, political operatives, and unscrupulous individuals are happy to ignore the integrity of our election system in exchange for temporary political gains. News stories are replete with examples. Whether it’s outright voter fraud, improper voter registrations or simple incompetence by elections officials, any number of inaccuracies can affect the outcome of an election. As we’ve seen in Washington state, just a few inaccurate votes can have a dramatic impact.
I believe our elections system requires careful attention all year long—not only in the weeks after ballots are cast. Do you agree?
I helped start the Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s Voter Integrity Project, which for years has worked to improve the electoral process. We have helped with several high-profile cases dealing with election law to ensure that good policies are well defended in court, every legitimate vote is counted, and no illegal votes cancel out the legal ones.
When Dino Rossi lost his bid for the Governor’s race in 2004, we leaped into the debate and were the first ones to point to the election law which only allowed ballots previously counted to be included in a recount. We went on to research detailed information about the voter database and pointed out many problems and possible solutions (including matching voter records to those of felons and those who were deceased).
Some recent election law cases we have helped with include:
- Crawford v. Marion County Election Board: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law that required voters to present government-issued photo identification before voting. We filed a “friend of the court” brief discussing the strong justifications for photo ID laws. This decision has had a far-reaching impact, prompting other states to adopt similar laws, and has been relied upon by numerous other courts upholding other election security laws.
- Gonzalez v. Arizona: We filed a brief supporting an Arizona law that required new voter registrants to show proof of their citizenship. The law was challenged, and the case went before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Not surprisingly, the liberal Ninth Circuit Court threw out the proof of citizenship requirement. We expect the case to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court so it will require our vigilant attention over the next year or so.
- Edelman v. Secretary of State: The Freedom Foundation directly represents a registered voter, Robert Edelman, in his challenge to Washington state’s lax voter registration practices. Federal election law requires the Secretary of State to maintain an accurate voter registration database, but our state is allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote before they are eligible. Our investigation revealed thousands of improper registrations and more than 120 illegal votes over eight years. We will argue case before the Court of Appeals in January 2011. A good ruling would help secure accurate voter registration lists and improve efforts to screen out other ineligible voters.
We have been fighting since 2004 to improve our election system. Some of the problems have been addressed, but fundamental problems remain that make it impossible for us to know whether our election results are accurate. With the help of our Constitutional Law Center, we are continuing the fight to change that, to ensure accurate elections in the future.
We depend on the support of thousands of concerned citizens like you to keep us going. Please consider supporting our efforts to clean up the election system by making a tax-deductible donation today!
For Freedom,
Jonathan Bechtle, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
How confident are you in the results of the recent election? Do you have absolute certainty that every legal ballot was counted properly, and that no ballots from ineligible voters were counted?
Ballots are still being counted, and numerous races in Washington state have a razor-thin margin. Whether the races are decided by 10 votes or 10,000, we should be able to trust the outcome. Free and fair elections are the foundation of America’s remarkable form of representative government. The principle of “one person, one vote” ensures that all voters share an equal impact in the outcomes of elections. And each person should be a legal voter!
I can’t help but think of the old Joseph Stalin quote: “It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.” No thanks! In America the voters should decide the outcome.
Unfortunately, powerful coalitions, political operatives, and unscrupulous individuals are happy to ignore the integrity of our election system in exchange for temporary political gains. News stories are replete with examples. Whether it’s outright voter fraud, improper voter registrations or simple incompetence by elections officials, any number of inaccuracies can affect the outcome of an election. As we’ve seen in Washington state, just a few inaccurate votes can have a dramatic impact.
I believe our elections system requires careful attention all year long—not only in the weeks after ballots are cast. Do you agree?
I helped start the Evergreen Freedom Foundation’s Voter Integrity Project, which for years has worked to improve the electoral process. We have helped with several high-profile cases dealing with election law to ensure that good policies are well defended in court, every legitimate vote is counted, and no illegal votes cancel out the legal ones.
When Dino Rossi lost his bid for the Governor’s race in 2004, we leaped into the debate and were the first ones to point to the election law which only allowed ballots previously counted to be included in a recount. We went on to research detailed information about the voter database and pointed out many problems and possible solutions (including matching voter records to those of felons and those who were deceased).
Some recent election law cases we have helped with include:
- Crawford v. Marion County Election Board: The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law that required voters to present government-issued photo identification before voting. We filed a “friend of the court” brief discussing the strong justifications for photo ID laws. This decision has had a far-reaching impact, prompting other states to adopt similar laws, and has been relied upon by numerous other courts upholding other election security laws.
- Gonzalez v. Arizona: We filed a brief supporting an Arizona law that required new voter registrants to show proof of their citizenship. The law was challenged, and the case went before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Not surprisingly, the liberal Ninth Circuit Court threw out the proof of citizenship requirement. We expect the case to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court so it will require our vigilant attention over the next year or so.
- Edelman v. Secretary of State: The Freedom Foundation directly represents a registered voter, Robert Edelman, in his challenge to Washington state’s lax voter registration practices. Federal election law requires the Secretary of State to maintain an accurate voter registration database, but our state is allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote before they are eligible. Our investigation revealed thousands of improper registrations and more than 120 illegal votes over eight years. We will argue case before the Court of Appeals in January 2011. A good ruling would help secure accurate voter registration lists and improve efforts to screen out other ineligible voters.
We have been fighting since 2004 to improve our election system. Some of the problems have been addressed, but fundamental problems remain that make it impossible for us to know whether our election results are accurate. With the help of our Constitutional Law Center, we are continuing the fight to change that, to ensure accurate elections in the future.
We depend on the support of thousands of concerned citizens like you to keep us going. Please consider supporting our efforts to clean up the election system by making a tax-deductible donation today!
For Freedom,
Jonathan Bechtle, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
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