Help? Who Does "Election Center" own stock in?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

The Election Center, a group that strongly influences the purchasing decision of voting machines, at least in North Carolina,
may own stock.

At least that is what their tax forms seem to indicate.

The Election Center is a 501 C3.

Does anyone know how to find out who they own stock in?
(maybe it is a voting machine company).

All I know is that in NC, the election officials cite the Election Center as their expert source that recommends that paperless voting is safe.

Never mind what Dr Mercuri, Chuck Herrin or Justin Moore testified to the NC legislature.

So anyone, can you help?

1. It doesn't look like TEC got the message about keeping their hand out
of the cookie jar. In their 2003 IRS filing, fully one-sixth of their
money from the last four years came from investments and large
donations. This includes $65,000 from groups that each donated totals
larger than $11,700. First, look at the Agenda for the (happening-now)
conference in Austin, TX:

http://www.electioncenter.org/conferences/HAVA/Austin.doc

2. TEC is building a huge cash reserves.
Filings going back to 1997 are available at http://www.guidestar.org/
(membership required, but is free)
At the end of 2003, they had accumulated nearly $900,000, up from less than $300,000 in 2001.
This for a group with annual operating expenses of about $500,000
(of which $100,000 goes toward the paycheck of Doug Lewis).

3. The 2003 IRS filing includes assets of $142,916 from
"Unrealized Gains".
I'm not an accountant, but I seem to recall that this means
that TEC owns stock. I think the public MUST know if a group that
is presenting itself as a fact-finding non-profit owns any stock whatsoever in the vendors whose products they push and from whom they have already admitted accepting money. Imagine if they own any stock in voting-related companies and are pushing the products of these companies.

[Zan_of_Texas]

1. I'm not sure.

I believe "unrealized gains" might be real estate? stock? options? Accounting majors, help us here!
Maybe it is stock.

The Election Center is, in my humble opinion, a fake organization set up to push DREs. It is not governmental. Nobody seems to have any control over it. (Well, except probably the voting machine vendors, OR whoever it is who is pulling the strings behind both the vendors AND the Election Center.)

They are constantly having workshops and trainings with election officials, and influencing them.

It's like no matter how much good info we gather, and spread it, they are putting sugar in the gas tank of our democracy with their misinformation.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. need this to fight battle in NC

It is like playing "Whack-a-mole" in North Carolina.

we get a bill introduced in our state house,
and our elections chief is out talking about putting
video cameras in the polling booths to "verify" the vote!

Helppppppp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My eyes are bleary.
Desperately need help in whack a moling the Election Center.

[Wilms]

3. FogerRox is doing research over here.

Perhaps you can get some ideas...

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x327399>

[Carolab]

4. Does this help?

Funding of the Election Center by e-voting machine manufacturers
Critics of the organization contend that it acts as a front group for e-voting machine vendors. In March 2004, a mistake by the IRS inadvertently revealed that e-voting machine vendor Sequoia had donated $10,000 per year to the Center from 1997 through 2000. The story was broken by the Philadelphia Inquirer <8> (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/8273865.htm?1c).

When challenged by the Inquirer, the Center's executive director R. Doug Lewis confirmed that the center had taken donations from the following makers of electronic voting machines <9> (http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/8273865.htm?1c):

Sequoia Voting Systems Inc. of Oakland, CA
Election Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S) of Omaha, Neb.
'probably' (in Lewis's words) Diebold Election Systems

More at this link:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtml?title=Election_Center

On Donetta Davidson: http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110204V.shtml

She is also on the EAC's "technological guidelines development committee": This link also discusses Thomas Wilkey:

http://www.epic.org/privacy/voting/

More about Wilkey here: http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/ets04/jun24/wilkey.htm

Ashley Stephenson can tell you about Gary Bartlett:

http://www.aoc.state.nc.us/www/public/sc/dsheets/094-02-2.htm

Ernest Hawkins:

http://www.naco.org/cnews/2001/01-02-12/commission.htm

[FogerRox]

5. Edgars is a great site

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x327399

Use the links at this thread to get to Edgars--They have all SEC filings.
Major Libraries have subscriptions to Business Search Engines thAT rock--

you can email me at the 51 capitalmarch addy

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

8. Can Edgars tell me who EC owns stock in?

I am familiar with Election Center(EC) history of accepting funds form voting machine vendors.

It appears that they still are doing so, in fact are taking in lots of large donations, sitting on about $900K in cash!

What I do not know how to find out, is this -

does the EC own stock (looking at their 990 it seems so)
if so, who does the EC own stock in?

I looked at the Edgars' website, and it looked like Greek to me.

I am wondering if some of the voting machine companies have given the EC some stock shares.

Then journalists would have something to write about.

[FogerRox]

10. @ Edgars you might look for filings of a Form 4

Give me a list of names--I can x-ref them 4 u

[marions ghost]

6. How big is their influence do u know?

So is the Election Center responsible for the adoption of DREs in NC, and in any other states?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. NC Chief Election Official a board member of Election Center

Besides our Executive Director of Elections sitting on the Election Center's Board, during a legislative committee meeting on electronic voting, one of the BOE attorneys cited the 2003 report by the Election Center as proof that paperless voting is safe.

Never mind the trainwreck of an election in North Carolina, including the loss of over 4,000 votes.

Our state seems to divide out like this:

paperless counties - their BOE director is a member of the EC
optical scan and other - there BOE director is not a member of EC

These folks cite the Election Center as an official unquestionable expert.

[marions ghost]

9. yikes

so transparent
Where's the "Election Center" for the rest of us?

Please keep us posted if you have any more info on this--can NC do anything about this Executive Director being so compromised?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. need to expose the corruption to mend the problem

They are a non-profit (that is an oxymoron IMHO).

I am not good at investigating this sort of thing.

their 2003 filing lists about$142,000 in "unrealized gains",
meaning that the Election Center has
some sort of investment (possibly stocks).

So The question is:
1. Which stocks do they own? It wouldn't be the vendors',
now would it?

2. How much stock do they own?


Their website is www.electioncenter.org

By the way, it is quite amaturishly done.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. Election Ctr coming to a state near you

Philadelphia, PA April Election Center Special Workshop + PEP Course #9, #10

Auburn, AL May PEP Special Session @Auburn University: Courses TBA

Washington, DC June 2-5 Disaster Preparedness

TBA July PEP Summer Session: 5 Courses: TBA

Beverly Hills, CA Aug 9-14 Election Center National Conference + PEP Course #11, #12, #14, #18

*Note: Professional Education Program (PEP) Courses offered in Feb/April/Aug are concurrent…you can only take one
course per event. The summer courses are a series and up to five can be completed in a week.

Notes:
The Summer Session for the Professional Education Program is seeking a state where at least 25 election/registration officials in that state will attend all courses. If you would like this in your state, please contact us immediately.
:puke: :puke:

[rumpel]

13. Here is what I found on Election Center so far

sorry if you already have this info

Doug Lewis, Director

His bio from The Center for Governmental Studies at the University of Virginia, 2001 appearing as apanelist may give some insight on his connections: Of further inevstigation interest I would check into this line below "consulting for the petrochemical, refining, and chemical-processing industries"

March 20, 2001
Panelists: Doug Lewis, Ronald Klain, Robert Montjoy, George Terwilliger, and Trevor Potter.
DOUG LEWIS: Doug Lewis serves as Executive Director of The Election Center, a national nonprofit organization serving the elections and voter-registration profession, a position he has held since 1994. He developed and authored the Professional Education Program for elections/registration officials—named as the best continuing-education program in the nation by the National University Continuing Education Association. From 1966 to 1980, he managed campaigns for Congress, U.S. Senate, governor, and the U.S.
presidency; served as Executive Director of the Democratic party in Kansas and Texas; worked as Regional Political Director in the DNC; served as Assistant to the President at the White House; and managed political affairs for former Texas Governor John Connally.
Lewis also has more than 15 years of business experience in fields such as management consulting for the petrochemical, refining, and chemical-processing industries; and in computer software and hardware. Among his other accomplishments are the development of the first Code of Ethics for voter registrars and elections administrators, the establishment of the Joint Elections Officials Liaison Committee (JEOLC), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the National Association of County Recorders, Elections Officials, and Clerks (NACRC), the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials, and Treasurers (IACREOT), and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). Lewis also established the National Postal Task Force, the National Task Force on Voting Accessibility, and the National Elections Reform Task Force to study and propose solutions to the problems of the 2000 Presidential election.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=R._Doug_Lewis