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 Elections Office Report Card is Imminent

In early January, Northampton County Exec John Stoffa named a five person "blue ribbon citizens advisory committee" to untangle a Gordian knot in the elections office. Its members were 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).

Stoffa's request was very simple - "how can we do better?"

This group conducted seven wild productions between January 23 and April 4. At times, it had all the cacaphony of a three ring circus. I loved it! I thought it was a great opportunity to describe problems, both in the elections office and with those new touchscreen voting machines. But others, including Dem chair Joe "Bossman" Long, condemned these weekly extravaganzas as little more than a witch hunt.

I have a link to the "official" minutes of these meetings on my left sidebar. But let me give you links to my own first hand reports. They're a lot less objective, but also a little more fun:

January 23: "Stoffa's Citizen Committee Deals With NorCo Election Mess" - Stoffa draws first blood with this: "Our elections have been like giving birth to an elephant." Former voter registrar Dick Benner sets the theme of this panel: "[P]eople must be made to understand you're there to help them."

January 31: "Norco Citizens Elections Committee Follow That Paper Trail" - The importance of a voter-verified paper trail is discussed, and co-chair Russ Shade notes it's already required in 27 states, and will soon be coming to a U.S. Congress near you.

February 7: "Citizens' Election Panel Questions Voting Machine Certification" - Elections panel learns we voted with machines that were never certified. Whee! Registrar Debbie DePaul insists "we're doing very well." I wonder if she invented the phrase, "stay the course."

February 13: "Norco Elections Committee Wants Answers From AVS" - Dr. Alan Brau, a passionate voting rights activist, details BlackBox voting's claim that voting machine manufacturer AVS used shoddy parts, manufactured in China, to assemble our touchscreen voting machines. I don't care because I get a fortune cookie every time I vote!

February 21: "Norco Voter Registrar DePaul Discusses Her Kingdom" - DePaul consumes most of the evening saying goofy things like "The people who left under my reign are people I am still close with," and defends letters to state and federal officials urging that the county executive ignore new voting laws. "While it might be criminal, criminals are pardoned."

February 28: There are three posts concerning this fascinating meeting.

Pre-Meeting Post: "In Northampton County, Bloggin' is Dangerous to Your Health!" - Dem bossman Joe Long makes his first appearance at a meeting. The second he sees me, he demands a duel. Sadly, he trips over his sword and castrates himself!

Meeting Post: "Norco Registrar DePaul to Critics: 'Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!'" - Registrar DePaul incredibly brings a goofy lawyer, whom we later learn comes from a list supplied by Bossman Long. Her attorney is a "buffer" to protect her "from the falsehoods and basic lies." This legal eagle manages to insult the panel, press, Republicans, those of us sitting in the peanut gallery and even sticks his tongue out at a custodian. The meeting is adjourned when the accumulated hot air causes the entire building to start floating away.

Post-Meeting Post: "Norco Registrar DePaul Tries to Soak County for $2470 Private Lawyer Bill" - You can't make this stuff up! DePaul's windbag even wanted the county to pay for crabcakes at Uncle Wesley's!

April 4: "Norco Elections Task Force Reviews Positive Survey in Final Public Meeting" - In its last anticlimactic meeting, the elections panel reviews 370 returned survey questionnaires out of 1400 mailed to candidates(300), poll workers(700) and voters(400). A detailed summary, the same one presented to the citizens' task force, is posted here.

After these meetings, the panel met privately to make their findings and submit a report. It did so without Peg Ferraro, who resigned when she decided to seek a seat on county council. A week ago today, The Express Times' Sarah Cassi told us the report is now in, and Stoffa intends to release it to the public once he reads it himself.

Inside word is that the report, like those meetings, is a scorcher. Part of the delay in putting it together was the difficulty in finding asbestos paper.

Norco Voting Machines Might Be Certified in Time for Primary

Northampton County's elections last November were conducted with voting machines the state never certified. Pennsylvania's Department of State had reluctantly certified WinVote Version 2.0.2 in February, 2006, noting twelve specific problems. But the system we had used was WinVote Version 2.0.3, an uncertified version.

Russ Shade, co-chair of a citizens' panel convened to examine our election troubles, wanted answers both from the state and vendor Advanced Voting Solutions. "They have this nasty habit of not returning phone calls."

Northampton County's citizen panel eventually sent a certified letter, and the state has responded as fast as a glacier.

State elections commissioner Harry A. VanSickle sent an email to county officials just today. "Wanted to let all of you know that the Certification Report for Advanced was approved and signed by the Secretary. I want to read it over again before sending it out to you tomorrow. This is for version 2.0.3."

Whoopee!

No rush, Harry. We've already conducted one election with uncertified machines and the next one is only twelve days away. Take your time. Maybe you should run it by PennDot, too.

Norco Elections Task Force Reviews Positive Survey in Final Public Meeting

"You gave one of the most precious things you have, and that is your time. Voting is the most important thing in this country, and I would like to see it stay that way."

Those are the words Northampton County Executive John Stoffa used to thank a "blue ribbon citizens' advisory committee" charged with a single task - making recommendations to improve local elections. Its five panel members originally included 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). Peg Ferraro resigned when she decided to seek a seat on county council. The committee has now conducted seven public meetings, and its sole remaining task is to make recommendations.

At last night's small gathering, the panel quietly reviewed survey results. A petulant Joe Long and goofy Bucks County lawyer provided a circus like atmosphere a few weeks ago. But that was gone, and courtly co-chair Russ Shade summarized 370 returned questionnaires. "The good news is that things are better than the perception." A total of 1400 surveys were mailed to candidates(300), poll workers(700) and voters(400). Amazingly, twenty-six percent were completed and returned.

Most candidates claim their interaction with the elections office has been positive. But Greta Browne cautions these candidates are current candidates, not those who went through the last election.

Voters have a high level of confidence in the voter registration office, but not with the touchscreen voting machines. Of the fifty voters who responded, only 27 believe their votes were recorded accurately. Sixteen are not so sure and two are convinced the machines screwed up. Voters also had some interesting ideas, ranging from a proposal to upgrade the entire process to a suggestion that older children be encouraged to accompany adults and learn the process.

Poll workers returned the highest percentage of surveys. They also experienced the most problems, ranging from difficult voting machines to an unresponsive elections office. Even so, most rated their experience with the elections office as "good" or "very good."

After going through the surveys, co-chair Russ Shade concluded, "There's plenty of room for improvement. The way we do things works. But we could do better."

I'll give my assessment, for what it's worth. I don't think things are better than the perception. I agree with the perception. Over the past six meetings, we've learned that we voted with machines the state never certified and are about to do so again. Getting answers from an indifferent state elections office, has been like pulling teeth. AVS disappeared the moment we had questions. We may need a different voting machine, one that's actually certified.

As far as the elections office is concerned, there's always room for improvement. My own experience with the staff has been positive, just like what is reported in the surveys. But elections office employees definitely need a code of ethics. A party chair's daughter should never work there. Our elections commission must be depoliticized. It should become nonpartisan, comprised of members from the major and minor parties. Elections commissioners should be barred from participating in partisan activity. Finally, voter registrar Deborah DePaul must stop being so defensive about every suggestion. She has been her own worst enemy. Last night, she conducted herself professionally, and that is an encouraging sign. In fairness, she was dealt a nightmare in the last two elections and was getting no help from the state. But her decision to hire a lawyer recommended by a party chair, was poor judgment at best. It contradicts her claim of impartiality.

Nearly every meeting was attended by Republican elections commissioner Joan Rosenthal and Democratic elections chair Walt Garvin. They weren't there as partisans but because they want us to do better. They understand Dick Benner's admonition, made in the first meeting. "[P]eople must be made to understand you're there to help them."

Update: The Morning Call and Express Times have well-written accounts of last night's meeting. An aspect of the Morning Call account should be clarified. It claims certification is expected in time for the May primary. But that's certification of a change made before November's election. Now, AVS software must change to permit larger municipal ballots, and that change won't be certified until after the primary. So we'll still be voting on uncertified voting machines. Confused? Welcome to Northampton County.
Second Update: A detailed summary of the survey results, the same one presented to the citizens' task force, is posted here.

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.

My First Ever Back Room Meeting

Northampton County's citizens' election committee met last night, and I'll be writing about that meeting in a separate post. After the meeting was over, elections commissioner Ralph Stampone invited me to join him at the Tic Toc diner for a slice of pie. "Thirty minutes, Bernie. Tops!"

I wanted to get home so I could write up the damn meeting, but I'm not one to turn down free food. I figured I could gobble the pie and stick Ralph with the bill pretty easily. He's a fat guy, too, and lacks my lightning speed.

I met my date Ralph at Tic Toc, and was waiting for my pie when these two white collar skinny guys came in and sat right next to us. One of them was Russ Shade, who looked like he hadn't eaten for several days. The other thin man was about 18 feet tall and wearing a ridiculous Sherlock Holmes hat. That was John Stoffa.

We fat guys ordered one small slice of blueberry pie. That was my frickin' dinner. The skinny guys ate like there was no tomorrow. Stoffa, who kept saying, "Elementary, my dear O'Hare," scarfed down a mega omelet. Shade gobbled at tuna melt, fries, onion rings and then started drinking all those half and half creamers that diner waitresses toss at you when you order coffee.

I figured I should stick around because I might get some inside info for a good blog post. But after about an hour, all these bastards were talking about was chocolate pie. So I said my goodbyes and was getting ready to leave when the bill came. I ended up spending $5 for one slice of blueberry pie and coffee, and I think Shade was licking my plate as I left.

So now I'm out $5, hungry, behind in my writing and all I have to show for my efforts is this lousy post.

That's OK. Ralph now has a flat tire.

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.

Russ Shade Campaign Signs Disappearing

Nearly a month ago, I told you about Russ Shade, Democratic candidate for state rep. in the Northampton area. His opponent, Julie Harhart, is a fixture in an unresponsive state house that has resisted any attempt at meaningful reform. She even voted to suspend house rules to enable career pols to give themselves a midnight payraise. Lehigh County Redneck has her own take on the campaign today, and predicts Shade will win in an upset.

Unfortunately, someone is replacing Russ Shade campaign signs with Harhart signs, particularly in Whitehall. Shade's campaign is asking anyone who sees sign tampering to call his campaign at 484-241-6932. I've got a better idea. Call the police.

Harhart or Upstart? Act Blue for Russ Shade in 183rd

Act Blue is the common man's PAC. It's a place where we can scrape our nickels and dimes together and ship them off to a worthy Democratic candidate. And it works! In just two years, the site has collected $6 million. There are no endorsed candidates. It's up to you, bippy.

I've set up a small Act Blue donor form on the left sidebar of this blog for two interesting newcomers trying to make a difference in the land of midnight payraises. Today I'll focus on Russ Shade, Democratic candidate for the 183rd legislative district in the Northampton area. He's trying to usurp Julie Harhart, an unresponsive state rep. who has forgotten her promise to "serve" only four terms.

To retake control of the state house, Democrats need just eight seats. They're getting a lot of help from Republican House Speaker John Perzel, who defended an obscene state lawmaker payraise by incredulously claiming farmers and tattoo artists get more dough, and that some poor legislators have trouble getting credit.

Russ Shade, who managed John Stoffa's astonishingly successful county executive campaign without a dime of special interest money and against party bosses, thinks campaign money should come mostly from residents that actually live in the local community, and not PACs located in Toodeloo. But what about Harrisburg?

Harrisburg! We have a problem.

In Russ's own words,

Our legislators have made it legal for themselves to be away from the Capitol but still vote on important issues.

They vote to suspend rules so they can ram through bills in the middle of the night and nobody will notice what is going on (e. g. the pay raise).

They've exempted their expense reporting from the Pennsylvania Open Records Law.

Their approach to business taxes has driven away thousands of potential jobs.

They've failed over and over to reform the tax structure in this state, preferring instead to debate taxing candy and garter belts.

They use taxpayer-provided slush funds to fund projects in their districts (which helps them get re-elected).

They get a $650 car allowance (what? you mean if I'm a legislator I actually have to spend time in Harrisburg? Shouldn't the taxpayers have to pay for my traveling there in style?)

Instead of being reimbursed for actual expenses, they can take a per diem payment to use as they wish - without having to account for it..

They average 77 session days a year.

They get to vote themselves a pay raise whenever they think they can get away with it.

They insert amendments into bills for the benefit of "special interests" (a.k.a. campaign contributors).

If they fail at their job (failing to deliver real tax reform, not adhering to the PA Constitution) they get paid anyway.

Harhart can piously claim she voted against the midnight payraise, but she also voted to suspend rules that required that bill to be considered for three separate days before enactment. And all but five percent of her campaign dough is from special interests well outside her district. They take care of her, and she's taking care of them, not ordinary schleps like you and me.

If you want to take back your government, give Russ a hand and send a little dough with the Act Blue pledge from on the left sidebar. Small contributions from enough of us, even $5, will make a big difference in an important race. I've kicked in as much as I can spare, and will try each week. We can complain about Bush and Cheney all we want, but it's in the small races like these where the battle is being fought. And so the battle rages.