King County Councilmember Julia Patterson is noticeably defensive about the suggestion that the Democrats rammed the all-vote-by-mail through the Council in order to gain a partisan advantage. Tuesday's P-I:
Patterson said the idea that an all-mail system provides a partisan advantage for her Democratic Party is "insulting."Maybe she's so defensive because she knows she's been busted."Charges that this is partisan or that it provides some sort of advantage to Democrats is baseless, and it is not supported by voting patterns and by facts," Patterson said.
In fact, I've heard from multiple Democratic activists that Patterson and other county Dem leaders have been telling the party grassroots that partisan advantage is why they've been so eager to impose mail-only voting --
The original pressure reportedly came from Maria Cantwell. She is said to be "very concerned" about mail-only voting in the rest of the state, believing that if people in Republican-leaning counties get ballots sent to them they will be more likely to vote, and she wants King County voters to have ballots sent to them too. As I understand this, the plan was for the Council to vote in May to approve VBM with a 2007 deadline, and a few months later Sims would announce that they were ready to go all-mail in time for 2006. It seems like a stretch that they could get away with this, but apparently that's what they were aiming for. And even though that's been derailed, they still seem to be motivated to shove VBM in time to help their candidates in 2008. I'm not personally convinced by the argument that universal mail voting increases turn out among eligible voters. And I'll march at the head of any parade to end the experiment with mail-only voting everywhere else in the state. But apparently enough of the Democrats believe the all-mail=higher-turnout hypothesis that they're willing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to stuff the county's mailboxes with ballots in order to boost candidates who might not win otherwise. And as Larry Gossett argued so guilelessly in support of forwarded mail ballots on Monday, he wants "to make it as easy as possible" for people to vote. And he expressed no concerns about the possibility of disenfranchising others through fraud and inaccuracy.
The various folks who told me what Patterson and others said about partisan motivations shared this with me under strict confidentiality. I was given a lot more details about the circumstances, and their stories check out, but I'm withholding the dates and locations so as not to betray the sources. I contacted Councilmember Patterson yesterday to ask for her response. She hasn't replied yet, but we should all be interested in her reaction to what active members of her own party are saying about her, contradicting her public statements.
In the meantime, I encourage other disappointed Democrats to tell me what Patterson et al have been telling the grassroots about vote-by-mail. Democrats who believe that Republicans in Ohio and Florida torqued the system for partisan advantage undoubtedly wish that any Republican activists who knew about unethical behavior had gone on the record to expose it. Principled Democrats (and I believe that most mainstream grassroots activists are principled) who know about unethical behavior in their own party have an opportunity (indeed a civic duty) to help expose this and raise the bar for everybody. The more detail the public has on this vote-by-mail scheme the better off we all are. E-mail me at theshark AT usefulwork DOT com. Requests for confidentiality will be respected.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at June 22, 2006 01:47 PM | Email ThisI'm amazed she can talk and not be struck down. This passed the County Council on a party line vote. I'm insulted if she thinks I'm as stupid as she is.
(of course, I mean that in a GOOD way...)
Posted by: South County on June 22, 2006 01:55 PMBut the left has shown a frequent propensity to put all of their capital into failed ideas. They charge ahead with expansion of many programs that will eventually collapse under their own weight. They keep campaigning with the defeatist stance toward Iraq, etc. It's no suprise that they are going all-in with VBM, even when history shows that the outcome may not be what they had planned.
I am increasingly pessimistic about voting in WA, especially scabattle / king county. To the point of questioning whether I should bother, I am sure the entrenched power structure will put my vote wherever they feel it will suit their purposes best or at least find some way to penalize me for how I vote. Confidence in the process is all but gone.
I never thought I would see anyplace short of a particularly odious third world country that could have more corrupt politics than Chicago, but here I am.
No wonder old dimocrats with any sense are leaving in droves. We may be dimocrats but we are neither looney nor left nor in favor of corruption and do not hate the USA.
Oh so disgusted with what my party has become :-( :-( :-( :-(.
Not sure the Republicans are a whole lot better but at least they are not setting us to to stick our arses in the air 5 times a day telling allah how worthless we are. Also still have VERY bad feelings about Quitter Rossi.
Where is the hope? Yeah, I am dejected and depressed over this situation.
Posted by: Fox3 on June 22, 2006 02:34 PMI am increasingly pessimistic about voting in WA, especially scabattle / king county. To the point of questioning whether I should bother, I am sure the entrenched power structure will put my vote wherever they feel it will suit their purposes best or at least find some way to penalize me for how I vote. Confidence in the process is all but gone.
I never thought I would see anyplace short of a particularly odious third world country that could have more corrupt politics than Chicago, but here I am.
No wonder old dimocrats with any sense are leaving in droves. We may be dimocrats but we are neither looney nor left nor in favor of corruption and do not hate the USA.
Oh so disgusted with what my party has become :-( :-( :-( :-(.
Not sure the Republicans are a whole lot better but at least they are not setting us to to stick our arses in the air 5 times a day telling allah how worthless we are. Also still have VERY bad feelings about Quitter Rossi.
Where is the hope? Yeah, I am dejected and depressed over this situation.
Posted by: Disgusted. on June 22, 2006 02:35 PMWell. Here's a scenario: with election approaching two days away, heroic party activists run down lists of registered voters, checking them against County lists of who's already credited with voting. By subtraction, it's easy to see whose ballots aren't yet voted. That's where the bonanza of unvoted ballots lie.
Said activists then run out to every one of those addresses, looking for indifferent or gullible ballot holders, and Help America Vote, right on the spot. It's urgent - tell 'em mail won't do the trick, and offer to hand carry them to the 'emergency collection centers'. As with the incapacitated rest home voters in 2004, it should be a piece of cake to ensure those ballots are voted right.
Posted by: Hank Bradley on June 22, 2006 02:35 PMMaybe the 'vote counters' will have an even greater challenge than they anticipate. Is there any provision for VBM 'poll watching'?
Posted by: ctmohr on June 22, 2006 03:27 PMIt is imperative that as many people who will not vote a straight Democrat party line takes the time to vote. If nothing else, it will force the "counters" to manufacture more ballots to ensure the right winners win. Remember, nine times, NINE TIMES, they found more ballots...most coming right after Dino had pulled ahead yet again.
Don't make it easy for them.
Doesn't vote by mail require "planning in advance", which Seattle schools say is "anti minority"..?
so people of color won't plan ahead and vote, and white people in the burbs will?
Dims of course aren't bothered by dissonance and poor logic.
Posted by: righton on June 22, 2006 04:25 PMTo tell the truth the whole state should use the same system. County by county systems create problems.
What was your email response from Patterson in the email "you should have" wrote in FAVOR of VBM.
I bet it was all "gushy" and full of praise for such a supporter like you....
Get a clue buddy....When you don't get your ballot, or FORGET to mail it on Election day, or can't afford the stamp to mail it, will you feel left out? Hell no you won't....
You have the "new" simms VBM "counting" system covering your arse, now don't you.....
Remember Councilmans' Phillips ballot, it was rejected along with several hundred others, because the SIGNATURES didn't match. I can assure you that if it hadn't been a close election, and Phillips wasn't on the council, that ERROR of hundreds of ballots would have never been FOUND.
Just think about it Giggy, it doesn't matter how many show up to vote, it is the ACCURACY of the COUNT that MATTERS....
Posted by: Chris on June 22, 2006 09:14 PM