The Voter’s Speakeasy

After a week on the road I've realized that I now measure time in cities
rather than by days and dates. This morning was Saturday and I woke up to
the sound of heavy rain and some thunder. Being from Northern California
it reminded me of home. My second thought was what this would mean for our
event at a Farmer's Market on the Illinois' River in Peoria Illinois.
Would the media still come? Would there be people to show this incredible
resource to? It only took a few minutes to get ourselves set up and we
were shortly joined by one of our members Elliot who had offered to help.
Elliot, who at 78 is in much better shape than me, told me all about how
diet and exercise were the key to good health. Just when we thought we
were foiled by the weather the clouds cleared away and everything changed.
All at once several groups of citizens arrived curious about what we were
all about, followed immediately by two camera crews and a journalist from
a local paper. Then even more voters arrived and a third camera crew. Jon
and I handled the situation like pros. I was giving one interview while he
showed voters the website then while I was speaking to people just coming
by journalists were taking notes on some of the impressive facts about PVS
like that we don't funding from any special interests. We had people
promising to become members, and professors wanting to help us recruit for
our internship program. We even met a super delegate! By the time I caught
my breath it was time to pack up and head to Alton. This has been an
amazing experience. I gotten to see four states that I had never been to
and meet countless people. Before leaving Elliot told me about about a law
the Governor amended making it free for senior citizens to ride public
transit. Ironically I had worked on that bill in our State Key Votes
program: http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=16899.
After spending the last year doing this research it is fascinating to meet
the people it affects and inspiring to share this resource with America.
Thank you to all the members that have been there to help us out. I hope
to see you all on the road!

We have been generating a lot of news coverage for the last couple of weeks. It has even provoked some competitive spirit among the organized media teams. There is a competition over which team can gain the most media coverage- the Voter’s Self Defense Manual troop, the Bus Tour squad, or the Political Courage Test posse. The contest formally known as “This is not a Contest” Contest is the entire rage in the front office of the Great Divide Ranch. The contest is being judged on the amount of national coverage and also the number of phone interviews conducted.

July 1^st marked the official starting date of the contest. The Bus Tour squad has taken the lead with 28 phone interviews conducted. The Political Courage Test posse is in second place with 22 interviews under its belt. The Voter’s Self Defense Manual troop, which only began three days ago, has secured 13 interviews to round out last place. Brandon, the PCT posse leader, believes that “we are not in second place, Tony does not update the scorecard fast enough.” The VSDM troop also feels cheated but has high hopes of catching up and winning in the end. Stephanie is convinced that “they’re just jealous, we are going to win.” The race is still in its beginning stages so there is no telling who will become America’s Best Media Crew.

Sarah has been placed in a league of her own as she calls Public Service Announcement Directors to sell them our animated PSA. “PSA’s are a great way to let television viewers know about our free resources,” said Tony, head honcho of the PSA unit. He feels that the PSA unit is just as important as our other organized teams. He has a strong feeling that when the PSA’s finally air in early September through late October, they will be the reigning champions. The contest has everyone working extra hard to become American’s Best Media Crew.

*This article was written without bias or slander.

The Key Votes Department, which provides summaries of bills passed, has the most recent legislation posted on our website. Last week, Congress acted on important issues affecting the national security. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was passed. The official title of the bill is called HR 6304: To amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence, and for other purposes.

This bill defines the people who may be targeted through electronic surveillance and outlines the processes that are required to conduct electronic surveillance. It also specifies the procedure on government eavesdropping, inspection of electronic mail and other forms of surveillance. Some noteworthy parts of the bill include:

• Allowing the authorization of foreign surveillance under “emergency” or time limited circumstances without preliminary Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approval, provided that relevant applications or certifications are presented to the Court no later than seven days after the authorization of such surveillance (Sec 101)

• Liberating electronic communication providers, i.e. Telecommunications, from liability with regards to civil action that may be brought up in any court due to assistance provided to the government in obtaining electronic surveillance.

The Senate passed the bill on July 9th by a vote of 69 to 28. It passed the House of Representatives June 20th with a vote of 239 to 129.

This bill is controversial because many believe it is a breach of the Fourth Amendment of the United States while others feel that it gives intelligence officials the tools they need to stop terrorists and protect Americans at home.

The Key Votes Department does not analyze any bills that are passed. They simply break them down into summaries and highlights to be easily digested, and simplify the codes for better navigation. The simplified version can be found at: http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=20044

Interns and volunteers alike have been building a Voter’s Self Defense System of trustworthy information on incumbents and candidates at every level of government for the past 16 years. The final leg of a nationwide tour was launched on July 11^th to deliver it to American voters.

The Vote Smart message is being delivered from a 45-foot mobile research training center. The training center is equipped with a movie theater, free wi-fi computer terminals and other unique exhibits that make becoming an informed voter interesting and entertaining. Citizens are given tutorials on how to get the most out of visiting Project Vote Smart’s website and using the free resources.

One of the main attractions of the tour is a spinning politician placed on a roulette wheel that literally loses the hype and rhetoric he has clothed himself with when confronted with Project Vote Smart facts. Another popular exhibit is a giant red and blue ball that can be signed by citizens with messages for their candidates about their campaign behavior. They will be delivered to the candidates on Election Day in Washington D.C.

The first stop was at Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor followed by Lansing Community College in Lansing. The Voter’s Self-Defense System is expected to visit close to 100 communities nationwide within the next three months. Everyone will have the opportunity to gain knowledge needed to defend themselves from the hype and spin that comes from political campaigns today. The tour will conclude November 3^rd and 4th in Washington D.C.

Project Vote Smart has already traveled over 25,000 miles to deliver its Voter’s Self- Defense System to the public. The schedule is available on the website for all to view at http://votesmart.org/blog/?page_id=113. It is always being updated so check back to see if we are coming to a town near you!

Past

Fourth of July was a day to go down in the history books for Project Vote Smart. Barack Obama attended Butte’s Fourth of July parade. This was the perfect opportunity for PVS interns to assimilate and alert the parade goers of the free resources available to them. Sarah Neely, media intern, loosely referred to the task as the “Guerilla Tactics Campaign”. Many interns were armed with pamphlets and DVD’s and Voter’s Self-Defense Manual promotional business cards to hand out to the public and the press. The ambush was a success in promoting PVS’s good cause. Having a presidential candidate within the reach of an outstretched hand was something all the PVS interns appreciated.

Present

The President of PVS, Richard Kimball had a feature article written about him in The Chautauquan Daily by staff member, Lindsey Kennedy. The New York newspaper is distributed six days a week during the summer season. The article covers the development of Project Vote Smart and Richards view of the American democracy. The article states that Kimball feels all political candidates should be required to fill out an employment application just like anyone applying for a job. The Voter’s Self Defense Manual functions as this application because it provides unbiased information that the citizens can use to make their own decisions on whom to vote for. The article also covers some personal aspects of Mr. Kimball that few may know about. He was elected to Arizona’s State Senate and chaired the Arizona Corporation Commission. It goes on to say how our President love for politics rose from his father, the late Mr. William Kimball. If it were not for his father, we would not have the astounding organization called Project Vote Smart.

Future

Our Voters Self Defense Manuals have arrived at the Great Divide Ranch and are available to the public. If you or anyone you know may like our manual, feel free to contact Project Vote Smart at 1-888-868-3762 to have one delivered at no cost! We are in the process of having the manuals available to be requested online. This new feature will dramatically simplify the ordering process. Many citizens have already ordered one, so order yours now.

We recently received a thank you letter from the United States Department of State. The letter recognized our accomplishments and the knowledge we were able to provide for the international reporters. The letter reads as followed:

Dear Richard & Adelaide,

Thank you again for hosting the group of foreign journalist visiting the United States on the Foreign Press Center reporting tour “The Nuts & Bolts of an American Election: An Insider Look at How to Run an Election.”

Our June 4 visit to your beautiful ranch was really a highlight of their trip to the U.S. And I’m not just saying that—their evaluation forms and comments proved how impressed they were by Project Vote Smart’s goals, work, and spirit. One of the journalists wrote that the visit to Project Vote Smart “showed than even ordinary citizens can make a difference when it comes to elections.”

The visit helped them understand the idea of transparency and voter education, two crucial components of our democracy. And several of them commented after our visit how surprised they were that American youths have such a strong sense of volunteerism and activist spirit.

I hope that you would be willing to let future groups visiting the United States come to your ranch. Thank you again!

Sincerely,

Stacy MacTaggert

Program Officer for East Asia & the Pacific

Washington Foreign Press Center

Having visitors at our Great Divide Ranch is an essential part of spreading the word about PVS. They have visited the Ranch and found it to be a beneficial and unique way to understand the workings and the mission behind Project Vote Smart. We encourage national journalists to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about PVS by visiting us here in beautiful Montana. If international journalists can recognize our hard work and dedication, national journalists should be elated that such valuable information is available through our organization. This is a big step in Project Vote Smart’s history, and we will continue to work hard and be available to the public to help increase our awareness.

Today marks the first day Project Vote Smart will attempt to keep an updated blog for all to see. The Voter’s Speakeasy blog has been revamped to include up-to-date valuable material. The renewed blog will be dedicated to providing the public with relevant and factual information that goes hand in hand with Project Vote Smart’s mission. It is vital that citizens are provided with an honest inside look at what politicians are actually doing and saying. The comprehensive blog will cover information ranging from statistics, to test results, and even important bus tour updates. Past interns, as well as members and the general population will have an opportunity to observe the diligent work the dedicated staff and interns perform on a daily basis.

The blog will be updated weekly to ensure consistency. A student intern will be responsible for weekly updates connecting the rest of the world to the efforts on The Great Divide Ranch. For new information on a wide range of PVS related topics, check back every Monday by 5 p.m. to be fully enlightened.

It has been nearly a month since our last update here on the legislation Congress has been voting on.  Below are very brief descriptions of the votes we have selected for the Key Votes program over the last month.  You can view all Congressional Key Votes selected in 2008 here.

Note that when viewing a Project Vote Smart summary, you can see the yeas and nays by clicking “How Members Voted” in the upper right.  Also, when viewing the yeas and nays, you can sort the list by clicking on the titles of each column.

On May 13, the House passed HR 6022, a bill suspending the acquisition of petroleum for the strategic petroleum reserve.  This bill passed by a vote of 385-25.

The Farm Bill, HR 2419, had previously passed the House and Senate, and then went to a conference committee.  The conference report was adopted by the House on May 14 by a vote of 318-106.  The Senate adopted the conference report by a vote of 81-15 on May 15.  View the PVS summary of the legislation here. The farm bill was vetoed by the President on May 21.

Because of a clerical error, the printout of the bill that was sent to the White House was missing Title III, dealing with trade and other international issues.  This error was not noticed until after the House had their veto override vote on May 21, which passed 316-108.  The Senate decided to have their veto override vote anyway, even though at that time it had been discovered that the bill was missing Title III.  The Senate veto override vote passed 82-13 on May 22.

Because of legal questions regarding the constitutionality of passing a bill through Congress and then sending it to the President in an incomplete form, Congress later decided to repass the bill in its entirety.  The new Farm Bill is HR 6124, and is identical to the conference report version of HR 2419.  It has passed the House and Senate and was vetoed by the President on June 18.  Congress is expected to once again override the veto.

Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the constant rain that blanketed the Great Divide Ranch on June 4, 2008, 27 foreign journalists arrived at Project Vote Smart with smiles and enthusiasm. Within Project Vote Smart’s 16-year history, this event marks the first time any national journalist has visited the Ranch. These journalists traveled from countries such as Afghanistan, Niger, and Tajikistan—just to name a few—to gain a better understanding of the U.S. Government and American society so they could more accurately cover events in their home countries.

“The main goal is to find out about American government and its transparency,” said Doris from the Washington DC State department.

The visit to the PVS ranch was just one stop on the 10-day reporting tour themed “The Nuts and Bolts of an American Election: An Insider Look at How to Run an Election.” Through the collaboration of numerous foreign embassies, these journalists traveled from Washington D.C. to the Montana Rockies to get a diverse and inside look at the American election system.

For Moleka Ido Lekota, a political editor for The Sowetan in South Africa, he hoped to learn how to help the people of his country vote intelligently. “My people vote out of fear. They vote emotionally and that must change.”

To get an insider look at Project Vote Smart, each department provided a short presentation highlighting how their work aids voters. The journalists were then given a tour of the office and allowed to conduct one-on-one interviews with the staff and interns. Overall, the journalists found the atmosphere at the Great Divide Ranch quite refreshing. The crisp mountain air combined with the sight of nearly 30 student interns working to serve their fellow citizens left many of them in awe.

“In my country, people expect something in return. There is not a good system of encouragement,” admitted Sultan Mohammad from Afghanistan. He was impressed by the dedication of these young adults who are living and working in the middle of nowhere. With Afghanistan’s first presidential election just four years into history, Mohammad was skeptical about being able to implement such an organization in his country, but he believes Project Vote Smart is an excellent example for other countries to emulate.

After the tour, everyone joined together for lunch and mingling. The lodge was lit with smiles, conversation and numerous photo opportunities; it was truly a scene of convergence and cooperation. At the end of the 3-hour visit, the journalists left well-equipped with exactly what they had come to gain: new knowledge and power to bring back to their own country.

Project Vote Smart released the 2008 California, Idaho, and Iowa Political Courage Test results this week, showing that a majority of primary candidates for State Legislature and Congress in these states were unwilling to answer questions on the issues that are of top concern to voters, such as questions regarding hate crime legislation, the employment of undocumented immigrants, the possible constitutional convention, the death penalty, access to health care and the licensing of gun possession. Percentage of candidates completing Political Courage Test listed below:

California Congressional Candidates: 20%
California State Legislature Candidates: 14%

Idaho Congressional Candidates: 32%
Idaho State Legislature Candidates: 23%

Iowa Congressional Candidates: 15%
Iowa State Legislature Candidates: 4%

The Political Courage Test asks all candidates one central question: “Are you willing to tell citizens your positions on the issues you will most likely face on their behalf?” It is conducted nationally over the last 12 months of each election season. Illinois legislative and Congressional candidates were contacted repeatedly over three weeks and asked by prominent leaders of both major parties and by Project staff, if they were willing to provide their issue inclinations in the public interest.

Candidates advancing to the general election will have the opportunity to respond to the test again, when tested later this year.

Since 2000, Project Vote Smart has found that party leaders and consultants are advising candidates not to respond to the Political Courage Test for two primary reasons: it will limit the candidates’ ability to control their campaign messages, and it will expose them to opposition research.

Kimball counters this cynical attitude. “If candidates are afraid of letting their opponents know where they stand on key issues, how can they possibly let the voters know how they will handle the job if they are hired? Candidates have lost sight of who their prospective employers are. One campaign consultant told us, ‘It’s not our job to educate–it’s our job to win.”

The Political Courage Test has been created, designed, and drafted by more than 200 of the nation’s most prominent journalists, political scientists, and leaders of the major and third political parties.

The results of the Test for California congressional candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test for California state senate candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test For California state assembly candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test For Idaho congressional candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test for Idaho state senate candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test for Idaho state house candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test for Iowa congressional candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test for Iowa state senate candidates can be found HERE

The results of the Test for Iowa state house candidates can be found HERE

For more information about the Political Courage Test HERE or call our toll-free voter’s hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART