My Letter from Pastor on Carter/Baker election reform comittee

[burn the bush]

Thank you for your recent comments about the need for election reform. The Commission on Federal Election Reform was established to achieve that goal.



Common Cause (www.commoncause.org) and the Election Protection Coalition (www.electionprotection2004.com) registered hundreds of thousands of complaints related to the 2004 presidential election. Public confidence in the electoral process is low, and reform is needed. This was underscored by a meeting convened by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and other groups in December 2004. I was invited to testify and remained for the entire day. The audience was deeply concerned about the state of the electoral process, and many advocated change.



After the hearing, I spoke with President Carter, who said he would favor establishing a panel to examine U.S. election reform. As you may know, he co-chaired a Commission with President Gerald Ford in 2001 that made recommendations that led to the Help American Vote Act (HAVA). I worked with both of them on that Commission and, indeed, worked with President Carter on election-monitoring projects for seventeen years at The Carter Center. As President Gerald Ford was not able to Co-Chair this panel, we consulted with Republican leaders who spoke with President Bush. They proposed former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III. President Carter has worked with Mr. Baker many times and is extremely pleased to work with him again. With such highly-respected Co-Chairs, we expect that Congress will take our recommendations seriously.



We solicited suggestions for other members of the Commission from a wide range of groups, and the Co-Chairs selected the members. It is comprised in roughly equal numbers among people who have served or were elected as Republicans and Democrats (though none are incumbents), and roughly one-third as non-partisan leaders. We understand the objections that some people have regarding individuals on the Commission, but we believe that the best way to promote real reform is to do so through a group that has broad credibility in Congress. You can read the bios of the members at www.american.edu/Carter-Baker. The Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University is organizing the Commission with the support of the Carnegie Corporation, the Ford Foundation, and the Knight Foundation.



Our current challenge is to look beyond the partisan perspectives and fashion proposals that address the problems in a practical, democratic, and effective manner. We would greatly appreciate your ideas as we carry out this work. Please send them to [e-mail], or mail them to 3201 New Mexico Avenue, Suite 265, Washington, DC, 20016.



Sincerely,

Dr. Robert Pastor

Executive Director,

Commission on Federal Election Reform

[Liberty Belle]

1. I got the same form letter.

[Carolab]

2. Me too.

Gee, thanks Bob for caring.

[magellan]

3. And me.

But that's okay. My note to him translated to "Bite me", too.