Difference between revisions of "Secretary of State Project"
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Revision as of 15:45, 6 October 2009
Secretary of State Project...
The Secretary of State Project is a program to raise funds to help elect progressive and Democrat Secretary of State candidates to office in targeted states across America. According to the founders of the Secretary of State Project, this project was started by concerned citizens and activists to develop a user friendly online vehicle to solicit donations for key Secretary of State races across the United States.
Staff
Becky Bond works for a socially progressive mobile telephone company based in San Francisco. She serves on the board of the New Organizing Institute* and ActBlue.com*.
Megan Hull was a Project Director for Democracy Reform at the Center for Civic Participation*. In 2004, she was a Co-Director of the coalition that investigated polling place problems and vote counting irregularities in Ohio and New Mexico.
Michael Kieschnick is a social entrepreneur based in San Francisco. He is also a board member of the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, the Ballot Initiatives Strategy Center Foundation and Sojourners, among other progressive organizations.* Michael is President of Working Solutions, a company that provides credit cards and mobile phone services to progressive organizations.[1]
- Organizational affiliation listed for identification purposes only. [2]
Candidate Selection Process
The Secretary of State Project (SOS Project) evaluates candidates based on their positions on election issues - primarily support for a voter-verifed paper trail and transparency of the voting process, strict enforcement of laws preventing voter intimidation, opposition to any and all barriers to voting by and registration of citizens, and a committment to increasing voter turnout rather than suppressing the votes of traditionally disenfranchised groups. While a progressive enterprise at its heart, the Secretary of State Project does not screen candidates for issue positions unrelated to the duties of the office of Secretary of State, including but not limited to the war in Iraq, gay marriage, a woman's right to choose, or U.S. trade policy.[3]
Election Results
2006
In 2006, the Secretary of State Project raised over $500,000 to help elect five Secretaries of State in key presidential battleground states.
| State | Project-endorsed candidate | 2006 vote total | Opponent | 2006 vote total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | Jennifer Brunner | 1,994,276 (54.78%) | Greg Hartmann | 1,482,064 (40.71%) |
In Ohio the the Secretary of State Project contributed over $167,000 directly to the Brunner campaign, we also spent over $30,000 in a highly targeted, independent expenditure campaign that focused on reaching Ohio college students and unmarried women voters.
Jennifer Brunner writes: "My sincere thanks to everyone for supporting my campaign for Ohio secretary of state. None of this would have been possible without the support of grassroots donors who came together through the Secretary of State Project. Working together we will bring free, fair, open and honest elections to Ohio in 2008. My election is also historic for the fact that I am the first woman to be elected secretary of state in Ohio. I will utilize my sense of fairness I learned as a judge and my years of election law experience to create an elections system that will become a model. When the eyes of the Nation look to Ohio in 2008, you will have confidence in our system. Thank you again for your support and your trust in me to carry out this most important mission.
MINNESOTA: SoS Project candidate Mark Ritchie wins! Mark Ritchie 1,049,434 ( 49.09%) Mary Kiffmeyer 944,004 (44.16%)
Also thanks to SoS Project donors, Minnesota's Mark Ritchie- a true champion for democracy - was able to defeat a two-term incumbent Republican by less than five points. The Secretary of State Project spent targeted funds to support Mark Ritchie with cable television ads targeting women and seniors.
Mark Ritchie writes: "I want to thank the Secretary of State Project and its thousands of grassroots donors for helping to push my campaign over the top. Your wonderful support - both directly to my campaign and through generous expenditures by the strategic fund - helped me get our election reform message to Minnesota voters. And the voters overwhelming cast their ballot to protect our democracy on election day."
NEW MEXICO: SoS Project candidate Mary Herrera wins! Mary Herrera 291563 (54.0%) Vickie Perea 248020 (46.0%)
In New Mexico, Secretary of State Project contributors provided Democrat Mary Herrera with more than 10% of her budget, and our strategic fund put statewide radio ads on the air.
Mary Herrera writes: "Your support made a big difference to my campaign. New Mexico has a history of close elections - the presidential vote was decided by just 6,000 votes here in 2006. Thanks to the help of the Secretary of State Project and its donors, we can make sure every voter is able to cast a ballot that counts on Election Day."
NEVADA: SoS Project candidate Ross Miller wins! Ross Miller 279,499 (48.73%) Danny Tarkanian 232,691 (40.57%)
Ross Miller writes: "I want to extend my gratitude to all the donors who gave generously to my campaign via the Secretary of State Project web site. It was a hard fought campaign, but thanks to contributions from concerned citizens like you, the Secretary of State office under my direction will ensure fair and transparent elections in Nevada for years to come."
IOWA: SoS Project candidate Michael Mauro wins!' Michael Mauro 538108 ( 53.6%) Mary Ann Hanusa 465,871 (46.4%)
Michael Mauro writes: "Thank you for protecting our election process. Without your support and dedication to ensuring every vote counts in this country, true democratic efforts such as the Secretary of State Project would not be possible. My campaign would not have been successful without your help and dedication. Thank you."
MICHIGAN: SoS Project loss to Republican Terri Lynn Land 2,090,651 (56.17%) Carmella Sabaugh 1,560,934 (41.94%)
Carmella Sabaugh writes: "My heartfelt thanks to the donors of the Secretary of State Project who supported my campaign to bring election reform to Michigan. Even though we did not win, with your help we were able to take our message of free and fair elections for all Michigan citizens to every corner of the state."[4]