N.C. NAACP files formal vote-suppression complaint against Women's Voices

[EFerrari]

N.C. NAACP files formal vote-suppression complaint against Women's Voices, alerts U.S. DOJ of concerns
The North Carolina NAACP has filed a formal complaint of possible voter suppression against Women's Voices Women Vote, the D.C. nonprofit that as we revealed earlier this week was behind the deceptive and illegal robo-calls made to state residents. The N.C. NAACP hand-delivered its complaint today to state Attorney General Roy Cooper and State Board of Elections Executive Director Gary Bartlett. It's also alerted the U.S. Department of Justice that it's collecting more information from its national network and is contemplating filing a formal complaint with that agency.

N.C. NAACP President Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (center in photo) announced the filing of the complaint at a press conference held this afternoon outside the N.C. Department of Justice. He was joined by his group's attorney, Al McSurely (left), and Bob Hall (right) of Democracy North Carolina. The state Attorney General's office is already investigating Women's Voices, but the N.C. NAACP and Democracy North Carolina want to be parties to that investigation.

"When you mess with the right to vote, you're messing with everything that is fundamental in our democracy," Barber said.

Here is the full text of the group's complaint, dated May 2. When it refers to "Ex. 1," that is the WVWV letter to Gary Bartlett available here ; "Ex. 2" directs readers to news reports at DailyKos, Facing South and NPR. "HKonJ" refers to Historic Thousands on Jones Street, a statewide coalition of some 70 social justice groups organized by the N.C. NAACP; Jones Street is where the state legislature is located in Raleigh.

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/05/nc-naacp-files-formal-vote-suppression.asp

[LakeSamish706]

1. And now I hope that they can link this with the Clinton campaign... Cause I for one think...

that they were behind this, without doubt.

[TexanDem]

4. Kudos to NAACP!

[Cha]

2. This is excellent news..thank you, sfexpat.

They need to be held accountable for blatantly breaking the law and having no common decency.

Thugs who commit voter suppression need to be dealt with severely.

[EFerrari]

3. I feel so happy that these internets jumped on this.

Never again should we be caught flatfooted when it comes to defending our votes. :)

[Cha]

18. Yeah, that would be unconscionable!

I want them to find out who at the top is behind this.

[caligirl]

5. and thanks too, I was able to jump on it because it was posted here, I

went around different sites and posted it again.

[EFerrari]

6. Kick

[Zachstar]

7. This will be interesting!

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. Yikes..$929 million in fines !!! I hope they didn't spend their rebate check

Women’s Voices, Women Votes (WVWV), a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization, may be subject to more than $929 million in fines for generating tens of thousands of robocalls to North Carolina voters last week. According to the state’s Attorney General’s office, WVWV may have violated the state’s telephone solicitation laws.

In addition to the $929 million in fines the state may levy on the non-profit, WVWV may also be liable for paying recovery fines to residents of N.C. that may, depending on the actual number of voters called, range anywhere from $91.1 million to $911.2 million.

If the maximum amounts are levied (criminal and civil) on the non-profit, WVWV would face fines and penalties totaling a staggering $1.841 billion. It should also be noted the penalties discussed here are for violating the telephone solicitation laws only. Any alleged voter suppression matters are separate and not covered in this post. I felt that $1.841 billion was enough for at least today.

The fines previously quoted are based on a N.C. statute that provides for a fine to be imposed for every call the telephone solicitor (WVWV) makes that violates the statute. Specifically, N.C.G.S § 75-105(a)(1) determines the penalties to be:

Five hundred dollars ($500.00) for the first violation, one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the second violation, and five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the third and any other violation that occurs within two years of the first violation.

According to Alex Koppelman at Salon, WVWV made 182,236 calls in North Carolina. From there, the calculations are simple. Apply two calls at the $500 and $1000 rate, and the remaining 182,234 calls at $5,000 per call.

The recovery fees (to voters called) are based on N.C.G.S § 75-105(b)(2), which states:

An action to recover five hundred dollars ($500) for the first violation, one thousand dollars ($1,000) for the second violation, and five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the third and any other violation that occurs within two years of the first violation.


http://politicalchase.com/2008/05/04/fines-could-exceed-1-billion-for-nc-robocalls/

[davidpdx]

9. The sad thing is the organization will just dissolve

and reappear as a different name. We've seen some similar situation (not with voter fraud, but holding a political action committee liable for doing something bad) here in Oregon and last I heard they weren't able to collect much.

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. This kind of fine may make people talk...... just like the GOP guy did

that went to prison.

[davidpdx]

11. True, but they need to tie something to the Clinton campaign

to put the nail in the coffin and prove that they use dirty deceptive tactics.

and with that, my 500th post I bid everyone a goodnight....

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. The Center for Investigative Reporting -Clinton $34,000 Edwards $2300

Center for Investigative Reporting follows Women's Voices' political connections
May 2,2008

Will Evans with the Center for Investigative Reporting has compiled a helpful chart documenting in detail the connections between the principals of Women's Voices Women Vote -- the nonprofit we discovered behind illegal election robo-calls in North Carolina -- and the various presidential campaigns.

As we have already noted, many of the group's top leaders have worked for Bill and Hillary Clinton in some capacity. Founder and President Page Gardner, for example, served as the deputy political director for the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign and worked on his presidential transition team. Executive Director Joe Goode was a pollster for Bill Clinton, and former Women's Voices leadership team member and strategic planner Maggie Williams is now Hillary Clinton's campaign manager.

The Center breaks new ground by showing just how heavily and disproportionately Women's Voices principals have invested in the Hillary Clinton campaign. According to the chart, they have donated a total of $34,800 to Hillary Clinton or HillPAC since 2000. At the same time, they have donated only $3,600 to the Obama campaign and $2,300 to John Edwards.


Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy in Chicago, said that's a concern as it gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. Rick Cohen, former executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and a national correspondent for Nonprofit Quarterly magazine, added that such relationships create "the image, if not the reality, of self-dealing."


http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/05/center-for-investigative-reporting.asp



To see the connections better click on this:
http://www.npr.org/news/images/2008/may/01/wvwvchart.html

[CreekDog]

13. Women's Voices Women's Vote = Greenwashing

in case anybody hasn't had the chance to learn the term. :hi:

[EFerrari]

14. I've never heard that term before. That's exactly what is is. n/t

[me b zola]

15. K&R

:kick:

[marions ghost]

16. kick

:kick:

[BlueIdaho]

17. Its about damn time!

Their "apology" just doesn't pass the smell test.