"Gov. Mark Warner & 243,000 Disenfranchised Americans"

Spencer Overton offers this post on Blackprof.com.

Hans A. Von Spakovsky for FEC Commissioner???

That's the rumor. That would be sure to create some controversy; see this New Yorker report on Van Spakovsky's DOJ voting rights activities.

"Sharpton Returns Public Funds"

The Washington Post offers this report, which begins: "Al Sharpton has agreed to pay back $100,000 in public funds he received for his failed bid to win the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, after the disclosure that he had exceeded federal limits on personal expenditures for his campaign."

"1898 riot designed to disfranchise blacks"

The Charlotte News and Observer offers this fascinating report, which begins: "The 1898 riot and coup d'etat in Wilmington that killed an unknown number of black residents actually was a planned insurrection that white supremacists spent months organizing. The violence was part of a statewide effort -- with a pivotal role played by The News & Observer and other newspapers -- to put white supremacist Democrats in office and stem the political advances of black citizens, according to a draft report released Thursday by the state-appointed 1898 Wilmington Race Riot Commission. The incident is the only known violent overthrow of a government in U.S. history. Afterward, white supremacists in state office passed the laws that would disfranchise a race of people for generations -- until the civil rights movement and Voting Rights Act of the 1960s." The report itself is here.

"Ex-GOP official found guilty on two counts; Tobin faces up to seven years in prison"

The Concord Monitor offers this report, which begins: A "jury convicted former national Republican Party official James Tobin yesterday on two counts of telephone harassment for his role in a plot to jam Democratic phone banks on Election Day 2002 in New Hampshire. But the federal jury acquitted Tobin on the most serious count, conspiracy to violate voters' rights."

"Lindblom and Harrington: The Justice Department puts politics over policy"

Marjorie Lindblom and Robert Harrington have written this oped in the Austin-American Statesman.

"The Pew Charitable Trusts Announces Renewed Support for Groups Tracking Money in Political Campaigns and Monitoring Campaign Finance Laws"

The following press release has arrived via e-mail:

(Philadelphia, PA) -- The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today a series of grant renewals to leading national nonpartisan organizations working to track and monitor implementation of the new federal campaign finance system. Continuing a decade-long commitment to increasing public trust and confidence in U.S. elections, the Trusts’ grants reflect the importance of solidifying progress made over the last five years to reduce the impact of unregulated soft money in federal campaigns and increase public participation.

"Although significant challenges remain, the nation’s electoral system has made progress since the late 90's, when the public believed soft money overwhelmed the voices and dollars of average Americans," said Rebecca W. Rimel, President and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts. "We are pleased our support could help inform a national dialogue about campaign finance and assist in building a foundation for positive change. Today's grants are designed to continue that progress and will support organizations to examine how federal campaigns are adjusting to the new rules and work to ensure the accountability and transparency continues.”

The grants are:
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) $2.2 million over two years for general operating support. CLC represents the public in administrative and legal proceedings where the nation’s campaign finance and related media laws are enforced. Its president is Trevor Potter, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, who served in the Reagan Administration’s Department of Justice and as assistant general counsel to the Federal Communications Commission.

Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) $900,000 over two years for general operating support. The CRP is the nation’s leading nonprofit, nonpartisan resource for tracking money in federal elections. Founded in 1983 by two former U.S. senators, one Democratic and one Republican, the CRP’s mission is to create a more educated voter, an involved citizenry and a more responsive government. It is directed by Larry Noble, former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission and president of the Council on Government Ethics Laws.

Committee for Economic Development (CED) $500,000 over one year to help business leaders educate their colleagues about the need for effective implementation of campaign finance reform. CED is an independent, nonpartisan organization of 250 business and education leaders. For more than 60 years, CED has brought the experience and insights of business leaders to bear on major issues facing the nation. It is directed by Charles Kolb, who served in both Reagan administrations and that of George H.W. Bush.

Democracy 21 Education Fund (D21EF) $700,000 over two years to monitor and ensure that campaign finance laws at the federal level are effectively implemented and for public education. D21EF’s mission is to ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and democratic elections. It was founded by Fred Wertheimer, president of Common Cause from 1981 to 1995 and one of the nation’s most tireless nonpartisan watchdogs for effective and ethical government.

When the Trusts began its investment in this area in 1996, Americans were concerned about the health and legitimacy of the U.S. democratic process. A 1997 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found 77 percent of respondents thought campaign finance reform was needed. Elected officials personally solicited millions of dollars in soft money contributions from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals -- prompting the question of whether these contributions gave rise to the appearance of corruption in the legislative process. Moreover, millions of dollars worth of campaign advertisements ofunknown origin, placed with undisclosed funding, streamed onto U.S. television and radio.

To help respond to the situation, the Trusts, along with many other leading organizations and individuals, began supporting groups working to objectively examine and document the role of soft money in politics. Our support has been directed to organizations working to: develop a body of research and data to fully understand the nature of the problem; communicate those findings to the public and policymakers; identify incremental practical policy solutions; and monitor campaign finance laws and policies.

“Campaigns and elections are the primary means through which governments derive their authority and are an entry point for citizens to participate in public life,” said Rimel. "We are pleased to support these and other organizations, working at the state and federal level, to solidify gains made over the last decade and to identify new approaches that could expand participation in the democratic process."

TONER ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION--McDonald to serve as Vice Chairman

The following press release has arrived via e-mail:

WASHINGTON -- Members of the Federal Election Commission have elected
Michael E. Toner as Chairman and Danny L. McDonald as Vice Chairman for 2006.

In December of each year, Commissioners elect a Chairman and Vice Chairman to serve for the upcoming calendar year. The Federal Election Campaign Act requires that the Chairman and Vice Chairman be of different political parties, and states that a member may serve as Chairman only once during a six-year term of office.

Vice Chairman-elect Toner, a Republican, was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President George W. Bush on March 4, 2002 and appointed on March 29, 2002. Mr. Toner was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 18, 2003

Prior to being appointed to the FEC, Mr. Toner served as Chief Counsel of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Toner joined the RNC in 2001 after serving as General Counsel of the Bush-Cheney Transition Team in Washington, DC and General Counsel of the Bush-Cheney 2000 Presidential Campaign in Austin, TX.

Before joining the Bush campaign in Austin, Commissioner Toner was Deputy Counsel at the RNC from 1997-1999. Prior to his tenure at the RNC, Mr. Toner served as counsel to the Dole/Kemp Presidential Campaign in 1996.

Mr. Toner received a J.D. cum laude from Cornell Law School in 1992, an M.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University in 1989, and a B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia in 1986. He is a member of the District of Columbia and Virginia bars as well as the United States Supreme Court bar, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia.

Vice Chairman-elect Danny L. McDonald, a Democrat, has previously served as both Chairman and Vice Chairman.

Prior to his initial appointment in 1981, the Sand Springs, Oklahoma, native served as General Administrator of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. Additionally, he served as Secretary of the Tulsa County Election Board and as Chief Clerk of that Board. Commissioner McDonald was a member of the Advisory Panel to the FEC's National Clearinghouse on Election Administration. He currently is President of the American Council of Young Political Leaders.

Commissioner McDonald received a B. A. Degree from Oklahoma State University and attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has served as a member of the JFK School Advisory Board for State and Local Government.

Created in 1975, the Federal Election Commission is an independent federal agency established to enforce limitations and prohibitions on contributions to federal candidates and committees, to require them to disclose their financial activities, and to administer the public financing program for Presidential elections.

Supreme Court of Canada to Hear Case on Prohibiting Media Reports of Election Results Until Polls Close on the West Coast

This news release notes that the Supreme Court of Canada will hear the case of Paul Charles Bryan v. Her Majesty the Queen, et al. (B.C.) (Crim.) (31052). The lower court had upheld the restriction as constitutional. Thanks to Colin Feasby for the information.

"Democratic Panel Backs Public Financing Reform"

Roll Call offers this report (paid subscription required), which begins: "A key panel convened by the Democratic National Committee has 'strongly endorsed' reforming the presidential public financing system, weighing in on the debate over what to do with the 30-year-old program that is widely acknowledged to be broken."

Plaintiffs' Briefs Filed in Vermont Spending Limits Case

Allison Hayward has posted the links.
.