To the right you will see the commercial that Nevada is airing right here in California. It is an attack against the California legislature. Which is kind of like hitting the broad side of a barn these days.

Chamber of Commerce folks like to point out the “massive” effects of poaching from other states. Yet, well, the facts don’t bear that out:

But other data show that business relocation has a minimal effect on California’s economy. The number of jobs lost because of business relocation each year – about 11,000 – is “relatively inconsequential,” according to a 2007 study by Public Policy Institute of California, a nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank. (LA Times)

The greater problem is that the resources pulled in these little tiffs is a net loss to both states.  Both states spend resources to pick off business from each other, and in the end it’s a zero sum game.  Well, less than zero as they end up giving incentives to new businesses to lure them, and watch the old ones slip out the door for greener pastures.

But when it comes down to it, California is a special place.  We simply have a combination of resources that few other places in the world can boast. Yet, given the vast resources of the state, others will be sure to continue their vulturing as we race to become the state offering the worst labor standards and the lowest taxes as states seek to become the new Somalia.

It is sadly typical of the knuckle-draggers in the California Republican Party that they picked today to file a lawsuit over Obama’s travel to Hawaii to visit Mrs. Dunham for the last time.  The RNC jumped on this lawsuit filing today as well.

Turns out she passed away today.  Obama took time off the campaign trail in the final weeks to say his last goodbyes.  Unfortunately she could not make it to Election Day.

What a classy bunch over at the CRP offices.

RIP Madelyn Dunham.

…I should also note that the Nevada State Director of the Obama campaign died from a massive heart attack this morning at the age of just 44.  Much of my volunteer efforts for Obama supported Nevada.  This is also a tragic loss.

• Over to our east, the Nevada Dems aren’t doing so bad.  Two Congressional Races were just upgraded by CQ, with state Senator and former gubernatorial candidate Dina Titus now in a toss-up in the Vegas ‘burbs.  Titus is a good candidate, and everything is looking up for her: fundraising, name ID, and the polling.

• Speaker Pelosi tells JoMentum to STFU. It seems she’s had enough of the ridiculous attacks on Obama. About time.

• Some grassroots activists in the Sacramento area are gearing up to oppose the Peripheral Canal.  Apparently some didn’t get the message back in the 80s about this bad idea. It would decimate wildlife, among other disastrous consequences.  Interestingly, there’s substantial conservative opposition to the Canal, and not just from the farmers in the region.

• Universities across the state are lobbying to get the Greenhouse Gas Institute that might be set up if it gets through the somewhat unimpressive legislative process. The institute would aim to find solutions to climate change.  A rather small task, IMHO.

• This is an interesting lawsuit. The supporters of Prop 2 (humane farm conditions) are alleging that a partially government funded marketing group, the American Egg Board, has designated $3 million to fight Prop 2. The trouble is that under law, they cannot get involved in politics. Keep an eye on this.

UPDATE by Dave: Let me just add a couple things to this:

• The long battle between the Navy and environmentalists over sonar off the California coast came to an end yesterday with the Navy agreeing to restrict low-frequency sonar to protect whales and other sea life.  This is a win for environmentalists, and it doesn’t impact the Navy all that much to boot – the sonar wasn’t necessary in these training exercises.

• The Oakland man who carjacked Don Perata has been indicted.

• There’s more on South LA’s decision to restrict construction of new fast-food restaurants in the New York Times.  There’s concern that pupusarias and barbecue joints might get caught up in the shuffle, as the definition of “fast-food” is a little vague.

UPDATE by Brian: Paul Hogarth at Beyond Chron has a wrap-up of the San Francisco DCCC endorsement meeting.

Cross-posted at Project Vote’s blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns and Nathan Henderson-James

We spend a lot of time in these news updates showing how charges of voter fraud are used to discredit voter participation efforts and prime the pump for voter suppression efforts, such as the passage of voter ID bills, pushing for proof of citizenship, engaging in draconian voter purge efforts, and imposing sever restrictions on voter registration drives. We have also spent a lot of time carefully delineating the politics behind these efforts, starting with our March 2007 report The Politics Of Voter Fraud and continuing on in these diaries to name but two venues.  

What is striking about how the process of disenfranchisement and voter suppression works is how much it relies upon the media to repeat and amplify the breathless and hyperbolic accusations of so-called voter fraud against voter registration drives. If journalists were to spend any time at all investigating the sensational claims – often made by people with a direct partisan interest in the outcome of an election –  they would find that the accusations are mostly taken out of context, are limited to a few instances, and have never, ever, been proven to have resulted in any fraudulent vote being cast.

Sadly, the history of this issue shows that it has been bereft of this kind of basic journalism, even through the 2006 mid-term elections. This is important because haphazard reporting of partisan claims of voter fraud without checking the facts is how the media helps these voter suppression efforts. These stories not only deter potential voters from getting on the rolls, but, as noted above, inspire bad election reforms aimed at disenfranchising voters, particularly those that are currently underrepresented in the electorate.

A prime example of this kind of lazy journalism in recent weeks comes from Las Vegas where local reporters simply repeated accusations of fraud made by the Clark County clerk against ACORN without even bothering to contact ACORN to see how their drive was being managed.  

The group’s registration drive has reached one million voters nationwide [Full disclosure – it is run under a Joint Effort Agreement with Project Vote. ed.] and, according to one article, election officials see “rampant fraud” in the 2,000 3,000 cards submitted by the group each week in Las Vegas. This week, the Associated Press reported that the state set up a “voter fraud task force” to look for “election irregularities and instances of questionable voter registration and intimidation,” directly citing issues with voter registration drives.  Neither of these Nevada reports provided the facts of voter fraud, what it is and how it relates to the voter registration process. Most importantly, neither reports cite real examples of the intentional casting of an illegal ballot – the real definition of voter fraud – in the state.

However, it may be that the hard work Project Vote and others – including the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, DEMOS, and the Advancement Project – have engaged in over the past few years debunking the voter fraud myth is beginning to change the way journalists approach these stories.

This week, several publications broke this trend by debunking recent Virginia GOP allegations of widespread voter fraud as a result of massive voter registration drives that primarily target youth, low income and minority communities – constituencies that have a long history of being underrepresented on the voting rolls and in the voting booth.

Since the beginning of the year, an unprecedented 147,000 people – “almost half under the age of 25” – registered to vote in Virginia, according to Monday’s Washington Post lead editorial. Pointing to a recent incident where three members of the Community Voting Project were arrested for falsifying voter registration cards, Republican Party chairman, Del. Jeffrey Frederick of Prince William County claims widespread voter fraud is a hidden agenda in voter registration drives.

Remarkably, however, this time the press decided to investigate this inflammatory accusation. This charge is “utterly baseless” and is “unsupported by election officials, police or prosecutors,” the Post notes in the editorial. In fact, the Post described the accusation as an exercise in “fear mongering” by Frederick, amplified by his allegations that citizens who register with these drives are also vulnerable to identity theft, a claim that amounts to nothing more than “a classic attempt to suppress votes,” the Post editorialized.

Bob Bauer, at his Web site, www.MoreSoftMoneyHardLaw.com, takes the critique one step further, looking at both the accusations and the Post’s coverage. “And the Post omits mention of another feature of Fredericks’ suppression gambit,” wrote the election law attorney. “He also called for an ‘investigation,’ well understanding that his words would creep into the press on his remarks and filter out into the electorate.”

In a prime example of the kind of journalism that should happen as a matter of course when these kinds of serious allegations are made, a Virginia reporter for the Danville Register & Bee reached out to local registrars to get a real idea of the voter registration process and how unlikely it is to lead to voter fraud.

“‘It’s not easy to falsely register somebody,’ said Pittsylvania County Registrar Jenny Saunders, who explained that in addition to the registrar going over the application for obvious errors (like missed questions), there’s a statewide database all applications are checked against.”

Partisans out for political gain perpetuate fear about the integrity of the election system, something that the media often picks up unfiltered. “In fact,” the Post wrote, “it is groundless accusations and cynical fear-mongering such as Mr. Frederick’s that are injecting the real venom, and the true threat, into the elections.

Below are some important facts to consider when writing (or reading) reports on voter registration fraud:

Voter Registration Drives Rev up in Presidential Election Years

The fact that young people and minorities are expanding the voting rolls this year does not indicate that something is awry with voter registration drives. Indeed, most large-scale drives target those populations least represented in the electorate. Further, in high interest election years, especially presidential, more people are motivated to help register voters or get registered themselves. Stories about so-called voter fraud should be evaluated in terms of the number of cards thought to be fraudulent versus the total number of cards the registration drive is gathering. In Virginia, a handful of fake cards were found in a drive that could register more than 30,000 people.

Voter Registration Fraud Does Not Lead to Voter Fraud

“We have the checks and balances…to makes sure the wrong person doesn’t get registered and the right person does,” said Va. election official, Saunders in the Register & Bee.

Further, professionally-run drives expect almost a third of all applications to be duplicates or incomplete, no matter how well-trained the canvasser or volunteers are. This does not mean they are all illegal. However, the registrar is required to ensure all applications contain accurate information “including whether the applicant is a citizen, their Social Security number, date of birth, full name, valid residence, whether they’ve been convicted of a felony, or whether they have been determined mentally incapable…If any of that is left off…the application is denied,” according to the Register & Bee. Note: Not all states require Social Security number information to be filled out on  a voter registration card. For more information on your state’s requirements on registering to vote, visit ProjectVote.org.

Allegations of Voter Fraud are Often Motivated By Partisan Gain

“If you’re not winning at the ballot box, try your chances in the registrar’s office, or in court,” the Virginia Pilot editorialized.  “[That’s] [h]ardly democratic.”

Following the success of voter registration drives that have increased registration among low income, minority and young people, almost all claims of rampant voter fraud have come from Republican leaders, despite lack of substantiation of a real problem. The most vicious and corrupt efforts made were part of what has become the US AttorneyGate scandal that subsequently exposed the widespread politicization of the Department of Justice and led to the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. All of that unraveled because former US Attorney David Iglesias refused to make false accusations of voter fraud against ACORN’s 2004 voter registration drive in New Mexico.

The fact is between 2002 and 2005 – when the Department of Justice carried out the most intensive investigation of voter fraud in US history –  only 24 people were convicted of illegal voting nationwide. However, partisans still made public allegations and the press, in many instances, ran these claims with out real evidence. Armed with these published anecdotes and buoyed by manufactured public outcry about the possibility of their votes being canceled out by illegal voters, legislators fought to pass laws that disenfranchise certain classes of voters. As a result, states like Indiana and Georgia have implemented some of the most draconian voter ID laws despite the lack of any evidence of actual voter fraud.

Reporters practicing ethical and rigorous journalism should recognize that merely using the “rhetorical hand grenade” of voter fraud – without an explanation of how voter registration and elections are administered or an investigation into the evidence of voter fraud – is the real threat to democracy.

Quick Links:

Minnite, Lorraine. “The Politics of Voter Fraud. “Project Vote. March 2007.

Voter Registration Guides and Surveys [By State]. Project Vote

In Other News:

A voting penalty after the penalty – Birmingham Press-RegisterAnnette McWashington Pruitt watched her 18-year-old son graduate from high school this May. She proudly tells people that he is going into the Navy, following in the footsteps of his older brother (who is serving in Iraq) and his grandfather (who was in the Air Force).

Voting Rules Create Land of Disenchantment: Advocacy groups are battling New Mexico’s strict voter registration laws as election looms – Miller-McCune

Jo Ann Gutierrez-Bejar remembers volunteering for the annual voter registration drive in Albuquerque, N.M. She remembers the camaraderie as the group of usually 30 to 40 volunteers headed out in the morning, clipboards in hand, to knock on doors and register new voters.

Denogean: 97-year-old voter can’t prove she’s a citizen: On deathbed, father told her to vote Democratic – The Tucson Press

Shirley Freeda Preiss of Surprise is one ticked-off little old lady. And who can blame her? The 97-year-old retired schoolteacher and onetime traveling showgirl has voted in every presidential election since 1932 when she cast a ballot for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But thanks to the state’s voter identification requirements, it’s looking unlikely that she’ll be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

Watch your (official) language – Stateline.org

Missouri, a key presidential swing state and home to one of the most hotly contested gubernatorial races, will test what some see as voters’ attitudes toward immigrants this November with a ballot measure to make English the only language of state government.

Here’s a quickie.  That was the craziest scene I’ve ever witnessed.  We went to the caucus at the Wynn.  Imagine maids, chefs, cocktail waitresses, cool kids from the club, etc., all in a room doing politics.  Nuts.

Clinton 189, Obama 187 in our caucus.  Obama did not get a bump from the casinos on the Strip.  A LOT more later.  I could write a book.

For the record, there are a lot of allegations flying around about voter intimidation and voter suppression and all of that, on the Clinton AND on the Obama side (the Edwards folks are saying they just didn’t have the people and didn’t have the money).  To be clear, I saw none of that at the Wynn, though of course, there was so much media there nobody would have been able to get away with it.

I’ll give a full report probably tomorrow.

P.S. The Nevada State Democratic Party is reporting that turnout is above 114,000 caucus attendees, with 88% of precincts reporting.  That is a ridiculously high number.  Something like 9,000 people voted in 2004.  Another good day for Democrats.

P.S.S. The Obama campaign is claiming that they’re going to end up with 13 delegates to Clinton’s 12, because he outperformed Clinton in rural areas of the state.  Indeed, in everything but Clark and Washoe Counties (Vegas and Reno), Obama won 55-45%.  I have no idea if this is true, but considering the delegate count is what actually MATTERS, you’d think that this would be reported.

P.S.S.S. OK, I just spoke with Jill Derby, the head of the Nevada State Democratic Party.  Regarding the Obama claim that he’ll actually get more delegates out of this, essentially that’s spin.  Derby said that the caucuses are an “expression of the support of Nevadans today.”  Around 11,000 delegates were elected today.  That will be winnowed down at county conventions and eventually at the state convention in May to the 25 that will go to Denver for the DNC.  In 2004, Kerry didn’t win every delegate on Election Day, but most of the delegates that eventually went to the DNC were his.  Once there’s a presumptive nominee, the delegate numbers are subject to change.  It’s non-binding.

If that makes your head spin, the short version is that this was a beauty contest, and you can’t project delegate numbers at this time.

On the question of charges of voter suppression and intimidation, which the Obama campaign is officially alleging, Derby said this (paraphrase):

“We had strict standards in place for what went on in the caucus room.  Outside of the room is not necessarily our purview.  We did get a few calls over the course of the day, and we did eject some people from the caucus room for engaging in tactics that were not within the rules.”

I asked her if she was going to initiate an investigation, and she demurred.  She basically said that if Nevadans feel they have had their voting rights infringed upon, they should take it up with the “proper avenues,” which specifically she said was the courts.  She also basically said that there was a lot of passion on both sides, and these kind of charges get thrown around in those circumstances.

Trying to be hands-off here, just the facts, ma’am.  I can tell you one thing – this will not go away, and it could end up being a very big part of the conversation heading into South Carolina.

So we’re in the Obama press area awaiting his arrival (in about an hour, I’m told), and I had some time to write, and elaborate on what I told our Northern Nevadaticians over the phone.  

We just got back from a Bill Clinton event in North Las Vegas at a local YMCA.  There were about 150-200 people there, which seemed small to me.  Bill came out and said he mostly wanted to take questions, and then proceeded to talk for about 45 minutes (hah!).  It was a solid speech, completely extemporaneous, talking about the challenges we must face in the next four years and how his wife is best able to face them.  But there was one glaringly strange moment.  

over…

Specifically he honed in on subprime mortgages and the trouble with Big Shitpile (“people who have never missed a mortgage payment will lose their homes” because the banks will need to refinance to recoup their losses from bad investments), America’s stature in the world, and building a clean energy future (“Nevada is perfect for this – the wind blows and the sun shines, and we can capture all of that”).  He highlighted Hillary Clinton’s “consistent record in public life of making positive changes,” including school reform in Arkansas, improving foster care and increasing adoptions as first lady, and the creation of SCHIP (“You need to know how the President responds to failure – with Hillary, it was SCHIP.”)  It was a substantive, reasoned, and worthy case for his candidate.  Here’s a paraphrase from my notes:

Obama says we need to turn over a whole new leaf, we must begin again.  He has explicitly argued that prior service is a disability in picking the next President.  Hillary wants to put the country in the solutions business.  We must come together by doing.  The purposes of politics is to live your hopes and dreams by making changes in people’s lives.  Vision and inspiration is important, but so is perspiration and delivery.  The ultimate test of our service is who’s delivered for the American people.

Which is an excellent case to make.  He also said that he claimed he was in his hotel in Vegas last night, and a bunch of members of the Culinary Worker’s union came up to him and said that they weren’t going to listen to their union and they would caucus for Hillary.  Which is fine.  Then, he claimed, a shift supervisor or someone in a position of authority came up and said, “If you do that I’m going to change your schedule so you can’t be there to caucus tomorrow.”  It’s a pretty amazing allegation (a union boss is going to threaten and intimidate the voting rights of workers in front of a former President?), and Todd from MyDD and myself have some calls in to Hillary’s press people to get some clarification.  There’s no way to really independently verify it, but it strains credibility to believe that it went down the way President Clinton said.  And he said it TWICE, so it wasn’t a slip of the tongue.

I do want to highlight this other moment.  Among the mostly substantive questions that he eventually took from the audience, Clinton was asked where his favorite places were to travel.  He took this softball, began a meandering audio travelogue of all these different places he’s been, rambling like an old uncle telling a story with seemingly no end, and then he told this amazing story about this woman in Rwanda who met the man who killed her son and how she forgave him, and he wrapped it up by saying we can all learn some lessons from every place we visit, and he went back over every place he named and gave some vital lesson that came out of it.  It was like watching Michael Jordan do some behind-the-back, double-reverse, doesn’t-even-know-where-the-basket-is, eyes-closed and it goes in anyway bank shot.  It was almost poetic.  That’s Clinton’s real gift, to weave what he called “the story of America” and bring these arcane policy issues into some kind of immediacy for people, making it real to their lives.

Two groups of Caliticians will be hitting Nevada for the weekend to cover the caucuses on Saturday afternoon.  I will be with Todd Beeton of MyDD in Las Vegas; and Brian, Juls and I believe Lucas will be in the Reno area.  In Vegas, we’ll be hitting the “closing argument” events from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on Friday night (John Edwards actually has a morning event in Vegas that we’ll probably miss, and then he leaves Nevada for Oklahoma and Missouri), and we’ll make an appearance at one of the at-large precinct caucuses on the Strip on Saturday.  I’ll let the NorCal component check in with their plans.