Minnesota Majority - Standing Together for Traditional Values

Dan's Blog

By Dan McGrath on 11/17/2008

Press Conference: Citizens Demand Election Integrity Reforms 8:30

A review of Minnesota’s voter registration rolls prior to this year’s election revealed a number of irregularities. Minnesota Majority requested the Secretary of State and officials in 30 different counties to conduct investigations into these irregularities. Authorities have thus far been largely unresponsive or dismissive, prompting Minnesota Majority to continue its independent investigation and to file a formal complaint with the US Attorney’s office. The complaint cites a number of provisions under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) that require the Secretary of State to perform certain voter registration verifications on a regular basis. It appears that Secretary Ritchie has failed to perform these verifications.

Minnesota Majority’s investigation into irregularities in the voter registration list maintained by the Secretary of State’s office revealed situations strikingly similar to recent discoveries in Wisconsin. An investigation by a joint taskforce comprised of the US Attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Milwaukee County Attorney and the Milwaukee Police Department revealed election system issues that could very well be occurring in Minnesota. Their discoveries included widespread recordkeeping failures, suspected double voting, fraudulent voter registrations, felons voting or registering to vote, vote counts in excess of the number of registered voters in the county and other problems. Wisconsin law enforcement agencies have turned-up the same sort of evidence in their investigations as Minnesota Majority has raised questions about in Minnesota’s voter rolls. Minnesota election officials and law enforcement seem to be turning a blind eye to these issues, however.

Minnesota Majority is seeking additional information about the voter files and practices of election officials from the Secretary of State and several county auditors under Minnesota’s Data Practices Act. Examples of the information being requested include voter verification postcards returned by the postal service as being “undeliverable”, voters registered by “vouching” and voters flagged by the Secretary of State to be “challenged” at the polls prior to casting their ballot. Cross-referencing this information with other data Minnesota Majority has compiled will enable a deeper understanding of the irregularities, and the data handling practices of the Secretary of State and other election officials.

A citizen’s petition has been created to call public attention to the problem and allow voters to weigh-in on the issue with their elected officials. The petition, which can be signed online at ElectionIntegrityPetition.com, calls upon elected officials to enact changes in Minnesota’s laws to require voters to present government-issued photo ID before receiving a ballot; require the Secretary of State to employ specific prescribed data verification techniques that ensure the integrity of Minnesota’s voter rolls; flag voter registrations that fail to meet specific standards for accuracy and completeness; establish an annual independent audit of the voter registration lists; and require voters to register at least 30 days prior to an election so that all voters can be certified as legally qualified to vote before casting a ballot. Concerned citizens Lt. Col. Joe Repya, Rene Ramirez and Yoman Brunson spoke in support of the petition effort at a press conference today. About a dozen other citizens turned out to protest the Secretary of State’s apparent inaction on election integrity issues.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Election Integrity Petition and instantly send a message to your elected officials.

TAKE ACTION: Write a Letter to the Editor in Support of Voter ID and other election reforms.

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What's Worth More? Your Bike or Your Vote?
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/11/2008

It doesn’t require any empirical evidence for a reasoning person to conclude that if you leave your bicycle out, unlocked, it will probably be stolen. The fact that theft is a punishable crime does not in itself inspire much confidence in the typical bicycle owner. We use chains. How much more is political power worth than a Schwinn? Senators, governors, representatives and presidents oversee vast amounts of taxpayer’s treasure. VAST. They have the power to pick winners and losers, dole out government contracts to friends, and stymie foes. Millions of dollars in campaign contributions roll into some races. Minnesota spends over $15 billion a year. The federal government spends trillions. Passage of a single law can make one businesses wildly successful, or crush another. Scores of special interest groups receive billions of dollars from the government. What then is the value of a vote? Minnesota’s elections are so laxly secured that it can be easily compared to the honor system. The word of one person is enough to secure a ballot. Our ballots control nearly unfathomable amounts of political power and money. Our money. To go through life confident that none would be tempted to steal something so immensely valuable as a vote while dutifully chaining and locking your 12-speed must require an invincible state of delusion. I challenge my fellow Minnesotans who have no concern about having their vote stolen by fraud and who oppose simple election protections, like requiring photo ID to vote: Leave your bicycle outside, unchained overnight. There is no evidence that proves that it will be stolen and it's far less valuable than the vote you aren't concerned about securing.

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Results of Minnesota's Judicial Races
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/6/2008

There were only 12 contested judicial races around the state. 118 races went uncontested. Like the rest of the races in Minnesota, it was a good year to be an incumbent. No incumbent judges were unseated by challengers. Of 130 total judicial elections around the state this year, every judge who wanted it kept his or her seat. Two incumbents on Minnesota’s Supreme Court were up for reelection this year. Both prevailed. Associate Justice Paul Anderson defeated challenger Tim Tinglestad 60 – 39% and Associate Justice Lorie Skjervern Gildea, a mid-term Pawlenty appointee, defeated Deborah Hedlund 55 – 44%. In the only contested Minnesota Court of appeals race, incumbent Judge Terri Stoneburner defeated second-time challenger Dan Griffith 58 – 42%. Griffith ran a fairly high profile, but limited budget race and brought statewide attention to proposals to appoint rather than elect Minnesota’s judges, a notion he strongly opposes. Incumbent Judge Joseph Carter defeated Nathaniel Reitz in a First District Court race. Carter was the judge who had awarded a man, who was on probation for raping a 13-year-old girl, custody of his girlfriend’s 9-year-old daughter. The known sex offender went on to sexually assault the girl and has since been sentenced to 27 years in prison. This decision was the central issue of Reitz’s campaign. Evidently, it wasn’t enough to sway voters. In an open Second District Court race, Gail Bohr bested challenger Howard Orenstein. Bohr, 64 will not be able to complete the 6-year term she’s been elected to, however, because Minnesota law requires judges to retire by age 70. Bohr is destined to be replaced by a gubernatorial appointment who will not have to seek approval from voters until 6 years after that. In the Third Judicial District, 32-year incumbent Judge Lawrence Agerter prevailed over challenger Anthony Moosbrugger, who was just one year old when Judge Agerter was first elected to the seat. In the Fourth Judicial District, incumbent Judge Philip Bush defeated Eugene Link for the Court 9 seat, Jane Ranum beat David Piper for the open Court 53 seat and Judge James Swenson fended off a challenge from Thomas Haeg for the Court 58 seat. Randall Sleiter prevailed over Glen Jacobson in an Eighth Judicial District race. Nancy Logering defeated Luke Stellpflug and Robert Varco prevailed against John Dehen in the Tenth Judicial District.

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Why Are Our Boats More Secure Than Our Votes?
Jeff's Blog	By Jeff Davis on 11/6/2008

The day before the election, I had an opportunity to purchase a used canoe. After completing the transaction, I loaded the 30-year-old boat atop my SUV and headed to city hall. I had called the Department of Natural Resources earlier that day to find-out what I needed to do once I had made the purchase. I was told that since this was the first time the boat was to be registered in my name, I would need to appear in-person with the bill-of-sale at a Deputy Registrar’s office. When I arrived at city hall, the Registrar asked for my driver’s license and the boat’s hull identification number. The Registrar then entered this information into a computer system which immediately verified its accuracy. The system indicated that the hull number was already registered under another person’s name. But after some investigation, the Registrar determined the prior registration was no longer active. After giving the Registrar a check for $24, I was provided with a watercraft registration card and a permit that I was required to affix to the hull of the canoe. The whole process took less than 10 minutes. The next day, while waiting in line at the polls to vote, I observed a long line of people waiting to complete same-day voter registrations. While some people were using driver’s licenses to confirm their identity, I noticed an individual who appeared to be using the “vouching” process. Vouching is a provision in Minnesota law that allows an individual to register on Election Day by simply having someone from the precinct confirm his or her identity and residence. I watched as the individual filled-out a paper registration card and then was immediately provided with a ballot to cast their vote. There was no verification by election officials that the information provided on the registration card was, in fact, accurate. I began to compare and contrast the process I had experienced the day before to register my canoe with the process being used for same-day voter registrations. When registering the canoe, I was asked to produce my driver’s license to confirm my identity. In same-day voter registrations, the applicant is not required to produce any form of photographic identification. When registering a canoe, the Registrar entered my information into a computer system that performed a real-time verification to confirm its accuracy. In same-day voter registrations, the voter’s registration information is recorded on a paper card which is not entered into a computer system until several weeks after the election. Same-day registrations are supposedly “verified” using a 30-year-old process of mailing a post card to the address listed on the registration card. If the post card is returned as being “undeliverable”, the voter’s registration record is supposed to be flagged so the voter can be “challenged” at the next election. If the voter registration is fraudulent, however, there is no way to “undo” the fraudulent vote, since the fraudulent ballot was counted together with all the valid ballots on Election Day. A review of Minnesota’s voter registration rolls prior to this year’s election revealed over 100,000 voter registrations with addresses that are considered to be either “vacant” or “undeliverable” by the United States Postal Service. The post card verification process that was implemented prior to the availability of computer systems is obviously sorely lacking. It is amazing how vulnerable Minnesota’s election process is to voter fraud. Any person desiring to vote more than once in a single election would simply need to find someone to vouch for their identity in a different precinct on Election Day. A person could also easily cast multiple ballots by posing as another registered voter. Since the Secretary of State does not do a timely job of flagging the registrations of the deceased persons and individuals who have moved, a dishonest person could simply obtain a list of these voter registration records and travel from precinct-to-precinct casting multiple ballots by representing themselves as these individuals. All of this begs the simply question as to why Minnesota puts more of a priority on securing the process for registering an old canoe than on securing its voter registration process. The technology is readily available to perform real-time verification of voter registrations. But some politicians have resisted attempts to implement these controls, claiming that they would “intimidate” or “disenfranchise” some voters. This is complete nonsense. The only reason someone would favor a process with known deficiencies is that they know illegal voting is occurring and they want it to continue. Minnesota voters deserve a voter registration process that is as least as secure as the process used to register a boat.

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A Victory for Marriage
Jeff's Blog	By Jeff Davis on 11/5/2008

Marriage amendments passed in all three states in which it was on the ballot. The citizens of Florida, Arizona and California all agree that marriage should be exclusively defined as the union of one man and one woman. This brings the total to 30 states that have now amended their state constitutions to protect marriage. The decision in California unwinds an earlier State Supreme Court decision which ordered the state to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Activist courts in Massachusetts and Connecticut have also imposed same-sex ‘marriage’ upon the citizens of their states. Efforts to pass a bill which would allow the citizens of Minnesota to vote on a marriage amendment have been repeatedly defeated in the DFL-controlled state legislature. This has left Minnesota vulnerable to an attempt to legalize same-sex 'marriage' through the courts or a renegade legislature.

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Get Ready for "Change"
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/5/2008

Barack Obama’s decisive victory has afforded him with significant political capital that he will almost certainly exploit during his first few months in office. With Nancy Pelosi in-charge of the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives and Harry Reid leading the Democrat-controlled Senate, Obama’s ‘change’ agenda will likely fly through Congress. What kind of “change” can we expect to see? Things like tax increases for small businesses, tax ‘refunds’ to people who pay no taxes, socialized medicine, new restrictions on energy use and production and a massive growth in government spending. Obama has indicated that his first priority will be issuing $1,000 checks to families earning under a certain income threshold and increasing taxes on families and small businesses earning over $150,000 or $250,000 per year (depending on who you listen to). Following that, he says he’s looking for a massive overhaul of our health care system and big changes to our tax system. Most everyone wants to see changes in health care and the tax code. The question nobody seems to be asking is what kind of change does President-Elect Obama have in mind? Using history as a guide, single-party rule as we are faced with in a couple short months leads to a certain arrogance in policy-making, unchecked unilateral decision making sometimes with disastrous results. Meanwhile the minority party has little input but to stand by and say “see I told you so,” when things go awry. Again, looking to the past to predict the future, the ultimate consequence of this scenario is a massive rejection of the party in power by the voters. Mid-term elections tend to go badly for the party that has monopolized power. With Democrats now firmly in the driver’s seat of our federal government, if anything goes wrong, there’s no one else to blame.

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2008 Election is in the Books
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/5/2008

The dust has yet to completely settle, but the picture that’s emerging from the 2008 election seems to indicate that the people want change and they want things to stay the same. Tax hikes on the ballots were largely defeated in Minnesota (the outdoors amendment was a big exception). Marriage protection constitutional amendments passed in every state that put them on the ballot. Despite strong tendancy toward traditional conservatism when voters were asked to directly vote on the issues, we have quixotically elected a new president who’s entire campaign theme has centered on change and who is generally considered very liberal. Nationally, the Democrats have been handed the keys – to everything. Democrats will enjoy a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate while controlling the White House. This is a political environment last seen in 1992 and before that, in 1976. In January, we will begin to get an inkling of which direction the new paradigm will lead us. In Minnesota, not much has changed. Democrats netted a gain of two state House seats, bringing their majority to 87-47. This still leaves House Democrats three seats shy of a veto-proof majority. The DFL gains were primarily achieved in districts left with open seats by retiring GOP legislators. Incumbents Ousted Republicans knocked out three Democrat incumbents. GOP challenger Greg Davids defeated Ken Tschumper in 31B. Republican newcomer Tara Mack unseated ultra-liberal first-term Democrat Shelly Madore in 37A and Incumbent DFLer Sandy Wollschlager was defeated by Republican challenger Tim Kelly in 28A. The DFL managed to defeat two incumbent Republicans. Democrat Gail Jackson narrowly unseated Sondra Erickson in 16A, winning by just 99 votes. In 38B, DFLer Mike Obermueller upset first-term incumbent Republican Lynn Wardlow. Democrat Open Seats Five House DFLers chose not to seek reelection this year and one was ousted in a primary challenge, leaving Democrats with six open seats to defend. They held on to most, but lost one to the GOP. Retiring legislator Frank Moe will be replaced by fellow DFLer John Persell, who defeated Republican John Carlson, keeping district 4B in Democrat hands. Mike Jaros was also succeeded by another Democrat. Roger Reinert will fill Jaros’ shoes representing district 7B. In 20A, Andrew Falk will replace outgoing DFLer Aaron Peterson. Willie Dominguez lost a primary challenge to Bobby Joe Champion, who went on to win 58B, not surprisingly keeping the urban district in DFL control. Neva Walker retired after four terms, but was succeeded in 61B by fellow Democrat Jeff Hayden. The one open seat Democrats failed to hold onto was in 51A. Scott Kranz declined to seek reelection and Republican Tim Sanders turned the seat over, defeating Democrat Shawn Hamilton and Daniel Sanders of the Independence Party. Republican Open Seats Republicans were contending with 11 vacated seats this election. Three Republican legislators declined to seek reelection in the wake of controversy that swirled around their votes to override the governor’s veto of the transportation tax. Seven other Republican House members retired. Four of the open seats formerly occupied by Republicans turned over into Democrat hands with Republicans successfully defending six of them. Mark Murdock maintained GOP representation in 10B, replacing retiring Republican Dean Simpson. Former Secretay of State Mary Kiffmeyer defeated Incumbent Mark Olson in 16B’s GOP endorsing convention, prompting Olson to seek a state senate seat instead of running for reelection (Olson was later defeated by Allison Krueger in the SD 16 GOP primary). Kiffmeyer went on to defeat Democrat opponent Steve Andrews in the general election. 21B remains a Republican district with Paul Torkleson replacing Brad Finstad, who did not seek reelection. Republicans held on to 33B where Connie Doepke replaced one-term Republican John Berns. In 42B, Erik Paulsen gave up his seat to successfully run for US Congress in the 3^rd District. Jennifer Loon held the district for the GOP. Peggy Scott was successful in holding the 49A seat for Republicans after Chris DeLaForest retired this year. Democrats managed turnovers in 26A and 37B. Connie Ruth chose not to run again in 26A, and DFLer Kory Kath beat Republican Thomas Kuntz for that open seat. Republican Dennis Ozment opted not to seek reelection in 37B. Judy Lindsay failed in her attempt to keep the district in GOP hands, turning the seat over to DFLer Phillip Sterner. The Infamous “Override Six” Override-sixer Ron Erhardt lost his party’s endorsement in district 41A, but ran to keep his seat as an independent. GOP-endorsed Keith Downey prevailed in the three-way race against Erhardt and DFLer Kevin Staunton. Neil Peterson also lost the Republican endorsement over his vote to override the governor’s transportation tax veto, but didn’t seek reelection. Democrat Paul Rosenthal bested endorsed Republican Jan Schnieder, taking 41B for the DFL. After losing the GOP endorsement over his override vote, Jim Abeler ran in the primary and defeated challenger Don Huizenga. The dust-up over the override left district 48B without an endorsed Republican candidate. Following Abeler’s primary win, a special endorsing meeting was called, and Abeler was welcomed back into the Republican fold. He went on to defeat DFLer Andrew Boho and held on to his embattled seat. Kathy Tinglestad was another Republican who lost her party’s endorsement over her override vote. She chose not to seek reelection. Jake Cimenski tried, but failed to hold the seat for the GOP and Democrat Jerry Newton moved 49B into the DFL column. Rod Hamilton sailed to a smooth victory in 22B despite his override vote. Bud Heidgerken did not seek reelection and will be succeeded by Republican Paul Anderson in 13A. Congressional Races The political balance of Minnesota’s US Congressional delegation looks like it will remain unchanged with one Republican and one Democrat senator, and three Republican representatives to five Democrats. Referenda The “Arts and Outdoors” sales tax increase amendment appears to have prevailed with 55% of the vote. 35 School district levies also passed in the various municipalities that sought additional school revenues. 38 of the levies failed, though. Democrats have made modest gains in their majorities in the US House and Senate. They didn’t achieve the filibuster-proof majority they hoped for in the Senate, but nationally, change is coming. The big factor that will lead to profound change in the direction of our federal government is the election of Democrat Barack Obama. This election resulted in one-party rule in Washington but in Minnesota, little has changed. Democrats gained two seats in the state House. It was a good year to be an incumbent and the executive is still Governor Tim Pawlenty. There is no paradigm shift in Minnesota politics.

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Vote Today
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/4/2008

Today, we will collectively decide the course of our state and nation for the next two to four years, with perhaps even longer lingering effects. By now, many Americans are suffering from election fatigue. It’s not hard to see how a person can be worn down and jaded by the constant refrain about historic proportions and the unprecedented importance of each successive election. That hyperbolic rhetoric, and non-stop coverage of political minutia gets old, to be sure. Despite the absurdity of the fevered pitch this election cycle has achieved, few would deny this is a significant election and as with every election, informed and robust civic participation is vital. Toward that end, Minnesota Majority has developed tools to help inform you on the issues that may impact your day-to-day life and where the various candidates stand on those issues. We’ve also gathered other useful Election Day resources that will tell you precisely where to vote, what the requirements are to register same-day if you aren’t already registered and other useful election information. All of this information - nearly everything you could need to knowledgably and confidently participate in our government - is gathered into one convenient page at www.VoteYourValuesMN.org. Increasing Your Participation If you want to get more involved on Election Day, it’s still not too late. Call your friends and neighbors and remind them to get out and vote. If you live in one of our spotlighted districts, we have pdf-formatted flyers comparing candidates for State House that you can print and give to your neighbors, or even just email it to them. Campaigning is allowed in Minnesota on Election Day. The major political parties will be engaged in all-day efforts to get out the vote, as will many candidates. If you are interested in pitching in for a political party’s Election Day activities, contact them through the websites below: Volunteer for Constitution Party Volunteer for DFL (Democrat Farmer-Labor) Volunteer for Green Party Volunteer for GOP (Republicans / “Grand Old Party”) Volunteer for Independence Party Volunteer for Libertarian Party Polls open today at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM (polls don’t open until 8:00 or 10:00 AM in some townships). The Secretary of State’s office is predicting high voter turn-out this year, as much as 80%. Despite the anticipated high volume, election officials say everything is expected to go smoothly and long lines aren’t anticipated. Contact the Secretary of State’s Office with any questions you may have about the election. Protecting Your Vote The Minnesota District Office of the United States Attorney issued a reminder that the Department of Justice has established a department-wide ballot access and voting integrity initiative. Minnesota’s Assistant US Attorney, Kimberly Svendsen will be on hand all day to field complaints of possible election fraud and voting rights abuses. She can be reached at 612-327-8271. The FBI will also have special agents available to receive allegations of election fraud, intimidation, suppression or other election abuses. To report such incidents, call 612-376-3200. If you are unable to cast a ballot and feel you have been unfairly discriminated against because of your race, religion or national origin, contact the Civil Rights Division’s voting section at 1-800-253-3931. A Right and a Responsibility Being an informed member of the electorate and casting a ballot is our civic duty. Please take the time to learn about the candidates and vote according to your values, today. If you don't participate, others will make important decisions for you, like them or not. Plato admonished that the penalty for refusing to participate in government is being governed by your inferiors. Self-governance is the hallmark of our great nation. Shirk this important responsibility at your peril. Take Action: Visit VoteYourValesMN.org to learn about the candidates and find out where to vote - THEN VOTE.

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Convicted Felons Registering to Vote From Prison?
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/4/2008

Fox 9 news has been conducting an investigation into convicted felons who have recently registered to vote - some from prison. Their investigation uncovered about 100 known felons registered to vote in the past year. It is illegal for a felon who has not has his or her rights restored to vote, or even register to vote. Some cases Fox 9 examined were found to be likely examples for voter registration fraud. The Secretary of State's office was aware of only 26 such cases. See the video at Fox9.

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General Election Tuesday
Dan's Blog	By Dan McGrath on 11/2/2008

Tuesday, Americans will decide our nation’s course for the next four years. It seems that every election, we hear from political pundits that we are facing the most important election of our lifetime. Yet setting that hyperbole aside, few can deny this is a very significant election and with every election, informed and robust civic participation is vital. Minnesota Majority is working to make it easier for you to be informed and cast your ballot with knowledge and confidence. Check out our collection of election information and tools at www.VoteYourValuesMN.org. You can locate your polling place, review incumbent House members’ voting records and find-out where the candidates stand on the issues. Contact information is provided for all the candidates, so you can ask any last minute questions that still remain unanswered. Beyond voting, there is still time for you to help make a difference. If you live in one of our spotlighted districts, you can help inform your neighbors on the positions of your legislative candidates by printing and distributing copies of our Candidate Comparison Flyer, or get them to your neighbors by email. The major political parties are still recruiting and training poll challengers. A poll challenger is a volunteer observer who stays at a polling place in their district on Election Day. A poll challenger’s job is to assist election judges by acting as another set of eyes and ears to observe general goings-on at the polls, and to challenge voters they have reason to believe are ineligible to vote in that precinct. If you are interested in being a poll challenger, see one of the following for more information: Volunteer for DFL Volunteer for GOP Polls open Tuesday at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM (polls don’t open until 8:00 AM or 10:00 AM in some townships). Please be a part of helping move Minnesota and America in the right direction by being knowledgeable on the candidates and casting your ballot for the individuals who best represent your values.

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