SOS Stuff

Democrats

Hey, in case you forgot, we’ve got a pretty crowded Democratic Primary for Secretary of State this year.  We thought we’d mention that, and mention this as well.  Candidate Shyam Reddy is holding a fundraiser in Atlanta on December 13.  Here’s the pitch email we received recently.

Dear Friend,
Are you Reddy to Rock and Roll? The Reddy for Secretary of State Campaign is having its “Reddy to Rock n’ Roll Bash” on Tuesday, December 13, 2005(image placeholder) at the new Hilan Theater in the Virginia Highlands district of Atlanta (800 N. Highland Avenue), beginning at 7:00 p.m.
We are pleased to announce that Grammy-nominated recording artist Shawn Mullins will be performing live that night! This will be our last fundraiser of the year and with your help, we can end 2005 with a bang. As many of you already know, the campaign is going very well. We’re working hard to keep the momentum going as we enter the election year.
Please consider sponsoring the “Reddy to Rock n’ Roll Bash” at one of the following levels:

If you would like to sponsor or attend this event, please click here. Please be sure to include your occupation, employer and telephone number when making your contribution. You may also call Anna Beck at (404) 949-5659 or email her at abeck@shyamreddy.com to RSVP for the event or if you have any questions. Thanks again for your interest in the Reddy for Secretary of State Campaign. We appreciate it and look forward to seeing you on December 13th.

Republicans
On the Republican side, candidate Bill Stephens sent out a press release/email about paper trails and voting.  Here’s the rhetoric:  

ATLANTA – State Sen. Bill Stephens Friday pre-filed legislation to finally give Georgia a verifiable paper trail (V-PAT) on all the electronic voting machines used in the state. Stephens pre-filed the 2006 Georgia Accountability in Elections Act, which is the culmination of years of work by Stephens against determined Democrat opposition to give Georgia a uniform system of voting that can be audited to ensure all votes cast are accurately counted.
Stephens’ legislation already has the announced support of the Governor, the President Pro Tem of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House. Ironically, the concept behind Stephens’ bill is now supported by Democrat Secretary of State Cathy Cox, who has been the main reason V-PAT has not already become law by fighting this legislation in previous sessions."A safe, secure voting system is the foundation of our democracy, and voters must be able to verify their electronically-cast vote doesn’t just disappear into cyberspace," Sen. Stephens said. "I have been working to pass this legislation since Republicans took control of the Senate in 2002, and I am staying in the Legislature this coming winter to complete certain important tasks, and this was one of the most important. Democrats blocked us each step of the way in the past, but now we will finish the job." "We have even gotten the Democrat Secretary of State who has always killed the bill to support the concept," said Stephens. "Now that’s leadership!"
Under Stephens’ legislation, V-PAT will be implemented in stages. It will be implemented first in a three county test region during the 2006 election cycle to consist of Cobb, Columbia, and Decatur counties. These counties were chosen to give geographic variety to the test pool.This will lead to statewide implementation by 2008, which will coincide with the next presidential election in Georgia. By first testing the V-PAT system, the state will have time to work out any system kinks before going statewide.Sen. Stephens first proposed using V-PAT in 2003 when he was Governor Perdue’s Adminstration Floor Leader. He joined with then-State Senate Majority Leader Tom Price to mandate a permanent paper record of all votes cast.Stephens’ call was echoed earlier this year when the Carter-Baker Commission, a bi-partisan commission led by former President Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker, called for V-PAT on voting machines as a way to restore integrity to the current election system in every state.# # #

Just one thing about this, from a political (as opposed to a partisan) perspective.  Generally speaking, when one is running for office, criticizing one’s opponent is acceptable.  Problem is, Cathy Cox is actually Sonny Perdue’s opponent, not Stephens’.  So that’s just message dispersion, and not in a good way.
Anyway, props to Stephens for supporting a paper trail, but we still think his Voter ID is a crock.