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Democrats call on General Assembly to fire Secretary of State Tre Hargett

Friday, July 10th, 2009

The Tennessee Democratic Party today requested the General Assembly fire Sec. of State Tre Hargett for continuing to obstruct the implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act. Earlier this week, the Sec. of State issued a press release stating there isn’t enough time to uphold the new law that requires paper ballots in next year’s elections.

“The Secretary of State is using his office to obstruct the voting rights of all Tennesseans,” Forrester said. “Mr. Hargett’s refusal to do the job he was sworn to do appears to be part of a nefarious Republican strategy to stand in the way of secure and verifiable elections in Tennessee.

Instead of working to implement state law that was passed almost unanimously last year by both the House and Senate, Sec. Hargett has spent the time lobbying legislators to support Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) bill to re-write the law so that it doesn’t apply to the 2010 elections. State Election Coordinator Mark Goins has also urged county election commissioners to spend their time lobbying the legislature back Sen. Ketron.

In an effort to distract voters from growing unease with recent Republican run-ins with the law, including a federal lawsuit against 8 Republican election commissioners, Sec. Hargett today awarded Sen. Ketron a medallion for all his legislative effort to delay the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act and to kill the state’s Ethics Comission.

“I am honored to present the NASS Medallion Award to Sen. Ketron for his work in pursuing the highest standards of integrity in the electoral process as well as his work to protect the fiscal stability of local governments,” Hargett said in the news release from Senate Republican Caucus spokeswoman Darlene Schlicher.

It’s no surprise Sec. Hargett would use one of five medallions he’s allowed to give out every year as a tool in his continued campaign to obstruct existing election law. Sec. Hargett and Sen. Ketron are two peas in a Republican pod working together to make sure the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act does not apply to the 2010 elections. Voters of Rutherford County deserve and demand better.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Legislation, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

Republican election commissioners vote to spend local tax dollars on Chattanooga lawyers

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Republican election commissioners voted to spend Rutherford County tax payer money on lawyers from Chattanooga to defend themselves in a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit filed in District Court yesterday against Republican Election Commission Chair Tom Walker and seven other Republicans across the state alleges violations of the United States Constitution for partisan selections of County Election Administrators.

Republicans gained a 3-2 majority on county election commissions across the state of Tennessee when Republicans took control of the House and Senate. The plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit (view the lawsuit here) will argue in District Court that Republican defendants violated federal law by making hiring decisions for non-policy making positions based on party affiliation. This is the third time within a month that Republican Election Commissioner Walker has had a run-in with the law.

Apparently Republican election commissioners don’t feel there is a single attorney in Rutherford County capable or willing to defend their actions in a District Court. The bill to defend Rutherford County Republicans could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars, all of which will now line the pockets of Chattanooga lawyers.

Here is the story from the Daily News Journal.

The Rutherford County Election Commission voted 3-2, along party lines this evening to hire two Chattanooga attorneys to represent the three Republican members of the commission named in a federal lawsuit Wednesday.

A civil lawsuit was filed in federal court late Wednesday on behalf of eight administrators of elections who were allegedly terminated or have been threatened with termination on the sole basis of their perceived or actual political party affiliation.

The Election Commission also voted unanimously, due to the federal litigation, to defer action on the 90 applications for administrator of elections until its Aug. 3 meeting.

Posted in 2010, Crime, Elections, Rutherford County Republican Party, Taxes, Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

Republican Election Commissioner Tom Walker embroiled in federal lawsuit

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Newly appointed Republican Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker is at the center of a federal lawsuit filed in District Court that could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The suit filed in District Court against Walker and seven other Tennessee Republicans claims the defendants violated the United States Constitution by politicizing the selection of the County Election Administrator. Walker and several other Republicans gained control of county election commissions when their party got control of the House and Senate.

At the request of Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), State Attorney General Bob Cooper issued an opinion in April warning election commissioners that politicizing the hiring and firing of County Election Administrators would violate the United States Constitution.

Attorney General Cooper recently issued another opinion stating counties will have to foot the bill for defending the unlawful acts in court. That means Tom Walker’s partisan antics could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend.

Of course Election Commissioner Walker could have saved the county from having to defend his actions by simply upholding the law, but this is just the latest example of Walker’s disregard for the law and his open willingness to make the tax payers of Rutherford County pay for it.

Last month, Walker literally told local media that he didn’t care what the laws of Tennessee say when he attempted to defy the state’s open meetings law not once, but twice. It took the county attorney valuable time to educate him into compliance. Fellow Republican Election Commissioner Doris Jones supported Chairman Walker’s attempt to break the law saying to local media “we’ve got some crazy laws in this country.”

Read how Tennessee Republicans are preparing for the 2010 election:

Posted in 2010, Crime, Elections, Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Rutherford County Republican Party, Watchdog Alert | 1 Comment »

Fair elections in Tennessee held hostage by Republican agenda

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

A battle is brewing in the state over a new law requiring the use of paper ballots in the 2010 elections, and Secretary of State Tre Hargett says the legislature was too busy with other things to fix it.

Last year the House and Senate passed the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act (TVCA) requiring every county in the state use paper ballots in next year’s elections. The bill passed almost unanimously, and the Gov. signed the bill into law. But the newly appointed Secretary of State has spent the last nine months complaining about the law instead of working to implement the expressed will of the people of Tennessee.

Yesterday the Secretary of State’s office issued a questions and answers document on the TVCA outlining his office’s complaints about the new law. Chief among the complaints was the lack of time his office now has to fully implement the use of paper ballots in 2010.

Over the past nine months, however, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and State Election Coordinator Mark Goins have been busy instead working through Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) to delay the law’s implementation until after the 2010 elections.

Rather than spend the greater part of the past year addressing their concerns with the law through Capitol Hill, the Secretary of State’s office has done nothing but waste time. Tennessee voters shouldn’t be surprised.

In the last legislature, the Republican controlled House and Senate wasted months on abortion, guns and booze bills. When they finally decided in the last minutes of session to get around to important issues like election reform, they failed the people of this great state.

A paper ballot advocate in Columbia, TN was recently visited by the TBI after the Secretary of State made an “unsubstantiated” terrorist threat claim against the man. Bernie Ellis had merely referenced the Battle of Athens on a blog. And that’s just the latest example of how Republicans are handling the laws that govern our election process.

Here in Rutherford County, the Election Commission Chair Tom Walker attempted to violate state law and told several people he didn’t care what the state law says. Another Republican election commissioner, Dorris Jones, was quoted as saying “We’ve got some crazy laws in this county.” Sen. Ketron’s success in declawing the state’s Ethics Commission conveniently makes investigating corrupt law makers a lower priority for the Registry of Election Finance.

There is a reason the Republican controlled House and Senate delayed addressing concerns over the use of paper ballots in 2010. Protecting the constitutional right we have for our vote to count in 2010 was trumped this year by a Republican legislative agenda more focused on abortion, guns in bars and booze bills. When given the chance to serve the people of Tennessee, Republicans chose instead to pander to fear, erode the safe guards of our liberties and freedoms, and ignore the priorities of Tennessee’s working families.

Posted in 2010, Abortion, Elections, Ethics, Guns, Legislation | 1 Comment »

Rutherford County Attorney talks some sense into local Election Commission Chairman

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

After some much deserved attention on Rutherford County Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker’s blatant and unapologetic violation of state law on two separate occasions (Monday and Tuesday) in the same week, the county attorney stepped in and talked some sense into the man.

It’s too bad Chairman Walker and Election Commissioner Doris Jones still have their jobs, but you can count on us keeping a very close eye on the people the state Republican Party saw fit to entrust with our local election process.

Tennesseans will not stand for politicians who thumb their noses at the rule of law and obstruct the constitutional right to have our voices count in a fair and transparent election. And attacks on the rights of media to report on the public’s interest will be defended here, in court and at the ballot box.

Here is a report from today’s front page of the Daily News Journal.

Rutherford County Attorney Jim Cope informed The Daily News Journal late Wednesday afternoon that he had talked with County Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker regarding the application process for the administrator’s position.

“After our discussion, Mr. Walker … said he will be bringing in all the applications to the Election Commission Office before the end of the business day Thursday, and presumably they will be available for public inspection,” Cope said.

Walker could not immediately be reached for comment.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Rutherford County Republican Party, Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

TBI calls Secretary of State’s claim of threat ‘unsubstantiated’

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Newly appointed Republican Secretary of State Tre Hargett has been caught using the TBI to intimidate proponents of fair and transparent elections in the state of Tennessee.

Sec. Hargett claimed to local media that he couldn’t speak about an ongoing TBI investigation, but the TBI told the media the truth. There is no investigation, and a TBI spokesperson added that Sec. Hargett’s claims were “unsubstantiated.”

Once he knew he was caught in a lie, Sec. Hargett admitted to the media that he sent the TBI to investigate an advocate for fair and transparent elections claiming the advocate made a threat against the state by referencing an incident known as the Battle of Athens.

The August 2, 1946 “battle” involved Second Amendment loving citizens of McMinn County, Tennessee rising up and taking up arms against their corrupt county government for standing in the way of open and honest elections.

Below is part of the Nashville Scene’s account that should enrage every voter in the state of Tennessee.

Newly installed Republican Secretary of State Tre Hargett sicked the TBI on a political opponent on a trumped-up charge of making a “terrorist threat.” The case is now closed, the TBI having found no justification for Hargett’s complaint. Yes, it matters who governs.

Bernie Ellis, founder of the group Gathering to Save Our Democracy, says TBI agents came to his farm yesterday to question him about whether he threatened the Secretary of State’s office in an email. Ellis said he never sent an email to that office, and the agents left after asking him a few questions.

Pith phoned Hargett’s spokesman, Blake Fontenay, for comment today. Guess what? He’d love to talk, of course, but he just can’t. The TBI won’t let him, he says, “because they’re still investigating.” Yes, it’s the old “we never comment on pending investigations” trick.

“I really am not supposed to say anything more than that at this point,” Fontenay apologized. “We’d love to respond but we were asked by the TBI specifically not to respond. There definitely is another side to this, and we wish we could talk about it, but it’s not usually advisable to get the TBI mad at you. My hands are tied at this time.”

So then we phoned the TBI, whose spokeswoman Kristin Helm said basically there is no investigation, and she doesn’t know what Fontenay is talking about.

“We had to go pay Bernie a little visit,” Helm said. “We had a public official who felt as though he was being threatened, who felt there was something floating around in cyberland that was a threat. A couple of agents went to talk to Bernie and pretty much found the threats were unsubstantiated.”

Sec. Hargett’s latest stunt continues a disgraceful pattern by state Republicans that foments distrust with our state’s election process by intimidating proponents of fair elections, openly violating state law to exclude the public from open records and open meetings of county election commissions and delaying existing laws meant to protect the constitutional right to have our votes count.

Rutherford County’s newly appointed Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker violated state law on Monday and Tuesday, both times openly stating to the media that he will not obey the law when it comes to open meetings and public records in the Rutherford County Election Commission office.

Rutherford County’s Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) aggressively sought a delay to existing election laws that require paper ballots in the 2010 elections.

This growing pattern of distrust is a disgrace to the state of Tennessee. It is also an affront to the very liberties and freedoms many American heroes fought for and died to protect.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

Republican Election Commission Chair continues defiance of state law

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Rutherford County Election Commission Chair Tom Walker continues his open and blatant defiance of state law and demonstrates why he must resign his position immediately and restore voter confidence in our county’s election process.

Here is today’s Daily News Journal on this developing story. Pay close attention to Walker’s careless statements that he answers to no one, including the laws of the state of Tennessee.

Rutherford County Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker denied media access to applications for administrator of elections Tuesday despite the documents being public records, according to state law.
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Attempts to reach Walker by phone for an interview Tuesday were unsuccessful. The staff of current Administrator of Elections Hooper Penuel notified Walker that The Daily News Journal made an open records request to review the information.

“What I was told by my staff assistant was that (Walker) said he was not going to place any applicant’s name under the bus,” said Penuel, noting more than one person in the office heard the comment.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Ethics, Rutherford County Republican Party, Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

Our Chairman Calls for Immediate Resignation of Election Commissioners Tom Walker and Doris Jones.

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 23, 2009

Contact: Jonathan Fagan
Rutherford County Democratic Party Chairman
(615) 604-4211
han.d.man.2@gmail.com

(Murfressboro, TN) - The Chair of the Rutherford County Democratic Party (RCDP) today called on newly appointed Rutherford County Election Commission (RCEC) Chairman Tom Walker and Election Commissioner Doris Jones to resign their posts.

The call comes a day after both the Republican Chairman and Election Commissioner were quoted in the Murfreesboro Post as saying they don’t care what the state law says when it comes to serving the people of Rutherford County.

“Americans value free and fair elections. Rutherford County citizens deserve adults on the Election Commission who know and obey the rule of law. Otherwise, our trust in the democratic process is undermined. We don’t need people in control of our election process who blatantly express their disregard for state law,” said RCDP Chair Jonathon Fagan.

Both the newly appointed RCEC Chairman Walker and Election Commissioner Jones expressed their blatant disregard for state law when reporters from the Daily News Journal and the Murfreesboro Post attempted to cover a legal proceeding of the Election Commission. The reporters attempted to hand a copy of the law to the Chairman and Commissioner when both angrily dismissed the law calling it “crazy.” The election commission threatened police action to physically remove them from last night’s meeting.

“The people of Rutherford County and the state of Tennessee deserve Election Commissioners who they can trust to respect and uphold the law,” Fagan said. “Recent events serve to remind us of what happens when that faith is lost.”

Fagan said the attempt by RCEC Chairman Walker and Election Commissioner Jones to act illegally and then openly express their disdain for the laws of the state should be grounds for their immediate termination.

“The people of Tennessee deserve to know our elections are being handled professionally and not by partisan hacks who willfully thumb their nose at the law.”

Read the DNJ’s front page story here

Read the Murfreesboro Post’s story here

Posted in 2010, Elections, From the Chair, Watchdog Alert | 6 Comments »

Our Chairman’s 2009 TN Legislature Wrapup…

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Hello fellow Democrats. I’m pleased to inform you that this year’s session of the Tennessee Legislature has finally come to an end. It was a long and arduous one for our own Curt Cobb and Kent Coleman, who had to wade through 142 gun bills and several booze bills sponsored by our republican Senator Bill Ketron and Rep. Joe Carr . At last, republicans proposed a budget that killed recruitment dollars for a private solar power plant that would bring 30,000 jobs to Tennessee , put Pre-K education on the chopping block , gutted the Ethics Commission , repealed the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act , stripped funding for MTSU’s Education Building , halted badly needed road and bridge projects, and even refused to erect statues for Tennessee’s Nobel Peace Prize recipients! Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle (D - Memphis) likened it to cuttin’ and runnin’ and Governor Bredesen called it “stupid” . Our republican Senators Jim Tracy and Bill Ketron quickly voted for this “stupid” budget, and refused to help MTSU and its Education Building project. Luckily, Democrats in the House were able to fix most of this disastrous budget and forced Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey (R-Bristol) to surrender . We won this round.

But, we weren’t able to save the Ethics Commission, even though Rep. Kent Coleman tried his best to stand up for ethics in government. We also have to live with guns in bars, and paper-verified voting was postponed for another year even though we’re sitting on $34 million to implement it! Bottom line - we need more Democrats in the Tennessee Legislature. This website offers ways to get involved, contribute to the effort, stay updated on the issues, and stay connected. Your continued help and involvement is appreciated.

Sincerely,
Jonathon Fagan
Chairman, Rutherford County Democratic Party
(615) 604-4211
han.d.man.2@gmail.com
www.rutherfordcountydemocrats.org

Posted in Budget, Education, Elections, Energy, Ethics, From the Chair, Gov. Phil Bredesen, Guns, Jobs, Legislation, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, MTSU, Rep. Curt Cobb (D-62), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Republican leaders, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16) | No Comments »

Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) roadblock to the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Last night, the House voted 73 - 20 to postpone fair and accurate elections in the state of Tennessee until 2012. Republican Representatives Joe Carr (R-48) and Donna Rowland (R-34) both voted for the delay. Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49) voted against the delay.

The Senate will now consider Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) version of the bill. SB 872 will delay the implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act (TVCA) which passed the House and the Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Phil Bredesen. The TVCA requires all counties to switch to optical scanned paper ballots instead of using electronic voting machines.

Sen. Ketron and fellow Republicans have expressed concerns over the cost of implementing the new law they passed despite the fact that it will be paid for by $25 million in federal funds from the Help America Vote Act.

The League of Women Voters of Tennessee is one of several groups demanding Sen. Ketron withdraw his roadblock to progress.

A coalition of civic groups denounced voting machine legislation passed last night by the full House of Representatives. Gathering to Save Our Democracy, Common Cause, the League of Women Voters of Tennessee, along with VerifiedVoting.org, Voter Action, and Voters Unite.org called for the Senate to reject HB 614. A companion bill, Senate Bill 872, also awaits floor action in the Senate. HB 614 would delay the implementation of paper records verified by the voter from the 2010 general election to the 2012 general election. It would also replace a hand counted audit of computer vote tallies with an “audit” that would involve using the counties’ inventory of ballot scanners. These scanners would nearly always have the same software, and come from the same voting machine company, as the scanners used to tally initial results.

Sen. Ketron has failed to provide a rational arguement for his focus on delaying the implemention of fair and accurate elections in Tennessee, but his actions fall in line with a pattern of promoting bad government. Sen. Ketron was also successful during this session in yanking the teeth out of the independent Ethics Commission responsibile for investigating corruption on Capitol Hill.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34), Rep. Joe Carr (R-48), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) | 2 Comments »

Rutherford County Democrats come together in Cannonsburgh

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Over 150 Rutherford County Democrats came together tonight in Cannonsburgh in Murfreesboro, TN for guest speakers Sen. Andy Berke (D-10) and Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester. Lots of folks donated food and several raffle items, and the weather couldn’t have been nicer for an evening in May.

The RCDP fundraiser was held in an open air pavilion in Cannonsburgh, a living history museum of early Southern life in Murfreesboro. Many new faces as well as the very familiar shared a meal together and looked ahead to the 2010 elections.

If you were curious about the history of the venue for this event, here’s the Murfreesboro Post’s ‘Top 10′ things you should know about Cannonsburgh. There are a lot of people who helped make tonight’s event possible. Will Fields cooked the awesome food. Aaron Cerutti helped get the 15 tables and 150 chairs moved. Pat McFadden, Steve Cates, and many others helped set the tables. So many folks donated things for the baskets and the food. Chloe Cerutti raised $1000 with her raffle ticket sales alone. Margaret Scrivens helped at the door and in the kitchen. Kathy Ferris donated the lecturn and sound system to the party, made a lot of great potato salad and sold a lot of tickets. Chantho Sourinho and Kathy Ferris tied for the most tickets sold (40 each).

These people and more demonstrated the power we have when we work together!

Tonight our treasurer, Smitty, challenged Democrats to think about the 2010 elections and think about what small thing you can do to help elect real public servants to represent the people of Rutherford County. One way is to give $10 a month to the Rutherford County Democratic party until the 2010 elections. It’s our 10 for ‘10 challenge, and we need your help to move Tennessee forward!

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Events, Fundraising, RCDP, TNDP | 4 Comments »

Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) seeks delay in fair and accurate elections

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) is sponsoring a bill (SB 0872) to delay the implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act. The law requires all counties to switch to optical scanned paper ballots and will be paid for by $25 million in federal funds from the Help America Vote Act.

What would make Sen. Ketron want to delay implementing fair elections in 2010?

“When the TVCA is implemented, Tennessee’s elections will be more secure, more accurate, and less expensive. There’s no good reason to wait,” said TNDP Chair Chip Forrester.

The TVCA was passed with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by Governor Phil Bredesen on June 5, 2008. The TVCA requires that all Tennessee counties make the switch to paper ballots before the November 2010 election.

Currently, only Hamilton and Pickett counties use paper ballots. The other 93 counties use paperless touch-screen voting machines, also known as Direct Record Electronic (DRE) machines. DREs are expensive to maintain, prone to error, and have no mechanism in place to produce verifiable results or meaningful recounts.

Posted in Elections, Ethics, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), TNDP | 1 Comment »

When voter turnout is high, America wins

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

In the last election you stood up and made your voice count. Many of you voted for the first time in your lives, and your vote moved our country in the right direction.

The 2010 elections are right around the corner, and now we begin the work of moving our state in the right direction, and it starts here in Rutherford County, the birth place of today’s Democratic Party. We will never miss another election as long as we live in the greatest country on Earth!

Nearly one-fourth of voters in last November’s election were minorities, the most diverse election ever, fueled by high turnout from black women and a growing Hispanic population, an independent research group found.

The study by the Pew Research Center, released Thursday, also showed that for the first time blacks had the highest voter turnout rate of any racial or ethnic group among people ages 18 to 29. Analysts said it remained to be seen how fully the strong minority participation, a reflection of both changing U.S. demographics and enthusiasm for Democrat Barack Obama, would carry over to future elections.

In 2008, about 65% of blacks went to the polls, nearly matching the 66% voting rate for whites. Black women had the highest rates of participation among all voters at 69%; they were followed by white women (68 percent), white men (64 percent) and black men (61 percent).

Posted in Elections, FYI | No Comments »