Category Archives: Voting and Ballot Issues

Today In BS: Scott Gessler and 2012 Voter Turnout Rates

10
  by: Colorado Pols Mon May 20, 2013 at 2:05 PM MDT

Stop Whining About OverreachingAs the Craig Daily Press' Joe Moylan reports:

For Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler, there was no more blatant example of partisan political power than House Bill 13-1303, a 128-page rewrite of Colorado’s voting laws…

On Saturday, Gessler was the featured speaker during the annual Moffat County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner at the Holiday Inn of Craig. During his 20-minute address, Gessler outlined for about 40 local residents the flaws he sees in the new law and criticized Gov. John Hickenlooper as being a rubber-stamp governor for a partisan state Legislature…

“We outperform almost every other state in terms of voter turnout and we outperform the eight same-day voter registration states,” Gessler said. [Pols emphasis] “This wasn’t a problem that needed to be solved. Not one Republican amendment was accepted and not one person from my office was consulted on this bill.”

Our friend John Tomasic of the Colorado Independent directs us to this George Mason University chart of voter turnout in the 2012 elections:

State VEP Highest Office
Turnout Rate 		VEP Total Ballots Counted
​Turnout Rate
Colorado 70.3% 71.1%
Minnesota (SDR) 75.7% 76.1%

And that's "Today in BS," folks.


Full story: Today In BS: Scott Gessler and 2012 Voter Turnout Rates

Confirmed: Gessler Considering 2014 Gubernatorial Run

19
  by: Colorado Pols Thu May 16, 2013 at 5:31 PM MDT
Scott Gessler.

Gov. Scott Gessler, anyone?

That's the word late today from the Denver Post's Kurtis Lee:

Republican sources have told The Denver Post Gessler is strongly considering dropping a re-election effort for his post as secretary of state — where he's served since being elected in 2010 — to seek the GOP nomination to challenge Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.

"No doubt, Gessler is frustrated with the state's current leadership and he's evaluating how best he can serve the people of Colorado," Rory McShane, political director of Gessler for Colorado, said via e-mail Thursday.​

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has been listed on our 2014 Big Line as a possible gubernatorial candidate since last November, so this shouldn't come as a big surprise. As the possibility of a vanity Tom Tancredo rematch against Hickenlooper, or the statewide-unelectable Sen. Greg Brophy's name is batted around, it's become obvious that Colorado Republicans just don't have many options.

And no, we don't think Gessler would fare much better than any of these other candidates against the popular Gov. Hickenlooper–but his popularity on the hard right would certainly be good for base turnout. Above all, we've heard that Gessler is not terribly happy in the job of Secretary of State, laden as it is with mundane responsibilities for relatively low pay compared to what he could be earning in the private sector. Following the principle that it's better to burn out than fade away, a hard-fought Gessler gubernatorial bid would raise his profile for a glorious re-entry into the world of Republican campaign lawyering–or maybe something else with a suitably plump salary.

As usual, you heard it here first.


Full story: Confirmed: Gessler Considering 2014 Gubernatorial Run

How About a Scandal Bush Didn’t Commit First?

15
  by: Colorado Pols Tue May 14, 2013 at 1:29 PM MDT
Been there. Done that.

Been there. Done that.

Second-term "scandal season" appears to be fully engaged in Washington, D.C., with beltway reporters tripping over each other to get the latest development, tidbit or rumor on several different potentially unsavory stories involving the Obama administration. Over the weekend, we wrote about the renewed questioning about the attack last year on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The political opportunity for Republicans in attacking both President Barack Obama and prospective 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in one fell swoop has guaranteed maximum effort will be put into hyping what looks like a perilously thin case (as opposed to, say, fictitious weapons of mass destruction in Iraq) of foreign policy "dishonesty."

A second story brewing concerns the supposed "targeting" of conservative groups with the words "Tea Party" or "Patriot" in their names by the Internal Revenue Service for "additional scrutiny." NBC News reports:

Amid outcry over revelations that Internal Revenue Service specialists specifically targeted conservative groups for scrutiny before the 2012 elections, President Barack Obama said Monday that the tax agency employees' reported conduct was "outrageous" and "contrary to our traditions."

"…If in fact IRS personnel engaged in the kind of practices that have been reported on and were intentionally targeting conservative groups, then that’s outrageous and there’s no place for it," he said.

Of the "scandal" stories that have sprung up in the last week, this business about the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative groups is arguably the most problematic. The controversy over who "authored the talking points" over the attack on the Benghazi consulate has limited value beyond a small number of obsessives. The power of the IRS brought to bear against political opponents, however, would be a serious problem, even if it was only low-level employees. No responsible person, including defenders of the administration, should disagree.

That said, the fact that former President George W. Bush's IRS did the same thing…still matters, right?

(more…)


Full story: How About a Scandal Bush Didn’t Commit First?

Hickenlooper To Sign Elections Bill

6
  by: Colorado Pols Thu May 9, 2013 at 1:01 PM MDT

UPDATE: Washington Post's Greg Sargent:

As Reid Wilson recently put it, the Colorado measure is “the Democratic comeback to voter ID.”

Reform advocates who have been briefed on Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s plans tell me they expect him to sign the legislation tomorrow. The measure, which has cleared both houses in Colorado, contains a number of key provisions. It requires a ballot to be mailed to every registered voter; voters choose how to vote, whether by mail or dropping off the ballot, or even in person, early or on election day. It lengthens the early voting period and shortens the time required for state residency in order to qualify to vote. It expands voter registration through Election Day. And it allows people to vote at any precinct within their county.

“The biggest problem is people showing up at the wrong precinct,” Ellen Dumm, spokesperson for Coloradans for Voter Access and Modernized Elections, tells me. “This is unique in that expands all options. It really does expand access to voting at a time when we’ve seen a lot of restriction of voting. This makes voting a lot easier.”

—–

AP's Ivan Moreno reports via the Colorado Springs Gazette:

The governor is expected to sign a measure into law that would redefine how elections in Colorado are run, allowing same-day voter registration and ballots to be mailed to all registered voters.

Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to sign the Democrat-sponsored bill Friday, according to two people working closely with the measure. They asked to remain anonymous because an official announcement had not been made.

The bill passed with unanimous support from Democrats, but not a single Republican voted for it, citing concerns about voter fraud with same-day registration. Republicans also argued the measure would be a game-changer for future elections, and some called the measure the most important of the session that was packed with contentious legislation.

The signing into law of House Bill 1303, the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act, is one of the last major pieces of the Democratic legislative agenda to fall into place. Hickenlooper's signature was never really in doubt, it was more a question of getting the bill through without a surprise gutting or sacrifice of a major provision. Despite the over-the-top freakout that legislative Republicans and Secretary of State Scott Gessler had over the bill, the fact that it had wide bipartisan support among Colorado county clerks–the officials responsible in the first person for carrying out elections in this state–caused Gessler's increasingly strained and hyperbolic "concerns" to ring hollow. Given that the bill solved problems that Gessler had proven faithless and intransigent on, such as the unresolved status of so-called "inactive failed to vote" voters, his credibility was always weak.

Throughout the long debate over House Bill 1303, no Republican opponent was ever able to explain why this "election stealing" bill had support from county clerks in both parties–or why the most "contentious" of the bill's provisions, same-day voter registration, hasn't resulted in the avalanche of fraud they seem sure is going to result in Colorado in all the other states where it already exists.

The effect same-day registration has had in other states is an estimated 10% increase in overall voter turnout. We foresee, like the gun debate, an unpleasant reckoning for the GOP when their warnings of disaster fail to materialize. With one caveat: we do wish Gessler wasn't the one in charge of implementing this bill.


Full story: Hickenlooper To Sign Elections Bill

“Overreach” is Overwrought. Give it a Rest.

23
  by: Colorado Pols Wed May 8, 2013 at 3:06 PM MDT

There are 65 members of the Colorado House of Representatives, and 35 members of the Colorado State Senate. The Colorado legislature as a whole is a representative body, with each Senator representing about 143,691 constituents, and each House member standing for 77,372 Coloradans.

The Colorado Constitution outlines the makeup and duties of the state legislature, but it is a guarantee in the United States Constitution that every state shall have a republican form of government (with representatives elected by the people), rather than a direct democracy governed by the citizens.

Even Dawson doesn't cry this much.

Even Dawson didn’t cry as much as Colorado Republicans in 2013

Why the brief history lesson? As the legislature closes out its 2013 session, Republicans and some political pundits are busy accusing Colorado Democrats of "overreaching" for passing a lot of progressive pieces of legislation, yet they seem to forget that this "republican form of government" is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Members of the Colorado legislature are elected by popular vote, the purpose of which is to see that the majority of Colorado citizens are not overruled by the minority. It is a logical extension of the process that the minority may not be happy with the results of an elected body chosen by the majority.

To put it bluntly, that's kind of the point. The system is working as designed.

But don't tell that to Colorado Republicans. Take this recent press release from the Colorado House Republicans titled: "ICYMI: Democrats continue to run up the score."

The posting from the House GOP quotes liberally from an April 28th story in the Denver Post, though they notably failed to quote the sillier parts of the story about a "marathon legislative session":

Rep. Frank McNulty of Highlands Ranch raced to the microphone and, in a thundering voice, accused Democrats of "doing a touchdown dance at the expense of the minority." [Pols emphasis]…

…Republicans have accused Democrats of "overreaching," waging war on rural Colorado and introducing bills to reward unions and trial lawyers while harming businesses.

Rep. Dan Pabon, D-Denver, disagrees.

"Overreaching? No," he said. "I think we've been listening to the people of Colorado and they've told us, 'We put you in charge and we want you to get something done.' "

Hey McNulty, ask Carly Simon if this is about you.

Hey McNulty, ask Carly Simon if this is about you.

Pabon is absolutely right here, and we've made the same argument before in this space. But before we get to that, let's examine how Republicans are so upset at the Democrats for continually beating them in elections that they think the 2013 legislative session is actually about them. To quote Carly Simon (no, seriously):

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you

You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you

Don't you? Don't You? Don't You?

There are many, many reasons why Republicans have never come close to regaining control of the state legislature since their surprise ouster in 2004, and their reaction to being steamrolled in 2013 is just another number on the list. Democrats are pushing ahead with progressive issues because Republicans don't do anything but get in the way. They don't offer reasonable amendments or attempt to debate in good faith — they just try to gum up the works and play procedural games. Anyone who has heard Republican Rep. Bob Gardner's version of a filibuster can understand what we mean here; Gardner just talks comically slow for as long as he can, his only goal to try to bore people into submission. Yet Republicans are annoyed when Democrats try to move things along and actually, you know, do their job?

Republicans call this "overreaching," and take it as a personal affront. But it's not about them, and it never was. It's about Democrats understanding that Colorado voters want them to lead; voters gave McNulty and the GOP a narrow majority in the House in 2010, and they promptly yanked it back from them two years later when it became clear that Republicans still have no intention of actually legislating.

Voters are tired of Republicans who can't figure out if they should still hate gay people. They're sick of Republicans who compare abortion to the Holocaust while everyone else is worried about schools and the economy. They're fed up with Republicans who persist with their ridiculous "Personhood" policy ideas that keep…getting…rejected…again…and again. "Personhood" isn't even about the issue anymore — it's a symbol of Republicans refusing to listen to even the most loudly shouted opinions of voters.

The simple truth of the 2013 session is this: Democrats were given a significant mandate from voters in 2012, and they are putting it to use. Some would say it is long overdue, and perhaps they learned their lesson from Congressional Democrats who did next to nothing with their 2008 mandate and then lost the House of Representatives in 2010. In fact, a closer look at the election results from the past decade tells a story that makes you wonder why Democrats waited so long to push harder on their agenda in the first place…

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Full story: “Overreach” is Overwrought. Give it a Rest.

Election Modernization Bill Passes Senate

24
  by: Colorado Pols Thu May 2, 2013 at 2:50 PM MDT

FOX 31's Eli Stokols reports:

The 20-15 vote, with all Democrats in favor of and all Republicans against the measure, came after a four-hour debate with almost every Republican senator arguing that bill will open up the state’s elections to rampant fraud.

“You’re already winning the elections,” Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, said. “Do you need to steal them too?” [Pols emphasis]

The Colorado Association of County Clerks, which is made up more Republicans than Democrats, helped draft the bill and supports it. But Republicans at the Capitol and Secretary of State Scott Gessler have called House Bill 1303 a “partisan power play” aimed at helping Democrats consolidate recent electoral gains that will open the voting process up to rampant fraud.

The long debate over passage of House Bill 1303 has been characterized by dire warnings that the bill, in particular the provision for same-day registration of voters, would lead to "rampant voter fraud"–despite the fact that county clerks of both parties, the officials actually responsible for carrying out elections in Colorado, support it. Eleven states and the District of Columbia already have same day registration on the books, and there is no evidence that it has led to a higher incidence of trouble anywhere it has been enacted. What has happened, though, is a roughly 10% increase in overall voter turnout in states that have same day registration.

With these arguments hashed, rehashed, and re-rehashed, the final Senate debate today veered into the silly: 

(more…)


Full story: Election Modernization Bill Passes Senate

James O’Keefe Wannabe Botches Denver Elections “Sting”

14
  by: Colorado Pols Tue April 30, 2013 at 8:31 AM MDT

Brandon Morse of Revealing Politics outside a Senate committee hearing recently.

Brandon Morse of Revealing Politics outside a Senate committee hearing recently.

This video from locally-based conservative "gotcha" site Revealing Politics has been making the breathless rounds within conservative social media circles since the weekend. A new GOP tracker named Brandon Morse has been hanging out at the state capitol for the last couple of weeks monitoring hearings, and it appears in his spare time, he popped over to the Denver Elections Division for a "voter registration sting" a la James O'Keefe–the notorious and widely-discredited hidden camera/edited footage artist whose similar sting attempts have made national news.

And like James O'Keefe, Brandon Morse doesn't appear to be very smart.

In the video above, Morse enters the Denver Elections Division to register to vote. The clerk asks Morse if he has a driver's license, and Morse answers "I don't." The clerk takes his information and instructs him to wait for a confirmation card in the mail. Morse walks out with a sly grin on his face.

What Morse doesn't say, and may not even know, is that persons in Colorado who don't produce an acceptable form of ID when registering are put into "Verify ID status," and must still produce identification to vote by mail–or in person for that matter, all of the laws on this still apply. It doesn't say so in this video, but Morse did allegedly provide the last four digits of his Social Security number, and that also works to allow the clerks to verify people's identity. Morse will respond that he wasn't required to produce a photo ID, but this video implies that nothing is verified at all–and that's simply not true.

Morse is trying to prove that it is too easy to be allowed to vote in Colorado…but he hasn't done that. At all. The only thing he has accomplished is to prove that an election clerk will take down your information if you ask to register to vote. Great work, Nancy Drew!

Here's another problem:

CLERK: And you, uh, you don't have a driver's license?

MORSE: I don't.

Did Brandon Morse break the law right there? 

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Full story: James O’Keefe Wannabe Botches Denver Elections “Sting”

Sex Offender Petition Gatherers: Seriously, Bad Idea

20
  by: Colorado Pols Mon April 29, 2013 at 12:25 PM MDT

As news broke over the weekend that paid petition gathering company Kennedy Enterprises has joined the recall effort against at least one Colorado legislator, Senate President John Morse of Colorado Springs, there have been several aspects of this story worthy of attention. Yesterday, we released video footage of a training session last week at Kennedy Enterprises, outlining the money gatherers can make and the possibility of a lucrative career traveling "from city to city, state to state" collecting signatures "for basically anybody who has money."

If the presence of buy-an-election paid circulators in Morse's recall doesn't trouble you, and it indeed might not trouble the more politically cynical among us, there is another issue–the longstanding employment practices of petition gathering company Kennedy Enterprises. In 2008, Kennedy conducted the petition campaign for three GOP-backed ballot measures, including Amendment 47, the so-called "right to work" initiative. 9NEWS reported on an investigation into petition gatherers for that campaign (article no longer online):

Some people gathering signatures for ballot initiatives who approach Coloradans have criminal records, according to court record searches conducted by 9Wants to Know. [Pols emphasis] 9NEWS found signature gatherers convicted of sexual assault on a child, theft, harassment, trespassing and drug possession. Most signature gatherers are hired by private companies and paid for each signature they receive…

"It's a little frightening," said House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder)…

Court records show signature gatherer Ferrell Griffin was sentenced in 2007 for drug possession. Police had already busted him twice before in 2002 and 1992. He's on parole and gathering signatures for ballot issues in Denver this year. Secretary of State records show John Bizzell gathered signatures in Pueblo this year too. He's a registered sex offender who is back in prison on drug charges.

John Respondek has a criminal record that dates back to 1996. He's been convicted of theft five times since 1996. His record also includes trespassing and harassment. 9Wants to Know caught up with Respondek while he was gathering signatures in Denver.

Folks, when we noted the lack of background checks for this latest drive, this is what we were getting at. 

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Full story: Sex Offender Petition Gatherers: Seriously, Bad Idea

Hidden Camera: Morse Recall Training at Kennedy Enterprises

6
  by: Colorado Pols Sun April 28, 2013 at 12:18 PM MDT

Must-see video just forwarded to us–an apparent hidden camera film of a training session at the Colorado Springs office of Kennedy Enterprises last week for petition gatherers working to recall Sen. President John Morse.

As we reported Friday, a large infusion of funds from as-yet unknown sources has brought one of the state's most shady (and successful) paid petition gathering companies, responsible for controversial petition efforts in support of Doug Bruce's "Bad Three" anti-tax initiatives among many other examples, into the until-now rag tag effort to recall Colorado legislators in retaliation for gun safety bills signed into law this year.

As this three minutes and twenty seconds of video makes crystal-clear, the petition campaign against Morse is now in the hands of 100% non-ideological mercenaries, whose only interest is successfully getting the issue they are paid to promote on the ballot–in this case, Morse's recall. They flat-out admit as much 0:27 into this video:

This is what we do for a living. We travel around the country, we go from city to city, state to state, we put issues and candidates on the ballot for basically anybody who has money. [Pols emphasis]

The trainer, who identified himself as Tracy Taylor of an unnamed national petition company, proceeds to explain briefly what the petition is about, then gets into details about the pay structure. It's quick cash for petition gatherers–whatever they produce over the weekends gets turned in on Monday, and they are promised a check by the following Thursday. Taylor concludes by noting his close ties to Dan Kennedy of Kennedy Enterprises where this training was held. 

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Full story: Hidden Camera: Morse Recall Training at Kennedy Enterprises

BREAKING: Mystery Recall Money Arrives, Paid Drive Begins

14
  by: Colorado Pols Fri April 26, 2013 at 12:26 PM MDT

Over the last few weeks, we've been talking about the incipient recall campaigns against several Colorado legislators in the wake of passage of gun safety legislation this year. There hasn't been much good to report on the recall campaigns so far, with public leaders and visible organizing efforts both revealing themselves to be, to put it charitably, less than ready for prime time. Our assessment of the potential success in getting any of these recall campaigns on the ballot has been pretty dim up to now.

That's about to change.

We've just learned that one of the most prominent (and ethically questionable) petition signature gathering firms in Colorado, Kennedy Enterprises, has been hired to take over petition drives for some or all of the recall campaigns presently underway. This new development has not yet been reflected in spending disclosure forms, but should be public knowledge in the next week. It's not known yet which of the recall campaigns that have been filed will be taken over by Kennedy, but this represents a major development: an outside capitalization by unknown funders of what had been an amateur and disorganized effort…

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Full story: BREAKING: Mystery Recall Money Arrives, Paid Drive Begins

Reporters Need To Know Who (And What) They’re Talking About

10
  by: Colorado Pols Thu April 25, 2013 at 8:42 AM MDT

After some six hours of debate that lasted well into the evening yesterday, House Bill 1303, the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act, passed the Senate State Affairs Committee on a party-line vote. Having passed the House, the bill appears increasingly certain to become law–that is, after Republican legislative opponents and Secretary of State Scott Gessler take as much time as possible outlining various disastrous consequences they foresee. We distinguish Republican legislators and Gessler from Republicans generally, because Republican opposition to House Bill 1303 is far from unanimous: county clerks from across the state, including many Republicans, support the bill.

The testimony against House Bill 1303 consisted of Gessler's by-now familiar compliants about "not being consulted" on the bill, and "ordinary citizens" worried about the prospect of "voter fraud." As The Denver Post's Joey Bunch breathlessly reported last night, at least one very dramatic charge of voting fraud involving University of Colorado students was made by a witness:

Much of the opposition testimony was from people who said they were worried about fraud, if same-day registration is allowed. Much of the testimony in Wednesday night’s 6-hour hearing matched that of a seven-and-a-half hour hearing last week, but the tales of past voter fraud by regular citizen was alarming. [Pols emphasis] Russell Hass [sic-Pols] of Golden, for instance, said he knew of University of Colorado students living in a hotel in Wisconsin to qualify to vote there in a tight election. Their expenses were paid by a rich person in Aspen he said.

Russell Haas is very well-known in Jefferson County Republican circles. Joey Bunch should have noted that, but since he didn't spell Haas' name correctly it's a safe bet Bunch didn't know who this guy was. Haas was in fact the registered sponsor of Amendment 61, one of the "Bad Three" anti-tax initiatives masterminded by Douglas Bruce. During the long legal battle over Bruce's secret donations to that campaign, Haas racked up thousands of dollars in fines for failing to disclose Bruce as the funder of the initiative–fines that Scott Gessler later slashed to $50.

Now there's some backstory that Joey Bunch should have included in his "alarming" report, don't you think? Safe to say, a role model for honest dealing in politics and elections Russell Haas is not.

And then there's the matter of Haas' allegation. Folks, we certainly are not aware of any group of University of Colorado students "living in a hotel in Wisconsin to qualify to vote there in a tight election." We know nothing about a "rich person in Aspen" funding such an effort. Given the stiff penalties for and limited utility of individual voter fraud, this seems most unlikely, but if it were true, we believe it would be a nationwide story. In fact, what seems impossible is the idea that every conservative media outlet in America would not be shouting that from the rooftops if there were even the smallest shred of evidence to support the claim.

But instead of badly-needed context, and an objective look at the allegation being made, in the state's newspaper of record we get this ridiculous pearl-clutching story lending "alarming" credibility to one of the least credible figures in Colorado politics–and uncritically reprinting a wild allegation with absolutely zero supporting evidence.

It's an excellent example of lazy journalism becoming downright irresponsible.


Full story: Reporters Need To Know Who (And What) They’re Talking About

Sorry Mario, But “Out And Out” Racism Is Very Real

64
  by: Colorado Pols Wed April 24, 2013 at 4:35 PM MDT

THURSDAY UPDATE: And for good measure, NBC News' Rachel Maddow:

—–

UPDATE: Folks, you did realize NBC News' Al Sharpton was going to see this eventually, right? Holy crap:

—–

David Weigel of Slate is the latest national voice to weigh in on the growing controversy over mailers attacking Republican county clerks, sent by a group headed by the former communications director of the Colorado GOP, Bill Ray–mailers that contain a photo altered to remove African-American faces from a line of voters.

The only black woman in the photo had been photoshopped out, replaced by the woman standing next to her. Why?

"The mail house just made a monumental mistake," says Mario Nicolais, counsel for Citizens for Free and Fair Elections. "And they hadn't informed the folks here that they'd done the Photoshop. I think they just weren't thinking."

We've reported on the response from the mail house in question, Commerce City-based Wizbang Solutions, and their claim that the Photoshopping of the African-American woman at the center of the photo in question was done to depict "the same person waiting in line to vote." This excuse doesn't explain the removal of another African-American face directly behind the first one–the two most prominent in the photo, with other minorities depicted either barely visible or faded out of the edges. Moreover, nothing in the text content of the mailing suggests a problem with people voting twice; it's all about "felons, illegal aliens, and the deceased."

In short, their excuse is ridiculous, in no way persuasive that this isn't exactly what it looks like. 

(more…)


Full story: Sorry Mario, But “Out And Out” Racism Is Very Real

Red-on-Red Racist Mailer Scandal Rapidly Escalating

84
  by: Colorado Pols Tue April 23, 2013 at 8:42 AM MDT

UPDATE: Story now up at national progressive political blogs ThinkProgress and Huffington Post.

—-

hackstaffaltered

A very important update today to the story we've been following of attack mailers sent into Mesa and La Plata counties this past weekend, going after Republican clerks for their support for House Bill 1303–the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act modernizing election procedures and solving problems that have arisen with the growing use of mail ballots in Colorado elections.

Junction Daily Blog first reported the existence of these mailings on Saturday, and their return address matching that of Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler's former law firm, the Hackstaff Law Group (formerly Hackstaff Gessler). By Sunday, a Colorado Pols reader had discovered that one of the main images in this mailing, a photo of a line of voters, had been digitally altered or "Photoshopped" to remove African-American faces from the original photo. The combination of the over-the-top hysterics in the mailer's content–"even the deceased could cast ballots!"–and the very nasty racist implications in removing black faces from a photo being sent to a 99% white locality have turned this mailer into a significant, and most embarrassing, complication for Secretary Gessler and his efforts against House Bill 1303. Yesterday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) condemned the mailers, and called on Gessler to denounce them.

That's where the Durango Herald's Joe Hanel picks up the story today, filling in must-read details:

The mailer digitally altered a picture to remove black people from a photo of voters standing in line, but the company that designed it said it was trying to make a point about voter fraud, not race…

As a nonprofit, Citizens for Free and Fair Elections does not have to reveal its donors. Its 2010 and 2011 tax forms list Bill Ray, a Republican political consultant, as the executive director.

Ray said Gessler had no part in putting together the flier.

Ray said the firm that printed and designed the flier, Wizbang Solutions, altered the photo without knowledge or permission of anyone at Citizens for Free and Fair Elections.

“We neither approved nor asked for any Photoshopping to be done to the photo,” Ray said.

A Wizbang employee named “Mike,” who would not give his last name, read a statement from the company to the Herald: “Wizbang Solutions, in an effort to underscore the theme of voter fraud, edited a stock photo. Our actions were merely to provide a visual context of the same person waiting in line to vote. Any assertions that the editing was for any other purpose is political folly and takes away from the subtle undertone intended by our artist.” [Pols emphasis]

Bill Ray, former Colorado GOP communications director.

Bill Ray, former Colorado GOP communications director.

It has been erroneously reported that the group Citizens for Free and Fair Elections was unregistered with the state. In fact the group has existed for several years. Bill Ray, identified as the group's director in today's story, is the former communications director of the Colorado Republican Party, serving in that capacity under former Chairman Ted Halaby. Ray's company WR Communications boasts a large roster of clients including CenturyLink, Pfizer, and the Colorado Rural Electric Association.

And folks, above all, this is no anonymous crackpot. This mailer was produced by a fixture of Republican politics in Colorado, using the state's foremost GOP law firm as a return address. Ray's role, along with that of Hackstaff Law Group, amounts to plain complicity within the GOP establishment in this campaign against fellow Republican county clerks. In every meaningful way, his identity closes the loop on what is happening. Does it prove Bill Ray personally sat down with Scott Gessler and planned this mailing? No. But at a certain level, as everyone not being willfully naive knows, that doesn't matter.

When you put together these players on any chart, they form a single team.

As for the "marketing geniuses" at Commerce City-based Wizbang Solutions, they have possibly offered up the most pathetic excuse for their obvious racist intent in editing out African-American faces from this mailing that we have ever heard from anyone about anything. This is, like Ray, a company with some prestigious clients who are most unlikely to approve of what was done here–no matter who "asked for" these edits. And please, folks. It's absurd for them to suggest anything other than a racist motive for editing the photo in question. Their feeble excuse for one such alteration doesn't explain the removal, for example, of the African-American man standing behind the first black person they edited out. It is absolutely, irrevocably undeniable what the "subtle undertone" was in editing out the black faces (plural) from this photo, and their ridiculous excuses only make it worse for them.

Close-up showing second African-American face removed from original photo.

Close-up showing second African-American face removed from original photo.

Today's excellent reporting by Joe Hanel doesn't answer all the questions by any stretch, nor do these denials from Ray and/or his marketing consultants, which raise more questions than they answer.

But if there's any justice, heads in upper Colorado conservative circles need to roll.


Full story: Red-on-Red Racist Mailer Scandal Rapidly Escalating

NAACP Condemns Anti-Election Bill Mailers

82
  by: Colorado Pols Mon April 22, 2013 at 2:47 PM MDT

hackstaffaltered

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is out with a statement this afternoon endorsing Colorado House Bill 1303, the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act being debated now at the state capitol–and condemning a mailer sent this past weekend attacking county clerks who support the bill. That attack mailer, as we discussed this weekend, appears to have been altered to remove African-American faces from a photo of a crowd of voters in line to vote.

The NAACP Colorado Montana Wyoming State Area Conference today endorsed a bill that will expand options for voters, modernize our elections and save money for counties around our state.

The NAACP State Conference also expressed serious concern regarding Secretary of State Scott Gessler's close ties to a group that sent postcards to voters over the weekend in two western slope counties. Those postcard contained images in which the faces of African-American voters had been digitally removed and replaced with the faces of White voters… [Pols emphasis]

"The NAACP State Conference stands with the Colorado County Clerks Association, AARP CO, the League of Women Voters, Colorado Progressive Coalition and many other voters' rights and civil rights organizations in endorsing this legislation.

On a related matter, the NAACP State Conference is seriously concerned about an anonymous group, reported to have close ties the Secretary of State, which sent out fliers in La Plata County and Mesa County, criticizing their clerks support of the bill. The information was not only wrong, there is evidence that the faces of African-American voters were intentionally digitally removed from the picture.

The media should join the NAACP State Conference and others in questioning the Secretary of State about this apparent attempt to change the very face of Colorado in ways that lack inclusion and lack truth. Whoever did this should be ashamed. What message does this send to people of color in Colorado — and all of us — about our elections system?

The media must call on Gessler to reveal his ties, denounce this outrageous negative, misleading, exclusionary and divisive effort — or forfeit his ability to remain our Secretary of State with any credibility." [Pols emphasis]


Full story: NAACP Condemns Anti-Election Bill Mailers

Representative Dan Pabon and Activist Shawn Coleman to Answer Amendment 64 Questions Thursday

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  by: JeffcoYoungDems Mon March 4, 2013 at 7:50 PM MDT

Jeffco Young Dems will host an Amendment 64 Q&A session with Governor's Task Force member Representative Dan Pabon this Thursday at 6:00 PM, at Jose O'Shea's in Lakewood. Although we're a partisan group, our events aren't partisan, and we always welcome attendees of all ages. If you have questions about the Task Force's recommendations to Governor Hickenlooper, please join us Thursday!

Who: Representative Dan Pabon (Task Force member), Shawn Coleman (leading marijuana activist), and you!

What: Open forum for Amendment 64 questions and discussion. We'll even have an anonymous questions basket, for you shy guys and gals. Taco bar and Happy Hour pricing on margaritas, too!

Where: 385 Union Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80228. We've got a floor of the restaurant to ourselves, including a private balcony.

When: 3/7/13, 6:00-8:30 PM — come even if you can't make it at six sharp.

Why: Because you'll be the coolest cat in town when you can answer all your friends' questions about legal weed, with knowledge straight from members of the Governor's Task Force. Also, tacos and civic responsibility.

How Much: Free event, donations gratefully accepted. Please come whether or not you can donate!

Please RSVP on Facebook if you use it — this helps us know how much food to plan for. If you're not a Facebooker or don't want to RSVP publicly, please email us or just show up :)


Full story: Representative Dan Pabon and Activist Shawn Coleman to Answer Amendment 64 Questions Thursday