January 01, 2005
ReVoteWA.com (redux)
Yesterday we noted the new (orange) website ReVoteWA.com. Here's an explanatory note from Sharon Gilpin, whose political consulting firm the Gilpin Group is behind the site:
I have been called a streetfighter by the LA Times - and this is a streetfight.
Feel free to check out our site. We put this up with OUR OWN DOUGH. We are soliciting donations - yes. Nobody is behind it in that sense of the word. The entire situation offends our sense of democracy....and we think this is the solution.
In the interest of disclosure - we did have a contract for 3 weeks with the Rossi Transition Team to plan communications strategy [first 100 days stuff]. But that was a couple of weeks ago. I reserved the URL on Christmas Day because I was deeply troubled that some in leadership would rather see this election 'go away'.
In the 80's here we had statesmen - like Mr. Evans ,who, although he was appointed to the US Senate seat agreed to put the seat up for election. See his statement on the website [here].
We did the TV media and earned media strategy against the football stadium [here] as well as have run many issue campaigns here and in California. Have worked for D candidates - most of our initiative and referenda work is for committees who run the gamut of party id.
Feel free to ask away. I've invited anybody who does anything on the election to feel free to publicize the website - the more the merrier in my opinion. But we will be filing our own PDC disclosure statement in 30 days according to law.
Those who support a revote should like ReVoteWA.com. Those who don't probably won't.
UPDATE: My favorite line from Dan Evans endorsement of a revote:
Democracy may be messy, but its principles are why it still serves us best. If we screw up the implementation, let’s go back to the principles. The voters’ will is paramount. We must believe our elections are legitimate.
read the whole thing and then
sign the petition
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at January 01, 2005
06:19 PM | Email This
1. Sharon and Stefan, I very much appreciate your work.
Although I voted in this election for Rossi, I am not partisan of either party. I am quite dissappointed however that an election with the amount of problems we have seen, particularly in King County, can be cavalierly certified both at the county and state levels.
I have submitted my name on the Revote.Com and wish you the best of luck in ensuring this state gets a re-vote.
2. Love the web site, love the newspaper article referenced as well. Very refreshing after reading the Seattle Times/PI biased rag which I am cancelling Monday.
I hope you get so many signatures that no one will be able to deny the intent of the public. I am calling and emailing friends and family to sign up.
thank you
3. thank you so much for all you are doing! none of us should rest until we get a clean and fraud-free election in this state. i know i won't....i am telling everyone about the site.
thank you, AWohleb
4. Now the Horses-Derriere crowd wants us to have "sympathy" for the poor KingCo Election Dept.
They won't get it from me. If Dean Logan is underfunded, he should be screaming for more money and resources. If they didn't clean up the Voter Registration Database the past 2 years, Logan should have been screaming that he couldn't get the job done.
And Logan won't criticize his bosses, Ron Sims and the Dem-controlled County Council for Budgeting failures....Logan has been mighty quiet lately.
Catch-22. Damned if he criticizes his bosses for lacked of funding OR labeled as grossly incompetent if he doesn't.
NOPE--No sympathy here.
5. Just out of curiosity, if the CAO passed by
King Ron Sims County doesn't trigger a split up of KC maybe the exposure of the election fiasco will. I volunteer to be a signature gatherer. I'll save my vacation time for that one.
It makes PERFECT sense Preston to Duvall
Maple Valley to Enumclaw. Tim, ya out there?
6. Cedar County, Freedom County, Reagan County - I don't care as long as it's NOT corrupt King County.
Interestingly, we live in unincorporated King and they are trying to get rid of us unincorporated folks and bribing places like Covington to take us off their hands. Poor us :-( Covington is just as bad as corrupt King - wish Maple Valley or Black Diamond had taken us.
7. Happy New Year to all!
And remember to wear ORANGE when you get to the capitol in Olympia on January 11th to call our legislators for a
REVOTE.
8. I am an independent voter who is sick and tired of one party politics that only represents their own party’s special interests – whether it is Democrat or Republican.
I voted for Rossi, not because I am Republican, but because the Democratic party of this State has had too much control for too long. This in itself breeds arrogance that always smells in a close election. I will continue to vote Republican at the State and local level because one party politics breeds fraud and incompetence. Bipartisan representation is the only check and balance to assure fair representative government.
But the Republican Party in this State is always ‘shooting themselves in the foot.’ If you think you are going to change this outcome or make King County more competent you are being unrealistic. The only way you are going to do that is to decisively win over the incumbent party and then make the changes and appointments that need to be made. That is the ‘prize fighting rules’ of politics. You need to win convincingly as the challenger in order to be ‘crowned champion’. And that’s just the way it is in the best political system we have in the world.
So the best way to politically take advantage of this situation is for Rossi to concede, instead of looking like a fool, and start getting ‘geared’ up for Maria Cantwell.
9. Call me partisan if you will, but I do not think that most rational Washingtonians will consider Rossi's efforts for a revote and a fair election process foolish. If he does not fight this corrupt election I might reconsider voting for him in the future (in the primary, at least).
Yes, I do think that Albert Gore Jr. looked foolish in 2000 by conceding the election on election night (he called Bush that night to concede), then took it back later. I really think that the 2000 and the 2004 U.S. Presidential elections were won fairly by President Bush. Thank God for the electoral college.
I do not think that CG won the Governor's election fairly. Rossi's support will stay strong, and grow if he continues along the path he has been. He has been poised and confident while CG has been silly and condescending.
10. To show your support there is a rally planned for outside of Ft. Lewis for Jan.4 at 4 p.m. and one in the works for the state capitol on Jan 11, details to follow.
11. Today's PI has a column by Horsey: Should we rerun governor's election? He's calling for feedback. Please send your pithy comments to him at: burningquestions@seattlepi.com. Please include your full name, address and daytime phone number. Responses should arrive by Wednesday. Thanks.
12. Okay, "partisan if you will," I think most rational Washingtonians acknowledge a stench about this recount process in King County.
13. Keep up the battle and DO NOT Let it die. I live in Florida and moved here just in time for 2000. It is obvious that the Dems will use this as a successful play to add to their playbook and if not defeated or at least fully exposed this could happen again and again as it will set a precedent. What is Rossi saying and what are the legal remedies available? Do not answer to my email as it is a fictitious honorary email to my "favorite" lefty on drudge retort. I have posted many items that relate to this there over the past month or so.
How can I help from here? Do not go quietly. If we allow them to stampede us we are letting them "win".
14. As someone who has volunteered in administering elections here in Thurston County, in a time when the rules were followed, I am appalled and embarrassed by the fiasco called an election in this state. I am not leaving my name as I work for the State of WA. I can tell you, having worked close enough to CG to have an opinion - that she is about Christine and her LUST for power over others. She has absolutely NO conviction about serving the people of this state, she only wishes to have them serve her and be Queen. She actually enjoyed publicly humiliating people who worked for her(those who not say "yes" at all times). Much like the obnoxious child who instigates trouble and smiles while others are punished. I am partisan - We absolutely need to fight this because having her as Governor would be a huge disaster for our state and none of us would be served unless of course, it served her purposes better. I would like to see a Federal Investigation as it is a huge conflict of interest to have her at the helm as Attorney General during this process, and I believe with all of my heart, that she is at the center of much of this. Most of all, I want our State to have integrity again. I place the blame for our shame squarely on Christine Gregoire's shoulders.
15. The Evergreen state? More like "State of Anarchy" This election is a Coup de Grace,not suprising that the word is of French origin.
16. I did a little peeking by doing a whois on networksolutions.com for revotewa.com. The domain is owned by:
gilpin group
ay7wa2jc76s@networksolutionsprivateregistration.com
ATTN: REVOTEWA.COM
c/o Network Solutions
P.O. Box 447
Herndon, VA 20172-0447
Phone: 570-708-8780
You can find out more about the gilpin group here:
http://www.thegilpingroup.com
See that the president is 'Sharon Gilpin'? I googled her and found this article that was written when Rossi was the winner:
"Rossi's transition staff plans to continue tours after Christmas, said Sharon Gilpin, with the transition team."
from here:
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/5935699p-5842263c.html
So really the motivation behind the website isn't what you think (fair election), it's really about someone losing a job and being angry about it.
I really really really think there should be a revote, but since I don't see a privacy policy anywhere on the site, more than likely the names collected there will be used for evil in the future. I am 100% positive that this company will sell the list they accumulate to whomever wants to buy it.
Politics suck if you ask me. So much deception.
17. I feel that rossi won the election. He had the majority twice before they allow the hand vote with extra votes that were not used before. I believe that is is terriblely unfair.
18. I, too, feel the governor's "election" is a huge farce! If Gregoire would have done what she says Rossi should do, she would have conceded like a lady(?) after she lost the first two elections. I'm all for a REAL, FAIR, election and RE-VOTE!
19. why should there be a revote the best man or woman already won why drag this out some of us are tried of the senotors fighthing over these offices .
20. How can one say a revote is fare?? What about the people that have died, our service men and women that have left. Or don't they count. Oh an the college kids. If you have a revote, what kind of messages does this send our young people. Oh I lost but I can re-do until I win. RIGHT. Lets replay the SeaHawks game because they lost, perhaps they would win the 2nd play. Right. Come on lets not be such sore losers. Seems tha that REPUBLICANS can do whatever pleases them. Well I for one, is getting very sick of that party.
21. REVOTE by all means. We are trying to demonstrate to Irac & the world how a great Democracy is the best system of goverment then we turn around and allow dead people ,felons, and double voteing then don't count active service person's vote simply because they didn't receive their ballots on time. Who was responsible for mailing the ballots late?? Mrs.G. has apoor track record. Who thinks she will change? THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS WANT A FAIR ELECTION
22. REVOTE by all means. We are trying to demonstrate to Irac & the world how a great Democracy is the best system of goverment then we turn around and allow dead people ,felons, and double voteing then don't count active service person's vote simply because they didn't receive their ballots on time. Who was responsible for mailing the ballots late?? Mrs.G. has apoor track record. Who thinks she will change? THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS WANT A FAIR ELECTION