|
Edited on Sat May-03-08 12:10 PM by stillcool47
FACING SOUTH EXCLUSIVE: D.C. nonprofit aimed at women voters behind deceptive N.C. robo-callsBy Chris Kromm Facing South The D.C.-based nonprofit, led by well-connected Washington operatives, claims in a press release they sent to Facing South that the North Carolina calls are part of a 24-state effort targeted at a list of 3 million voters, especially unmarried women. The robo-calls, which never mention Women's Voices, are followed by mailings that include information on how to register to vote. They plan to mail some 276,000 packets in North Carolina alone.
But since last November, in at least 11 states nationwide, Women's Voices -- sometimes working through its Voter Participation Center project -- has developed a checkered reputation, drawing rebukes from leading election officials and complaints from thousands of would-be voters as a result of their secretive tactics, deceptive mailings and calls, and penchant for skirting or violating the law. For example:
* 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 " 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 : "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," the Lansing State Journal reported.
* 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."
* By March, Women's Voices was backing off the erroneous "registration is required" language, but there were still problems. For example, a mailing in Arkansas allowed that "registering to vote is voluntary," but a clerk in Washington County reported that "the majority 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 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.
For such a sophisticated and well-funded operation, which counts among its ranks some of the country's most seasoned political operatives, such missteps are peculiar, as is the surprise expressed by Women's Voices staff after each controversy.
http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/04/facing-south-exclusive-dc-nonprofit.asp AG: Recent Robo-Calls On Voting Info. Are Illegal Wednesday, Apr 30, 2008 - 10:00 PM Updated: 11:18 PM
By Steve Sbraccia General Assignment Reporter WNCN-TV
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Thousands of North Carolinians have received automated phone calls in the last few days that state officials said broke the law
As the complaints began to pile up, those cataloging them began to notice a pattern where certain groups seemed to be targeted.The situation was brought to the attention of Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office. He said those automated phone calls are illegal. “They don't identify the group sponsoring the call, nor do they give the recipient info as to who they need to contact to stop the calls from coming,” said Cooper. ---------------------------------------
“A lot of the complaints came from African-American voters,” said Chris Kromm of the Institute for Southern Studies. “When ee heard a lot of the complaints were coming from African-Americans, that really raised a red flag for us.” Kromm also said the institute's research indicates the Women's Voice group has a number of interesting connections to Bill Clinton. “They claim they're a non-profit, non partisan organization. But, its president is a recent donor to Hill-Pac, a big Hillary funding group. The executive director worked for Bill Clinton in his ‘92 campaign and the lawyer for the organization is the lawyer who defended Clinton during the impeachment crisis in the 90's,” said Kromm
A few of the board bio's Women's Voices, Women Vote
Page S. Gardner, Founder and President, WVWV Ms. Gardner has been credited with designing and implementing some of the most creative and successful issue and legislative campaigns, as well as staging come from behind candidate victories in key battleground races. She is regarded as one of the top strategists in the country.
Joe Goode, Executive Director, WVWV Goode brings a wealth of experience to WVWV from his work with other campaigns and organizations as well as from a prior term at GQR. In 1996, Goode was the Campaign Manager for North Carolina Congressman David Price. After serving as the Congressman's District Director in 1997, Goode returned to Washington as a Vice President at the polling firm of Lake Snell Perry. He worked with firm president Celinda Lake on various U.S. political campaigns as well as providing research for non-profit organizations and foundations. Goode began his polling career as Director of Computing Services for Greenberg-Lake, Inc. in 1989. He was the Senior Analyst on company CEO Stan Greenberg's work for the Clinton for President campaign in 1992, assisting in the development and implementation of all polling and focus groups done for the presidential primary and general election campaigns.
Nancy McDonald, Resource Development Director, WVWV Nancy McDonald worked in the private sector for thirty-two years. For twenty-four years, she held various professional and managerial positions at DuPont, including Chief Information Officer for the $2.2B DuPont Engineering Polymers business. Following that, she became a senior executive at Accenture, a $16B multi-national consulting firm. At Accenture, she led one of the client relationship teams responsible for business development and subsequently led a global organization of 200 people.
Michael Lux, President, American Family Voices Mr. Lux has a diverse background in the consulting, labor and consumer advocacy world. Lux serves on the boards of several important organizations, including the Arca Foundation, the Proteus Fund, 21st Century Democrats, Progressive Majority, the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, and the Clinton-Gore alumni association.
Mimi Mager, Partner, Heidepriem & Mager From 1987 through 1990, Mager worked for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, where she designed and implemented the grassroots legislative campaigns. She served as a member of the Clinton-Gore transition team, Special Assistant/Deputy to the Director of VISTA, Executive Director of the Friends of VISTA, Executive Director of the Women's Campaign Fund, Senior Advisor in the Michael Dukakis, Mondale-Ferraro, and Fred Harris presidential campaigns, and Legislative Assistant to Senator Jim Abourezk (D-SD). Mager serves on the Board of Directors of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, Bright Beginnings Inc., and Friends of VISTA. She is a founding member of EMILY's List and currently sits on its national steering committee.
John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress John Podesta is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for American Progress. Mr. Podesta served as Chief of Staff to President William J. Clinton from October 1998 until January 2001, where he was responsible for directing, managing, and overseeing all policy development, daily operations, Congressional relations, and staff activities of the White House. He coordinated the work of cabinet agencies with a particular emphasis on the development of federal budget and tax policy, and served in the President's Cabinet and as a Principal on the National Security Council.
|