Dark Money: "Americans Elect" Wants to Pick Candidates Via Internet Voting

[Bill Bored]

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/americans-elect-dark-money-campaign-finance

Meet the Political Reform Group That's Fueled by Dark Money

Americans Elect says it wants to reform the political system. Campaign watchdogs say it should start by reforming itself.

—By Siddhartha Mahanta

An upstart political reform group called Americans Elect is looking to blow apart the Democrat-Republican duopoly that dominates American politics. Its imaginative scheme: nominating an independent presidential candidate over the internet. The group is on the ballot in a half-dozen states, and the national buzz surrounding its initiative is growing—but so too are the questions about who's bankrolling this effort and the security of the outfit's voting procedures.

Americans Elect rose from the ashes of Unity08, a group formed in 2006 to increase access to the electoral system for independent presidential candidates. Via Americans Elect's website, registered voters can sign up as "delegates" and nominate "any American believe can be a great leader."

-snip-

To become certified as a political party, the group must first collect a certain number of signatures in each state. All told, Americans Elect plans to spend $10 million on this effort.

-snip-

In September, campaign finance watchdogs Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center requested that the IRS investigate whether Americans Elect and several other 501(c)(4)s qualify for tax-exempt status. Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, says that Americans Elect is functioning like a political party, making it ineligible for tax exemption. "A political party cannot be a social-welfare organization under our tax laws," Wertheimer says. "The danger to the integrity of the electoral system is the failure to disclose their donors, which is essential information in our political process."

-snip-

The source of Americans Elect's money is not the only cause for concern. Pamela Smith, president of VerifiedVoting.org, a voters' advocacy group, questions the group's reliance on internet voting. Smith and other election experts argue that it is insecure and exceedingly difficult to audit.

-snip-

Based on what Americans Elect officials have told her in a series of conversations, Smith remains unconvinced that they have brought on the right people and the right technology to implement a transparent, easily audited internet voting system. "If you allow it to be used in public elections without assurance that the results are verifiably accurate, that is an extraordinary and unnecessary risk to democracy," she says.

-snip-

[SteveM]

1. Americans Elect sounds a little like "No Labels"...

The main political dynamic in this country is various shades of the Far Right vs. the "Center," the latter characterized by eschewing "labels" (re: philosophies, beliefs, positions, policies). The dynamic WILL change in methodology as the Koch brothers consolidate Right Wing sites and other organizations into some kind of cyber-central institution, and Americans Elect try a centrist approach. Both efforts are pro-corporate and hostile to anything resembling the "left."

What remains to be seen is whether OWS can become a true point of philosophical opposition, and not be left behind in the "techno race."

[Dover]

2. Charlie Rose interview about this tonight

Watching Charlie Rose tonight interview two guys about the third party American Elect.
Interesting that they won't reveal where the seed money that financed this organization came from.
Charlie tried to get to the bottom of that a few times and they would not spill it.
Charlie Rose (video available tomorrow)
http://www.charlierose.com/


Americans Elect
http://www.americanselect.org/?gclid=CJaSgLrK06wCFQrHKgodIn3hpg


Based on what I've learned so far, I'm personally in agreement with this statement by Albert Hunt who wrote about this in late July. However I think the needed
changes may take a very long time and in the end look nothing like the government we now have. What those steps will be I don't know.

The most basic problem, one that often afflicts such movements, is that it’s top down; find a charismatic presidential candidate and all flows from there.
If fundamental change is the purpose, the emphasis instead should be on a bottom-up approach to building local candidates and grassroots infrastructure that subsequently could wage a serious presidential run.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-31/third-party-chestnut-won-t-fix-broken-u-s-politics-albert-hunt.html

Furthermore, unless the unreliable e-voting machines are tossed out by ALL political parties, the system has no hope of renewing trust in the system.

[Bill Bored]

5. Thank you Dear Leader! ;) nt

[Dover]

3. "American Idol" redux

I think I read about this being in our future in Toffler's book, Third Wave. I guess these guys are treating it as a guidebook.

[Dover]

4. Sourcewatch has a list of those involved on their board and leadership

There's a Rothschild in the mix...not too surprising.

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

[zacherystaylor]

6. Advertising heavily right here

Americans Elect's is currently advertising heavily right here in fact when I down loaded this and most things today that is what is turning up.

Also for more info see this string:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x517947