Secretary of State Project 2007 plans
In 2006, the Secretary of State Project raised over $500,000 and helped
elect five reformers to the chief elections office in key presidential
battleground states. Dollar for dollar, our model proved to be one of
the most effective political investments of the cycle.
We continue this work as opportunities arise to employ partisan
fundraising and independent expenditures in the service of election
transparency and reform.
There are three Secretary of State contests in 2007 - Kentucky,
Louisiana and Mississippi. Barring new developments, the Secretary of
State Project is declining to back candidates in these elections.
Why aren't we endorsing in 2007? The short explanation is simple. The
Secretary of State Project was founded in order to protect the election
in key presidential states. Voting rights abuses happen far and wide in
this country, but their impact is most intensely experienced in states
with close presidential races. That said, in an off year especially, a
Secretary of State race of national significance (such as Louisiana's
contest to decide who will hold the fate of voters displaced by Katrina)
would be of great interest.
Likewise, we would strongly consider entering a Secretary of State race
featuring a viable and forward-thinking reform candidate who put forth a
public platform including key movement ideas such as Election Day or
automatic registration, a vigorous opposition to voter ID laws, and a
visible campaign for election transparency including paper ballots.
So far, none of the 2007 races meets this criteria.
In Louisiana, the incumbent Republican Secretary of State is running
unopposed. The deadline for candidates to qualify for statewide office
is September 6. We are bitterly disappointed that a progressive
candidate willing to fight for the voting rights of those displaced by
Hurricane Katrina has not emerged in Louisiana.
In Kentucky, Bruce Hendrickson is the Democratic nominee. One of his top
issues is tougher voter ID laws. The movement to require voter ID at the
polls is rightwing legislative strategy aimed at suppressing the vote of
minorities, poor people and students. On the tails of a strong win by
gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear, Hendrickson could be swept into
office. However, if reelected, the current Secretary of State -
Republican Trey Grayson - will be termed out in 2011, giving us the
opportunity to field a candidate who will protect the election for all
voters.
In Mississippi, it's less clear cut. John Windsor is the likely to
emerge from the state's August 7 primary as the Democratic nominee.
The candidate elected to Mississippi's open Secretary of State seat will
have to implement court-ordered mandatory party registration as well as
a new voter ID requirements. Unfortunately, none of the candidates
running in the Democratic primary is a proven progressive champion in
the mold of Minnesota's Mark Ritchie or Ohio's Jennifer Brunner.
As a result we have decided instead to focus our time and energy on
planning for the 2008 election cycle where our endorsements, campaign
dollars and volunteer efforts will have the greatest impact on electing
reform candidates to the office that controls how our votes are cast and
counted.
We will continue to monitor the 2007 races and will keep you updated on
key developments. We will also provide intelligence on 2008 races as
candidates declare for office and our targeting becomes established.
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