Norco Elections Commission Chair: Report "Pure Partisan Politics"

A citizens' advisory panel report of Northampton County's election woes was released to the public on Tuesday. It makes fifteen recommendations, and contains an entire page of notes devoted to the erratic behavior of Registrar, Debbie DePaul.

Express Times reporter Sarah Cassi tells us this task force report has come under attack.

Northampton County Elections Commission Chair Walter R. Garvin - "pure partisan politics."

Northampton County Councilman and Democratic committeeman Charles Dertinger - "flies in the face of an independent elections office."

HRH DePaul - ""I'm sure there are Republicans that want me to leave."

The author of this report, Russ Shade, is a Democrat. So is Dick Benner, a former voting registrar who also served on this committee. Greta Browne? She ran for Congress, twice, as a Green party candidate. Republican Peg Ferarro resigned from the task force long before it got down to the dirty work of preparing a summary.

That leaves panel member L. Jack Bradt. He's so Republican he has elephants on his pajamas, but he was also the task force member kindest to DePaul.

So let's do the math. Two Democrats, one Republican and one Green are accused of producing a highly partisan report designed to drive HRH DePaul from office.

Partisan politics? I'll tell you about that next time.

Norco Registrar DePaul to Critics: "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!"

I've told you what happened before last night's citizen's panel review of Northampton County elections. Now let me tell you about the meeting itself. Task force members Peg Ferraro, Greta Browne, Jack Bradt and Dick Benner agreed to send a letter to the Department of State, seeking answers to certification questions about touchscreen voting machines supplied by Advanced Voting Solutions. They also formalized a survey for candidates, elections workers and voters. The fireworks display came from the peanut gallery.

H.R.H. DePaul's Hired Gun

First and foremost was Larry Otter, an attorney retained by voting registrar Deborah DePaul. He ingratiated himself with both the peanut gallery and the task force by insulting everyone. Otter's claim to fame is that he represented Carl Romanelli, who sold his soul to the devil in an attempt to get on the ballot for U.S. Senate. We all know how that turned out. Otter refused to sit in the peanut gallery with the rest of us. He's too important. According to H.R.H. DePaul, Otter was hired as a "buffer" to protect her "from the falsehoods and basic lies."

The panel was warned it must stop making "outlandish" statements about poor H.R.H. DePaul. When asked what he meant, he said the panel had called DePaul "incompetent." When asked to say when the panel had called her that, he could not give an answer. This dude even managed to offend panel member Jack Bradt, who previously had nice things to say about H.R.H. DePaul. Strike One.

After alienating the committee studying problems in the elections office, Otter turned his wrath on The Express Times and Morning Call, claiming that both papers had lied about his client. Once again, he was asked to provide an example. "The local media need to get their facts straight." The one "lie" identified, is an Express Times allegation that eight people have recently left the office. And that statement happens to be true. Eight people have left the office over the past three years. This turnover is one reason DePaul has given for office problems. Steeerike Two.

Otter couldn't stop with the committee and newspapers. He also blasted local Republican chair Roy Shuman, who has complained that H.R.H. DePaul's office is too partisan. Shuman's charges are "unfounded" and "outrageous." And he minimized complaints about our misleading straight party ballot, complaints expressed by both parties. "Got a problem? Take it up with the state legislature." Strike Three. You're outta' here.

Republican Complaints

Roy Shuman, the dude making these "unfounded" and "outrageous" allegations, was next. He thinks we all "should be treated equally," and it's not happening. It was hard for Shuman to make his points. Whenever he offered a criticism, either H.R.H. DePaul or hired gun Otter would interrupt, something they attempted all evening. Shuman nevertheless insisted there is "preferential treatment," and brought committeewoman Mary Barket to prove his point.

Barket explained what happened recently when a county council candidate was only given five copies of a nomination petition.Barket called about making copies, and H.R.H. DePaul blew up. She accused Barket of "setting her up." Amidst H.R.H. DePaul's repeated interruptions last night, Barket finally turned and flatly said, "It became personal and there was no reason for that. You went from 0 to 60 very quickly."

And the flurry of emails that followed this exchange troubled Roy Shuman because no emails were sent to him. He complained Dem chair Joe Long was getting emails about a problem with republicans, but nothing was being sent to Shuman. H.R.H. DePaul, who has said repeatedly she always notifies both parties whenever she interacts with either party, interrupted Shuman to say, "I don't have your email." Huh? But I thought she said .... never mind.

Judges of Elections

Three judges of elections addressed the panel last night. Two out of three like the new machines. But a Moore Township judge complained that, at the end of the evening, it was impossible to transfer data into the master. This is exactly what happened when AVS demonstrated the touchscreens to the state.

Office Staff

About four members of DePaul's staff were on hand to defend their boss. They claim they're very happy. They approach problems as a team, and had a few disparaging remarks about DePaul's predecessor. I have no criticism of DePaul's staff. I think they're hard workers. I think DePaul's a hard worker, too. But they seemed scared to death when I visited the office last week. Maybe it's my nose. They said last night they resented my previous depiction of H.R.H. DePaul as a witch. Hey, it was a queen! She has referred to her "reign" as registrar, so I'm trying to show the appropriate respect. Maybe I should bow when I see her.

Shawn Millan

Millan, Congressman Dent's evil campaign manager, voices two concerns. First, he notes that the Morning Call, which collects data from each precinct, had very accurate results the day after the election. But unofficial results from the elections office were completely different. Thirteen days later, when official results were released, it appeared that the "lying" Morning Call had it right all along. "How do you blame the machines when the results reported in the papers were accurate?" The variation between unofficial and official results in the congressional race was an unacceptable six percent, compared to one percent or less in other counties. And in State Senator Browne's race, it was a whopping twenty-two percent! Shawn, it's unfair of you to use facts to support arguments. That could start a dangerous trend.

Millan's second criticism, a little less factual, was directed at a ballot designed to encourage straight party voting. He called it a "partisan design that doesn't benefit our democracy." Although we nearly all agree that the ballot was badly designed, I don't think there's any evidence it was intentional. But Millan promised, "It's something we'll be looking out for in the future. It won't happen again." I believe him.

Joe Long

Joe Long, when he addressed the panel, first complained no one has sent him invitations. Gee, Joe, I never got an invitation, either. Then he complained couny exec John Stoffa never returns his calls. I thought he'd start singing, "You don't send me flowers anymore," but he stopped himself.

Right after Republicans complained about DePaul's partisanship, Long commended her and droned on about how much Dems love working for her. He should. His daughter worked there until last year. That's a great way to prove she's nonpartisan, Joe.

Now Long tried denying this. "That's not true. She left before I became county chair." Courthouse records reveal Long's daughter was a part-time elections office worker between April 2002 and July 26, 2006, and Long claimed last night he's been the Dem chair for the past six years. Little things like that make republicans suspicious.

But Joe didn't stop there. He called the elections panel a "witch hunt and public whipping post" for H.R.H. DePaul. "We want people to vote." He's concerned this task force might discourage people from voting. Stoffa has asked them, "How can we do better?" That really should deter voters.

Both The Morning Call and Express Times have excellent, and far more objective, accounts of last night's meeting. The citizens' panel will meet again at the courthouse on March 14 at 7 P.M. You can email any concerns to voter.info@northamptoncounty.org. Minutes are posted on the left sidebar.

Norco Voter Registrar DePaul Discusses Her Kingdom

"The people who left under my reign are people I am still close with."

Those are the exact words Northampton County Voter Registrar Deborah DePaul used at last night's meeting of a citizens' advisory committee studying our elections problems. Her Highness revealed the source of our election troubles. It's her.

Retired Registrar Benner expressed dismay over DePaul's numerous letters to state and federal officials concerning HAVA. In one, she actually urged county executive Stoffa to ignore the new federal law. "While it might be criminal, criminals are pardoned." Benner flatly told DePaul those remarks are out of line.

Benner wondered why newspapers still call him with elections questions. The press has told him they can't get the information they need from DePaul's office. He's concerned the office may now be playing favorites, echoing some concerns he heard from Congressman Dent's office. And he noted that eight people have recently jumped ship. He questioned why the office no longer had a notary for affidavits brought in at the last minute. Greta Browne also wanted to know why DePaul couldn't send someone from her office to Nazareth's recent, and very successful, nonpartisan "resident to candidate" forum.

This is when H.R.H. DePaul launched one of her long, rambling defenses. Rarely have I seen someone use so many words to say so little. Maybe she should be a blogger. She blamed everyone but herself.

"Prior to coming here, that office was in major disruption. ... The atmosphere in my staff is wonderful. ... It's very professional and very pleasant."

As professional as her staff may be, she could not trust any of them to go to Nazareth. "That would be a bad situation. You're not going to send a tech to do a surgery." This is not brain surgery. As one of at least forty people attending that forum, I know her employees could easily have handled all questions. Blogger Ross Nunamaker was able to do so rather nicely. DePaul missed a major opportunity to recast her office in a favorable light. Her attitude betrays a distrust, both of her own staff and the public. She just doesn't understand something Benner said at the committee's first meeting. "People must be made to understand you're there to help them."

At last night's meeting, panel members Russ Shade, Peg Ferarro, Dick Benner, Greta Browne and Jack Bradt agreed to ask the Department of State for proof that the AVS WinVote machines are really certified. They also want assurances that the hardware shipped by Advanced Voting Solutions is, in fact, what was approved. Local state legislators will receive copies of this request. They are also working on a survey about problems in the elections office, which will be distributed to candidates, poll workers and voters.

As Benner expressed his displeasure with DePaul, committee members Russ Shade and Peg Ferraro are frustrated by state officials who ignore them. Russ Shade mentioned repeated requests for information concerning state certification. "I'm ready to go to the governor. ... We're not asking for a miracle." And Peg Ferraro complained, "They're not answering the public and they're supposed to be public servants."

Voter activist Alan Brau, a local physician, warned the committee this would happen. He has had to sue the state Department of State over its refusal, without explanation, to re-examine voting machines.

Elections commissioner Joan Rosenthal also recommended that the Home Rule Charter be amended to provide that the elections commission become nonpartisan.

The citizens' advisory panel will meet again on February 28 and March 14, at 7 PM, in council chambers on the 3rd floor of the Northampton County courthouse. You can contact them with your views at voter.info@northamptoncounty.org. Minutes for these meetings are on the left side bar of this blog.

Norco Elections Committee Wants Answers From AVS

The coming storm, our first serious winter weather, posed no obstacle to Northampton County's citizens' election committee yesterday. Russ Shade, Jack Bradt and Greta Browne conducted their fourth meeting in as many weeks. This determined group appears to be coming to a consensus that our electronic touchscreen voting system is inferior. But embattled voter registrar Deborah DePaul has at least one defender - committee member Jack Bradt. During yesterday's meeting, Bradt told DePaul, "Your office should be commended, not condemned, for the work you did."

Problems with Advanced Voting Solutions

Did you know Northampton County is one of only three counties in Pennsylvania that use touchscreen machines supplied by Advanced Voting Solutions? Or that Pennsylvania is one of only three states that have contracts with AVS? Or that AVS' WINVote system was never certified by the National Association of State Elections Directors (NASED)?

These are just a few of the things Dr. Alan Brau told the committee yesterday. Dr. Brau, a local physician, insists these touchscreen machines are unreliable and advocates a voter-verified paper trail. Nearly a year ago, he was spurned by the Department of State when he asked for re-examination of the WINVote system. He is part of a nonpartisan group that has challenged the state's certification in Commonwealth Court.

When asked about his motivation, Dr. Brau simply responded. "I'm a citizen. I'm a voter."

In addition to general concerns about the lack of a paper trail, Dr. Brau is concerned about the specific WINVote system. He reiterated BlackBox voting's allegation that AVS pulled a bait and switch. After getting its hardware certified, AVS is accused of shipping a cheaper internal hardware system, manufactured in China.

Amazingly, AVS has yet to answer these very serious charges. If these accusations are baseless, AVS should say so, and publicly. But it has sent no representative to answer these charges.

Committee co-chair Russ Shade believes these allegations "need to be explored. We need confidence that these machines are properly certified." Committee member Jack Bradt agreed, and went one step farther. He believes the entire system is inadequate, most significantly because there is no paper trail. An optical scanning system, which combines modern technology with a paper trail, might be our future. "If we have to go to another system because the state misled us, someone's going to have to pay for that."

Bradt Defends Embattled Elections Office

Director of Administration John Conklin explained the steps he's taking to make sure our next election goes off better than the previous two. His goal is to ensure that unofficial results are available by midnight. He plans to have a manual backup ready.

At this point, Jack Bradt came to the voting registrar's defense. He's run a successful business that underwent automation. And last night, he blamed that automation for elections office problems. "I do not see a need for changes in the office. They've done a very good job."

I respect Bradt. Perhaps he's right. But I don't believe the automation has a damn thing to do with the problems in that office. It's a mess. And its leadership is inadequate.

For example, look at an email that Dr. Brau sent to Elections Chair Walt Garvin on December 3.

"I have tried to go through official channels, but Deb DePaul has been an effective stone wall in her role as registrar. ... I could not notify Deb DePaul since she blocks emails from me."

Does this sound like a responsive registrar to you? I forwarded this email to DePaul for a response. Nada. (Oops. I'm speaking Spanish.)

Or how about this? Ross Nunamaker at NewsOverCoffee puts together a nonpartisan "resident to candidate" forum, asks the registrar to drop by, and gets this.

"You did not state a date and I have numerous business and personal commitment but if somehow I am available I would try to attend. Within my office I have a fairly new staff and do not have any one else here within the office that would be beneficial."

Ross provided the date but heard nothing. Nada. (Oops, there I go again). And when Ross stopped in to pick up materials, here's what he noticed.

"It was clear to me that the office is on pins and needles when the request for a petition to a non-candidate requires the head of the office to be excused from a meeting with a representative of the company with the voting machines in light of those issues."

And so the battle rages.

Update:The Morning Call has a more objective account of yesterday's meeting.

Stoffa's Citizen Committee Deals With NorCo Election Mess

"Our elections have been like giving birth to an elephant."

That's how Northampton County Executive John Stoffa described our last two elections. And he's right. In the primary, Democrats and Republicans were reversed and there was no write-in tally for six weeks. In the general election, voters were confused by a ballot designed to encourage straight party voting. And it took hours to tabulate results that turned out to be off by over 3,000 votes.

A few weeks ago, Stoffa named a five person "blue ribbon citizens advisory committee" to untangle the Gordian knot in the elections office. Its members? Russ Shade (Stoffa's reform-minded former campaign manager); Richard Benner (former registrar who oversaw 45 elections); Peg Ferraro (former county councilperson); Jack Bradt (former CEO at SI Handling); and Greta Browne (former congressional candidate). Today, this unusual nonpartisan committee met for the first time. It chose Peg Ferraro to serve as chair and Russ Shade as co-chair. It will be meeting weekly, with its next two meetings scheduled for Wednesday evenings at 7 PM, when working voters can attend.

Not a single member of county council attended today's meeting. Although the five member elections commission was expressly invited to participate, only Joan Rosenthal was able to attend today's 3 PM meeting.

Problems in the Elections Office

Stoffa originally told this committee it had just four months to come up with solutions. But today, his charge was a little more open-ended. He stressed they were not on a "witch hunt," but he wanted to know "how we can do better." He wants the public's input, improvements in our voting tabulation, and wondered whether an ethics code might be necessary. From all the accounts I've received, I believe it's pretty apparent why there are problems. Some of these problems, like the lack of paper trails and possible hacking, can only be solved at the state or federal level. But the county must deal with the following:

a) A registrar who refers to herself like this: "You seem to have failed to notice and appreciate that the person in charge of the Election Office is intelligent, dedicated, fair and non-bias and holds her office to the same standards. With every positive effort to hold a good and fair election I seem to be fighting a very negative, nasty wave from a group that seem to wish bad upon the office or the election." She rambled on for at least a half hour during today's meeting, assuring everyone things are wonderful. They aren't.

b) Elections workers are improperly trained and don't even know enough to offer provisional ballots, something that Pennsylvania law requires.

c) Voting machines are not evenly distributed so that precincts that have heavy votes get more machines.

d) There is insufficient manpower on hand in the elections office during an actual election.

e) Advanced Voting Machines must solve the problem of vote tallies following the election.

f) One party chair is too close to the elections office.

g) The Home Rule Charter needs to be strengthened to remove politics from the elections commission.

h) The ballot must be altered so that it is at least neutral on the subject of straight party ballots.

i) The district boundaries are screwed up (just call Voter Reg and ask for updated district maps and listen to the runaround you get)

j) There are mis-registered voters - assigned to vote outside the precincts where they reside.

A Good Start

Dick Benner very quickly got to the heart of the problem, He told Voter Registrar Deborah DePaul that "people must be made to understand you're there to help them." He suggested asking local high schools to provide 17 year olds to help monitor elections. "That exposes them to civic life and also eases the burden on elections workers." DePaul mentioned several colleges she's contacted, and claimed they only want to help when they're something in it for them. She completely missed Benner's point about contacting high schools, not colleges.

This committee is advisory only, a paper tiger. But they mean business. Their next meeting will be in council chambers on January 31 at 7 PM. Their email address is voterinfo@northamptoncounty.org.

Correction: The correct email addy for the citizen advisory committee is voter.info@northamptoncounty.org.