Voting Activist Needs Help Today - Any advice especially

[truedelphi]

From out and about voting activists, and from election lawyers

I am taking certain local County policies and procedures that are ill- advised and some of which are clearly illegal and writing them up and taking them to the Grand Jury in Marin County California

One thing that I would like to know - who has the legal oversight of
voting issues. Is it the State of California, or is it The Federal Government...?

Should I let the Attorney general of the State of California know that in
January 2005 when I tried to file a complaint concerning the felonious behavior of one of the local officials (a woman who was on the payroll of the County of MArin) I was told by County officials that I needed to file my complaint with the FBI.

The FBI locally in San Francisco refused. They had total disinterest - in fact I did not even get to explain the specifics of my complaint. The only part of my complaint that they did hear was the location "Where did this violation occur, Ma'am" and when I replied "Marin City" (A low income
largely black neighborhood) then they refused to take my complaint.

I see this experience of dealing with the Grand Jury of Marin COunty as a real opportunity - I will be educating the group that sits on the Grand Jury
as to the reality of the present day voting issues. The local newspaper is a goodie two shoes outfit - Accoriding to them, The US President is a brave man trying valiantly to succeed, the corporate-run hospital does its best despite the demands of a rowdy group of activists that request that the hospital actually adequately staff for the needs of the patients, the overall tone of the paper being that it is independent and democratic and reporting only the truth, when in fact it is highly influenced by the Republican party line and by the Good Ol' Boy network.

If my report to the Grand Jury does become one of the projects that they take on, it will shake up things at the Registrar of Voters - but just as importanttly then the local paper will have to address the rights and the needs of the "people" vs the self-righteousness of the "elections department"

[FogerRox]

1. Sup, girl......Cali Sec of State runs elections in Cali

Federal elections , House, Senate & President are run to Federal standards (FEC EAC HAVA) All other elections Governor, Lt Gov. are run to State standards, qquite often the same standards.

I would guess that you want to talk to the Sec of State or the State Attorney General. But....

PM Wilms hes from Cali IIRC , and PM Landshark, AKA Paul Lehto, World reknoned fighter against touch screen voting machines.

[OnTheOtherHand]

2. which county officials dinged you?

Were you dealing with the county DA? What was whoever's rationale for sending you to the FBI instead?

If the behaviors were felonious under California law, and if county law enforcement officials seemed strangely uninterested in addressing them, the AG's office does seem like a logical next step. But obviously I'm not a CA election attorney and I don't know exactly what we are talking about! I know a few folks who may be able to help sort out specific questions about CA law -- you can PM me if this could help.

[truedelphi]

3. Once I found out that the woman intimidating voter rights

group in Marin County was on the County payroll, I expected the Registrar Of
Voters to do somthing - at least not keep her on the payroll.

When not even a reprimand seemed forthcoming, I went to the District Attorney for the County of Marin.
They assigned me a Detective (though his title was Inspector) and he was very courteous and very concerned. But his supervisor would not let him take the complaint - and told him to tell me that I needed to contact the FBI.

The FBI was disinterested.

The election in 2004 involved all levels - you had Coounty offices to elect, you
had state officials, you had state propositions and of course the Presidential choice as well.

I have complained long and hard, even writing a local newspaper columnist. He told me
to go to the Grand Jury, who is currently deciding what projects to investigate.

The woman who had intimidated the voting rights group wwas intimidating a group that was working on
the various state propositions.

[OnTheOtherHand]

6. very depressing

FWIW, here's the portion of CA election law dealing with voter intimidation:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=elec&group=18001-19000&file=18540-18546

I can understand a county DA's impulse to 'kick the problem upstairs,' but it stinks. (As if you needed me to tell you that....)

I'm thinking you have a shot at getting the grand jury interested, if the original story is sufficiently distressing.

[truedelphi]

7. Thanks for the California Code citation

I did nothave that one

[truedelphi]

4. I am posting the URL for what a local Marin activist group

involved in the California Election Protection Group is hoping to seee happen someday soon

http://www.califelectprotect.net/Titanium.pdf

it is NOT a long or convoluted doc

[truedelphi]

5. Also 2 helpful tidbits - Freedom of Info and Grand Juries

I just was PM'ed about the Grand Jury process - and the idea I received
concerning New York state is that you have to go through the Attorney General
Office - please correct this if I am wrong

In California you simply call the County info line (or use the phone book) and find
the phone number for the Grand Jury Then call them and see if it is possible to submit
your request for an investigation. Usually there are periods of time wheree they are taking requests, and other times when they are not. The Grand Jury will handle many different things - every thing
from whether the Animal Shelter run by your County is clean and well run to whether there
is police brutality occurring. If it is a concern related to some item of County business
(last year's Item of Interest was the main hospital - not a County run entity by still
a matter of grafe importance for County residents, it can become an item of interest.

What I will be submitting is around five pages of material. Some is my creation - other
items are ideas that other individuals want examined. In California, when you submit to the Grand Jury, you are promised that you will be anonymous - only the Grand Jury members will ever see your name.
You must provide a street address and a phone number so they can interview you and send you relevant material.

About Freedom of Information - When I first went to file a FOIA, I wondered what agency kept the form. At that time, Andy Stephenson was alive and well and he said, Nope just open your word processing program and type on the top of the page "Freedom Of Information Request" at the top.

Date it with the current date. Put your letterhead info name addr ph fax email.
Then the same information to whatever agency you are seeking information from. Detail what you want - in my case I wanted the names of all and every employee working for the Registrar of Voters on the Nov 2004 election day. Make a copy and send off another. Then sit and wait.

You will be billed a reasonable amount - in my case less than $ 4. It could be more if you wanted an extensive amount of material - I just wanted the names of employees and the info they sent back fit on 1 and a half pieces of paper.

Carol

[truedelphi]

8. One problem that several voting activists want examined

I show the County sends out the ballots to be printed elsewhere - the absentee ballots that is.

What happens in your COunty with this? In Marin County, the absentee ballots were sent out late due to a prining mistake that left off the names of some of the candidates.