In Pursuit of Perfection

Great Site for Researching Candidate's Campaign Finances

A tip of the hat to Karen over at Barack Obama's community site.

The main page is OpenSecrets[dot]org and there is a lot there.  I'm forwarding on the links for Hillary and Barack, and also for McCain.  Of interest to me, the variation on the sources of funding for these candidates.  I continue to be impressed by the grassroots nature of the Obama campaign.

Don't take my word for it, get going!

Barack Obama
Hillary Clinton
John McCain

Voting Irregularities: Where do we go from here?

Let's begin with an understatement. The February 12th primary here in Chesterfield County could have been better.  Okay, fine.  Well why should we care about that now?  And what, if anything, should be done about it??

Synopsis

Three actions must be immediately taken to restore voter confidence and ensure that the record high turnouts that we know are coming in November go smoothly.

1. Confirm last nights performance was unacceptable.  Election Board officials must reassure voters that last night was not just "part of the process".  When voters get discouraged from voting due to lack of availability of ballots, inadequate parking/facilities at polling places; or when they leave, having done their civic duty, and are unsure as to whether their vote will actually be counted, we have failed.  We can and must do better.
2. Initiate a 3rd Party Investigation.  Election Board officials must request the Commonwealth Attorney's Office, or other properly empowered office, perform an impartial investigation into the glaring lack of insight which led to Chesterfield County's lack of preparation.  This investigation is honor bound to take into account all issues regarding our Election Board's failure; including issues of locality, demographics, political affiliations, and yes, even race.  Only tourists from another galaxy could have been caught as unawares by last night's turnout.  Previous state's primaries/caucuses should have had our election official on their toes.  Was this a failure of leadership?  Can current leadership right the ship in time for November?
3. Encourage community to part of the solution.  If we are to criticize our county officials when they underachieve, we should be as quick to offer solutions as well.  My wife and I volunteered this morning to be a part of the Chesterfield County certified election volunteers.  Our county Election Board officials should encourage more volunteerism from the community. I'm confident we are the kind of community that would respond, if only we are asked.

Follow-up on Long Lines: Wait Times Over 45 minutes in Chesterfield County

Election officials in Chesterfield County receive an "F".  Haake gets remedial Summer School.

(see photo album to the left, "PrimaryDay021208")

My wife and I just left New Covenant Presbyterian Church (Meadowbrook precinct for Dale District) here in Chesterfield County.  I spoke personally with the Chief Election Official, I think her name was Margaret or "Margie".  Margie was in pretty frail condition.  And though I was deeply disappointed with what I saw driving in (pictures tell the story), it did not seem appropriate to take it out on the her.  And from what Margie tell us, several folks have done just that.

Having said that, at a minimum, Chesterfield County Election Officials, led by Lawrence C. Haake, III, have done an abysmal job.  According to Margie, as recently as last Saturday she was be told by senior officials that turn out would be marginal at best...

blink.

Excuse me, but where have these people been?  Now I've been led to believe that Mr. Haake is a Republican.  Insert conspiracy theory here.  Whatever the motivations, this kind of inept incompetence cannot continue, and will not be tolerated come election time in November.

Raw data.  According to Margie, we learned the following:

• Around 12:30pm there were 435 total votes at this precinct, around 6:15pm there were 766
• An average Presidential primary at New Covenant yields less than 200 voters
• Estimated Republican turn-out at 6pm was around 150 total voters;  at this precinct at least, the election officials incompetence affected democrats almost 6 or 7 to 1 republican voters
• The process for national elections in November involves a much more efficient use of the voter roles and was easily available for the primary process today -- election officials decided against this.

We spent an hour and 15 minutes outside today and spoke with at least a dozen voters, a couple election officials, and even a candidate for Congress, Andrea Miller.  I could not begin to count the number of cars that pulled into the lot, witnessed the line, and turned around and drove away.  The same with would be voters who entered the building, some with children, most coming from work, waited in line a couple of minutes and after time gave up.  I don't wish to fabricate here.  I think conservatively, I witnessed 100 or more voters decide against voting in a hour and 15 minute period.

Anyone else have similar experiences?  What is Mr. Haake political persuasion??

McCain '08: Like Hope, But Different.

Primary Day Rules and Locations -- Get out and Vote!!

If you do not know where your polling place is located, use this tool:

Virginia Polling Locations

Also, to ensure things go smoothly, here are a list of our state laws regarding voting in our primary.  Keep these in mind and let all of your friends know as well!

• Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  You are entitled to vote if you are in line by 7:00 p.m. when the polls close.
• Unless you are a first-time voter, you do not need to show ID at the polling place. Instead, you must sign an "Affirmation of Identity" statement before voting.
• You have the right to vote a Provisional Ballot if your status as a qualified voter is in question, and you have the right to be present when the Electoral Board meets to determine if your ballot will be counted.
• You have the right to vote using a regular ballot even if your status as a qualified voter is challenged, provided that: your name appears on the voter registration list; you present a valid ID; and you sign an affirmation stating that you meet the requirements to be a qualified voter.

Let's make history and bring a genuine change to Washington!!  I urge each of you to consider your vote for Barack Obama for nominee for the Democratic Party and for President of the United States!!

UVA Considers Applicant's Wealth in the Admissions Process

Who's your daddy? 
The University of Virginia acknowledges it tracks applicants based on their parents' donor potential.
 

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By Alisa Roth 

 

Jan.   14, 2000 | Amid heated debates on affirmative action, there has been little discussion on another form of admissions favoritism: financial. While it was long suspected that family wealth might have an impact on an applicant's prospects, few schools would ever acknowledge it. But last fall, the University of Virginia disclosed that along with legacies and friends of university VIPs, it tracks candidates whose rich parents are likely to make major contributions to the university.

The school newspaper, "The Cavalier Daily," broke the story after obtaining three memos regarding a list that defines applicants according to family worth and the probability of a big donation. The memos were sent by the development office and addressed to the president's assistant, Gordon Burris.

In some cases, the notes made specific reference to the family fortune: "-- nonlegacy son of William --, godson of Randolph Preston Pillow, MD ('42 A&S, '44 Health Sciences) -- is an heir to the Boeing Family fortune." (The dashes refer to places where the Cavalier Daily deleted some names before publication to protect students' privacy). In other cases, parents were rated by how much they were likely to donate: A for $10 million or more, B for $9.9 million to $5 million and so on.

Each year, about 400 students are put on Gordon Burris' master list to receive special consideration; along with rich kids, this record includes legacies and people who know people, typically politicians or board members. After admission decisions have been made, but before applicants are notified, Dean of Admissions John Blackburn meets with Burris. (Both Burris and Vice President for Development Robert Sweeney declined to be interviewed for this story.) The men compare lists and, in some cases, tweak a decision.

"A lot of it is maintaining good relations," says university spokeswoman Louise Dudley, who defends the list as primarily a means to inform so-called important people about how an applicant has fared. But in 1998, one-quarter of the 412 most-favored students had wealthy connections and were recommended by the development office. Of those, 20 were admitted.

Dudley emphasizes that the list is maintained alphabetically and the dean of admissions would never see information like that in the memos. While being on the list is no guarantee of acceptance, it can sway a decision. "[Burris] tells me the importance a student would have to the institution," Blackburn explains. "In some cases, I would make a change to the decision." Dudley's point is moot: It doesn't matter whether the list is alphabetized or if the admissions dean doesn't see the names on paper. Burris essentially verbalizes the list for Blackburn and prioritizes the names for him.

Ironically, the University of Virginia is not lacking for money or qualified applicants. Its endowment is a noteworthy $1.2 billion, and the school is about to complete a $1 billion campaign nearly one year ahead of schedule. On average, there are between 16,000 and 17,000 applicants for 3,000 spots in the freshman class. With two-thirds of those spaces reserved for Virginians, the acceptance rate among out-of-state students drops to about 20 percent.

Does that mean sending a bank statement along with an application or promising to build a state-of-the-art sports center will open an admissions door? Probably not. "For the most part, we're not talking deals cut for future giving," Blackburn clarifies. "We're quite leery of promises." He hastens to point out that UVA is hardly alone in considering wealth. Officials at the University of California, a prestigious public system, and Ivy League member Cornell University both readily admit that such considerations are a fact of life at any institution.

Yes We Can!

It inspires me too.

Edwards is out

Looks like the way has been cleared for Barack Obama.  It will be interesting to see who ultimately gets Johns backing and the delegates that go along with him.  Obama did a classy job of thanking Senator Edwards as well as his wife Elizabeth.

John Edwards has spent a lifetime fighting to give voice to the voiceless and hope to the struggling, even when it wasn’t popular to do or covered in the news.  At a time when our politics is too focused on who’s up and who’s down, he made a nation focus again on who matters – the New Orleans child without a home, the West Virginia miner without a job, the families who live in that other America that is not seen or heard or talked about by our leaders in Washington.  John and Elizabeth Edwards have always believed deeply that we can change this – that two Americas can become one, and that our country can rally around this common purpose.  So while his campaign may end today, the cause of their lives endures for all of us who still believe that we can achieve that dream of one America.

Complete text here.

Mrs. Annie Bennett

Spread the word.

In His Own Words

History in the making...

Original text of speech here: