Rum, Romanism and Rebellion

I received the a missive from Chris Deschene’s exploratory committee yesterday. In it, he pledges that his office will be above electoral politics. Money quote:

Because we need a Chief Elections Officer who is impartial, I’m also doing something that has never been done before and making it my personal pledge not to support ANY candidate for public office if I am Secretary of State. Ever.

He lays out a good case against Secretaries of State in other parts of the country whose actions and statements rendered their status as “impartial arbiters” a bit dubious, to say the least.

I certainly understand the spirit behind this. Will a Secretary of State who is actively campaigning for an office holder be colored by those considerations when they make decisions in how elections are run?

The trouble I have with this is that once you get past the “ministerial” duties of the Secretary of State’s office, just about every decision that the Secretary of State makes has electoral consequences.

Deschene has been active, even before he was in office, on the issue of making sure that election regulations and procedures don’t unduly burden our state’s tribal communities. At one point, his own voting rights were at stake, which gives him a moral authority on the issue that few candidates for the office have ever had. Like other expansions and protections of voting rights, it is argued by Republicans that those sorts of changes would benefit Democratic candidates (this means that they are admitting that they tend to lose when more people vote, but never mind that). Not that I think Deschene would shy away from a fight when some baboso cries “partisanship,” but why start your campaign by pretending that there is some position on these things beyond politics?

Aside from my nitpicking, a good statement from Deschene after the jump:

Dear Friend,

In 2004, Jan Brewer was co-chair of George W. Bush’s re-election effort in Arizona. In 2008, she did the same thing for John McCain.

When did it become okay for any Secretary of State – whose Number 1 responsibility is to guarantee fair and open elections – to be directly working for the election of one candidate and the defeat of another?

Unfortunately, this isn’t new. Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, was co-chair of Bush’s first campaign in 2000 when the presidency of the United State was literally swung on the re-count. Ohio’s Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, co-chaired for Bush in 2004 and did exactly the same thing. At the bare minimum that conflict undermined the appearance of fair play and peoples’ confidence in the results.

Don’t get me wrong; it would be no more right if the candidates involved were Democrats. This is one of the reasons I’m exploring a run for Secretary of State in 2010: I believe a level playing field is the right of every voter and every candidate in every election.

Because we need a Chief Elections Officer who is impartial, I’m also doing something that has never been done before and making it my personal pledge not to support ANY candidate for public office if I am Secretary of State. Ever.

Instead, I promise to spend my time and energy making sure we have an Elections Department which:

Makes certain that every eligible vote is counted

Demands complete transparency and accountability in our elections process

Respects and protects every qualified voter’s rights

Moves to quickly remove existing voter registration and election policies that discriminate heavily against rural voters

Makes available to voters clear instructions on where to go and what to do on Election Day in time for this information to be useful

Recruits and trains poll workers to make sure that lines are shorter and information is accurate
Immediately responds to instances of voter intimidation and holds those responsible to account

Safeguards the accuracy of voting machines by insisting on thorough Logic and Accuracy checks and by securing the chain of custody for voting machines both before and after the election.

I am doing this because election protection is a personal issue for me.

In 2008, after serving my country overseas as a Special Forces officer in the US Marine Corps, I found my own voting rights under attack right here at home. I was a defendant in a lawsuit that would have limited the ability of Native Americans to participate in elections and would have kept me from being able to run for public office.

It was outrageous and wrong. I fought the case in court and won a legal decision that protects voters of any background.

Political strategists tell me it’s not good politics to write such a detailed letter and that people like you will tune out what I have to say. I apologize for the length, but this is something I care passionately about and I think there’s too much at stake to be quiet or to use shorthand and political hyperbole.

If you agree with me, please help get this message out to voters by contributing right now. December 31st is the deadline to donate before my first, important financial disclosure and I need your help.

I hope you will also visit my website at www.descheneforarizona.com. You can read more about our exploratory campaign there, sign up as a supporter or help me with your ideas and volunteer energy.

I know that Arizona is a state that values fairness and accountability. I am counting on those ideals and on my belief that people like you will be willing to support a candidate who is unequivocal and willing to fight to uphold them.

Sincerely,

Chris Deschene
State Representative (D – Window Rock)