"Election Center" latest to sell their souls to Diebold (Bradblog)

[Amaryllis]

New Report on Election Reform Dead on Arrival
'Election Center' Becomes Latest Election Reform Group to Have Sold Their Souls to Diebold
Credibility Matters
ElectionCenter.org claims to be a non-profit, non-partisan, professional organization of Elections Workers. Today, they released a new report with recommendations on how to improve America's Electoral System.

But the fact that they are directly funded by Voting Machine Companies such as Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia immediately destroys any credibility they might have otherwise had when it comes to making decisions about our Electoral System in desperate need of reform...

FULL STORY & SCREENSHOT WORTH 1000 WORDS:
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00001442.htm

You MUST go check out the screenshot!!
These guys must think we are SO STUPID!

[Boredtodeath]

1. Oh Puuuuuuuuuulease!

R. Doug Lewis's Election Center has always been owned by Diebold, ES&S and the other vendors.

Do a search on DU, folks.

The Election Center started all this years ago.

[SharonRB]

2. What a joke that is! n/t

[Boredtodeath]

3. Bradblog needs to spend some time doing research

R. Doug Lewis
From SourceWatch

R. Doug Lewis is executive director of the Election Center, which describes itself as "a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and improving democracy. Its members are government employees whose profession is to serve in voter registration and elections administration." <1> (http://www.electioncenter.org/)
Table of contents
1 Biography
2 R. Doug Lewis's defense of his qualifications to run the Election Center
3 SourceWatch resources
4 External links

Biography

* 1966-1980: According to a short biography in The Report of the National Symposium on Presidential Selection <2> (http://www.centerforpolitics.org/reform/nssreport_entire.pdf), during this period, R. Doug Lewis:
o "managed campaigns for Congress, U.S. Senate, governor, and the U.S. presidency"
o "served as Executive Director of the Democratic Party in Kansas and Texas"
o "worked as Regional Political Director in the DNC"
o "served as Assistant to the President at the White House"
o "managed political affairs for former Texas Governor John Connally"
* 1986 - June 1993: Lewis ran a Texas used-computers business called Micro Trade Mart, Inc. (according to e-voting activist Bev Harris) <3> (http://www.blackboxvoting.org/bbv_chapter-6.pdf)
* 1994: Lewis was appointed to his position at the Election Center <4> (http://www.centerforpolitics.org/reform/nssreport_entire.pdf).

According to the records of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Micro Trade Mart, Inc. was registered on December 1st 1986, with R. Doug Lewis as the director <5> (http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/servlet/cpa.app.coa.CoaGetTp?Pg=tpid&Search_Nm=micro%20trade%20&Button=search&Search_ID=30010124714).

R. Doug Lewis's defense of his qualifications to run the Election Center

Bev Harris has said that, in a telephone conversation with her, Lewis defended his qualifications to run the Election Center as follows: "My background is that I owned a computer hardware and software business. I've never claimed to be an expert. That's the reason we have laboratories, nationally recognized laboratories."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=R._Doug_Lewis

[satya]

4. And King County (WA) is hiring them to audit their elections process!

I sent emails to Ron Sims' office (KingCo supervisor) and the WA state Dems on May 26 about this, saying I was very concerned and telling them why. No answer. Anyone know someone who could raise an alert here or have any suggestions?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002286164_dige24m.html
Seattle Times, Tuesday, May 24, 2005

The Metropolitan King County Council yesterday approved a $300,000-plus contract for a comprehensive audit of the county's Elections Office.

By a unanimous vote, the council authorized Chairman Larry Phillips to sign a contract with The Election Center, a nonprofit organization based in Houston. Details of the contract are being finalized.

Ernie Hawkins, chairman of The Election Center, promised "a very specific, very nuts-and-bolts" review of "everything from A to Z" in the county Elections Office. Hawkins will jointly manage the audit with David Howe, president of Issaquah-based management consultant Strategica.

The Election Center was the unanimous choice of a staff panel that reviewed proposals from four consultants who submitted proposals. The final audit report is due Oct. 1.

[glitch]

6. Oh just great. Money down a rat hole. Unanimous even.

Don't these staffers do any research at all?

[tommcintyre]

5. I saw R. Doug Lewis on PBS NewsHour shortly after the election...

and, just like Mitofsky (another person who is no friend of fair and honest elections), he stated that there was no major fraud. Needless to say, I knew something was wrong with him then. So, this comes as no surprise now.