Subject: [big campaign] BREAKING: Congress expands voter suppression investigation to New Mexico after ProgressNowNM exposes improper training
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 15:06:28 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Trying not to brag about being so proud of our NM affiliate, but this
really is great work (and helps us elevate teh discussion and weave
the narrative more simply).

---------- Forwarded message ----------

October 18, 2012

Contact: Pat Davis, (505) 750-0012

*STATEMENT OF PROGRESSNOW NM ON NEWS THAT CONGRESS EXPANDS VOTER
SUPPRESSION INVESTIGATION INTO NEW MEXICO*

Albuquerque - ProgressNow New Mexico's Executive Director Pat Davis issues
this statement on the news that a Congressional committee has expanded its
investigation into voter suppression into New Mexico after ProgressNow NM
exposed improper training of poll challengers by a GOP official and
improper coordination between the party and non-profit True The Vote.

"We thank Congressman Cummings for recognizing the important challenge
efforts like those we exposed, and others exposed across the country, are
having on our elections.  This is welcome news coming on the heels of
Attorney General King's announcement of a similar investigation announced
last week.  Though Congressman Pearce has said he endorses these illegal
tactics, we encourage the rest of our congressional delegation to stand up
for fair elections and support this important inquiry.  We also continue to
implore Governor Martinez, as our state's highest ranking elected
Republican, to repudiate these tactics and support these investigations,
especially now that voters have already begun voting."

ProgressNow New Mexico made national news when it released secretly
recorded video<http://www.progressnownm.org/blog/2012/10/gop-trains-poll-workers-to-suppress-votes.html>
of
a Republican party official training poll challengers in illegal voter
challenge techniques.  The video has been viewed more than 50,000 times.
 Just days later, we returned to another training
session<http://www.progressnownm.org/blog/2012/10/update-true-the-vote-teams-up-with-gop-for-secret-training.html>
and
were denied entry by True The Vote's state leader telling us, on tape, that
the training was only open to Republicans.  Non-profit organizations, like
True The Vote, are not permitted to work on a partisan basis.

We contacted Cong. Cummings office and shared these videos after learning
of his investigation.  Cummings specifically cites ProgressNowNM's work as
justification for expanding the investigation.

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King announced an
investigation<http://www.progressnownm.org/blog/2012/10/attorney-general-launches-voter-suppression-investigation-after-progressnownm-exposes-poll-worker-tr.html>
into
voter suppression in New Mexico after we released these videos.

Despite these investigations, True The Vote released additional training
videos<http://www.progressnownm.org/blog/2012/10/true-the-vote-trains-voter-suppression-in-nm.html>
this
past weekend. They continue to teach improper poll challenger tactics to
participants.

A copy of the Congressional News Release is included below.

  *From:* Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office
*Sent:* Thursday, October 18, 2012 12:13 PM
*To:* Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office
*Subject:* RELEASE: Cummings Ramps Up Investigation of Voter Suppression
Allegations****

** **

****

*FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT: Ashley Etienne*

*October 18, 2012

                                      (202) 226-5181*

** **

*Cummings Ramps Up Investigation of Voter Suppression Allegations*

*Calls on True the Vote to Produce Documents on*

*Plan to Challenge Voters on Election Day*

** **

Washington, DC (Oct. 18)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of
the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a new
*letter<http://democrats.oversight.house.gov/images/stories/2012-10-18.EEC_to_TTV.pdf>
* to Catherine Engelbrecht, President and Founder of True the Vote,
requesting documents relating to the group’s plan to deploy hundreds of
thousands of personnel across the country on Election Day to challenge
access to the polls for people they believe should not be allowed to vote.**
**

** **

“There have been reports from multiple states during the past two years
that your organization is targeting predominantly minority communities and
coordinating with the Republican Party in an attempt to intimidate
legitimate voters,” wrote Cummings.****

** **

Cummings’ letter follows a *previous
letter<http://democrats.oversight.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5791&Itemid=104>
* on October 4, 2012, requesting documents relating to allegations that
True the Vote and its affiliated organizations have been challenging the
registration of thousands of legitimate voters across the country based on
insufficient, inaccurate, and faulty evidence.  Cummings’ letter notes that
True the Vote has declined to produce a single document.****

** **

“If you are truly committed to transparency in our nation’s voting
process—and if you continue to deny that your organization is challenging
thousands of legitimate voters across the country for partisan political
purposes—then you should have no reason to withhold documents from Congress
about your activities,” wrote Cummings.****

** **

Cummings’ letter details new information raising questions about whether
True the Vote is hiding its true agenda.  For example, after a
*report<http://www.irehr.org/issue-areas/tea-party-nationalism/tea-party-news-and-analysis/item/436-abridging-the-vote>
* was issued last week documenting how the group is deploying personnel in
predominantly African American and Hispanic communities in North Carolina,
True the Vote appears to have shut down access to its internal website
about where its personnel will be deployed on Election Day.****

** **

Cummings’ letter also provides new information about voter suppression
allegations in Texas in 2010.  Contrary to claims by True the Vote that
there were no instances of voter intimidation, Harris County Senior
Assistant County Attorney Doug Ray reported to Cummings’ staff that “King
Street Patriots and True the Vote volunteers were *not* fully exonerated
for acts of intimidation while serving as poll watchers in 2010.”  ****

** **

Ray said “there were in fact several incidents in which voters complained
that True the Vote volunteers were ‘hovering,’ and standing too close to
voters to allow them to cast a confidential ballot.”  When Ray visited True
the Vote’s offices in Harris County, he found maps on the wall with push
pins indicating that the polling places True the Vote was targeting were
primarily in minority precincts.****

** **

Cummings’ letter also raises new questions about “mounting evidence” that
True the Vote is coordinating closely with Republicans.  It cites *financial
contributions<http://www.southernstudies.org/2012/10/nonpartisan-true-the-vote-gave-5000-to-republican-state-leadership-committee.html>
* to the Republican State Leadership Committee, *admissions by
Engelbrecht<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiUxV8TYkRk&feature=related>
* that she is working to supply the Republican Party with volunteers, and
reports that True the Vote officials in New Mexico are conducting *secret
voter training programs<http://www.progressnownm.org/blog/2012/10/update-true-the-vote-teams-up-with-gop-for-secret-training.html>
* that exclude Democratic volunteers.****

** **

Cummings asked Engelbrecht to provide documents by October 31, 2012,
relating to where True the Vote is targeting its personnel, voter roll
lists that it plans to use to challenge voter eligibility, and materials
the organization uses to train its volunteers.****

** **

###****

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

CA: Courage Campaign
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