To: My fellow Sierrans
Fr: Carl Pope
Well, you have really outdone yourself this time. Whether it was
Karenna Gore
telling one of our staff "You guys are everywhere" to Spence Abraham
blaming the
Sierra's Club's ads for Debbie Stabenow's victory to Senator Robert
Toricelli
waxing enthusiastic about our efforts against Slade Gordon; whether it
was the
Bay Chapter passing a hugely fought growth control measure against
millions of
dollars of developer money, or the Oregon Chapter fighting off one of
the two
truly horrendous initiatives slipped on to their ballot by the right
wing, or
Utah Sierrans passing transit proposals or Minnesotans creating their
won
version of the Dirty Dozen, or North Carolinanians electing a good
Governor who
listed the environment number two on his priority list, you were
everywhere. In
Madison, Wisconsin Sierra Club work helped give Al Gore the biggest
vote any
Demcrat has ever received, even in the face of the Nader challenge.
Every state
-- Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania --
where the
Sierra Club concentrated its resources on educating the public about the
contrast between Al Gore and George Bush went for Gore, except for
Oregon, yet
to be called. Nine (or if Maria Cantwell wins ten), of our thirteen
targeted
Senate candidates won. Almost 3/4 of our House priorities were elected,
with
one race still to call.
We got our message out. In Washington, 88% of the voters knew about
Bush's
terrible record on toxics in Texas. In Oregon, 43% of the voters said
that what
they heard about Bush's record on the environment made them less likely
to vote
for him. In Wisconsin, 30% of the voters listed what they heard about
the
environment as something that made them more likely to vote for Gore.
Sierrans ran, and won, office. Melissa Gardner in Omaha, Ann Woiwode in
Michigan were only two of our new Sierra elected officials.
We couldn't be everywhere, and in many places we were overwhelmingly
outspent,
particularly on the big statewide initiatives.
But never, never, in my wildest dreams when I became Executive Director
eight
years ago could I have imagined that we could do so much, do it so well,
and
make it count so profoundly.
Do I have regrets?
-- well, obviously one.
I just wished we had targeted Florida in the Presidential race.
But that opportunity has not yet passed us by. Florida, or part of it,
may yet
vote again, and should, because thousands of Floridians, including
Sierra Club
members, in Palm Beach County, received a ballot so flawed that even PhD
scientists who are members of the Club report that they had a hard time
figuring
out how to mark the ballot for Al Gore.
Deciding who to vote for is supposed to be hard. Voting is not. In
Florida,
they made it that way -- unfairly.
Below is a copy of today's "DAILY ACTION ALERT" with ideas on how you
can help
spread the Sierra Club's influence even though election day has passed.
You're fabulous.
SPECIAL ACTION DAILY:
ACT IMMEDIATELY TO PROTECT FAIR ELECTIONS
It's already been proven that every single vote matters in this
presidential election. However, it appears that not all those
votes
have been fairly or accurately counted. Grassroots efforts can
encourage a re-vote in Palm Beach County, Florida. It's all about
creating a buzz for a fair, accurate election. We need your help!
CONTENTS:
1. TAKE ACTION
2. Sierra Club Press Statement
3. Sample Letters-to-the-Editor
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. TAKE ACTION
First: EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!: Get on the radio! Call in to your
local
talk radio stations, and then get your friends to call them. It
doesn't matter if you think the station is right-wing -- we need to
get voices on the air talking about how this is about upholding the
rule of law and doing the right thing for the country. Get on the
air
on as many call-in radio shows as you can. You can use points from
our statement below to refute opponents' arguments.
Second: Use the sample letters-to-the-editor below to send letters
to
your local papers calling for fairness, accuracy and the respect of
true democracy.
Third: Talk to your friends. Create buzz. We want to build an
atmosphere of public demand for a fair election. Get out there and
talk to people!
2. Sierra Club Press Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2000
Contact:
Allen Mattison, 202-675-7903
SIERRA CLUB CALLS FOR PALM BEACH RE-VOTE,
URGES FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO VOTING IMPROPRIETIES
WASHINGTON -- The Sierra Club today called for a re-vote in Palm
Beach
County, Florida, given the dispute over invalidated or miscast
ballots
in the Presidential election, and urged the federal government to
conduct an investigation into improprieties that may have
compromised
voters' civil rights. To avoid a divisive, lengthy legal battle,
the
Sierra Club is asking Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor
George
W. Bush to join with the overwhelming public sentiment and call for
a
re-vote.
"Americans want our President to be chosen fairly and by the rules
of
our Constitution," said national Sierra Club President Dr. Robert
Cox.
"Thousands of Palm Beach County residents took the time to vote on
Tuesday, and they don't want their voices muzzled by a confusing
ballot. The best way to assure a fair election is to re-vote in
Palm
Beach County. Rather than dragging this out, the Sierra Club is
urging both Gore and Bush to join with the public in calling for a
re-vote in Palm Beach County. It would be a shame if the wrong
person
were elected President simply because the ballots in one county
confused voters."
In Palm Beach County, the ballots were aligned in a way that made
it
difficult for some voters determine which hole to punch to cast
their
vote for Gore. This misalignment led to some people accidentally
voting for Pat Buchanan. Buchanan garnered over 3,400 votes in
that
county, far disproportionate to his vote share elsewhere in
Florida.
In addition, more than 19,000 Palm Beach County ballots were
rejected
because more than one person's name had been punched.
"Everyone I've talked to in our county wants a re-vote," said Lisa
Hanley, chair of the Sierra Club's Loxahatche Group, the local
branch
for Palm Beach County. "When we mentioned the confusing ballot on
our
local Sierra Club email list, two members immediately responded
that
they'd accidentally voted for Buchanan. It's quite clear that in
Palm
Beach County, the confusing ballot threw thousands of votes from Al
Gore to Pat Buchanan. Bad ballots shouldn't determine the
election.
We want an accurate vote, and that requires a re-vote."
This morning, on NBC's Today Show, Buchanan himself said: "Those
are
probably not my votes in those precincts in Palm Beach County. ...
I
probably got some votes down there that really did not belong to
me.
... I do not want to take any votes that don't belong to me. ...
If
the two candidates they pushed were Buchanan and Gore, almost
certainly those are Al Gore's votes, not mine."
The Florida Supreme Court has rendered several decisions relating
to
elections. In Boardman v. Esteva, 323 So.259, 269 (Fla. 1975), it
held that "the primary consideration in an election contest is
whether
the will of the people has been effected." Another important
decision
(Hill v. Milander, 72 So.2d 796 [Fla. 1954]) held that "what the
law
requires is that the ballot be fair and advise the voter
sufficiently
to enable him intelligently to cast his ballot." The state's
courts
repeat these maxims consistently in the case law. In addition, FL
Statute 101.191, regarding the form of general election ballot,
says
that voters should mark their choice to the right of the
candidate's
name, indicating that the Palm Beach County ballot may not have
adhered to the law.
# # #
3. Sample LTE's
To the Editor:
As an American voter who respects our democratic system, I feel
that
George W. Bush is morally bound to call for a re-vote in the places
in
Florida where confusing ballots made voting difficult.
Any person who would lead America as President and says "I trust
the
people" should be happy to allow concerned citizens to vote their
minds. Someone who says he wants to "restore honor and dignity to
the
White House" should not allow himself to come to power in such an
questionable and possibly illegitimate way. Al Gore won the
popular
vote; George Bush should acknowledge that every step should be
taken
to ensure the true will of the American people is heard.
We have to look at why we vote in the first place--to express our
desire for how the country should be governed. If thousands of
people
say they were not able to accurately express themselves, it should
be
our moral obligation to make sure this is corrected.
To the Editor:
All Americans are guaranteed the right to vote for the candidate of
their choice, not just someone who miraculously translates a
confusing
ballot. In Palm Beach, Florida, over 19,000 voters lost their
right
to vote this election year because of a jumbled ballot. Further,
thousands more unknowingly cast votes for Pat Buchanan, in all
likelihood thinking they were voting for Al Gore.
Hundreds of angry voters have closed down the street in front of
the
Palm Beach County election office, demanding a revote in the
presidential race. They believe their right to vote was blocked
and
they want to cast their ballots
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