DeSoto Times - Childers bags groceries on DeSoto stop
Congressman Travis Childers had it in the bag Tuesday — that is, the incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative bagged groceries at Curtis Grocery in Nesbit. Childers said he wanted to bag groceries and work behind the counter at the small rural grocery to demonstrate his connection to the "hard working people of Mississippi."
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Madison County Voter Registration of 123%
WLBT - Voter rolls stuffed with dead and absent registrants
Mississippi's voter situation is hard to believe. Places like Madison County have over 123% more registered voters than people over the age of 18.
Sue Sautermeister, First District Election Commissioner in Madison County, tried to purge the rolls, but ran into trouble when it was discovered it takes a vote of three of the five election commissioners and the purge cannot take place within 90 days of a federal election.
Sue Sautermeister is working hard in the First District of Madison County to start a purging of the voter rolls as soon after the election as possible. She has file drawers full of names of people who haven't voted in years and are known to be dead.
"We have people who registered in 1965 who have never voted," she says. "We have 486 people (registered who are) over 105."
Mississippi's voter situation is hard to believe. Places like Madison County have over 123% more registered voters than people over the age of 18.
Sue Sautermeister, First District Election Commissioner in Madison County, tried to purge the rolls, but ran into trouble when it was discovered it takes a vote of three of the five election commissioners and the purge cannot take place within 90 days of a federal election.
Sue Sautermeister is working hard in the First District of Madison County to start a purging of the voter rolls as soon after the election as possible. She has file drawers full of names of people who haven't voted in years and are known to be dead.
"We have people who registered in 1965 who have never voted," she says. "We have 486 people (registered who are) over 105."
Harper Helps House Republicans
CQPolitics - Confident Cash: Candidates Not Yet in Congress but Sure Enough to Share the Wealth
Mississippi Republican Gregg Harper, who is a shoo-in to succeed retiring Rep. Charles W. “Chip” Pickering Jr. in the state’s 3rd District, is dispensing cash from a newly formed leadership PAC to many of the same candidates Schock has favored.
Harper, whose race is rated Safe Republican by CQ Politics, has given $1,000 apiece via his leadership PAC to at least five House Republican candidates, all seeking open seats: Brett Guthrie in Kentucky; Andy Harris in Maryland; Wayne Parker in Alabama; and Christopher Lee in New York; and Glenn Thompson in Pennsylvania.
Harper’s campaign manager, Michael Cravens, declined to say whether there are other candidates to whom Harper has given through his new PAC.
Cravens said Harper’s focus is not to position himself to run for a class leadership post.
“That’s an assumption that some people have made,” Cravens said. “This is only an opportunity for him to help candidates who need help.”
Harper’s PAC, which filed its FEC paperwork on Oct. 16 is the type that can give $2,300 per candidate per election.
Mississippi Republican Gregg Harper, who is a shoo-in to succeed retiring Rep. Charles W. “Chip” Pickering Jr. in the state’s 3rd District, is dispensing cash from a newly formed leadership PAC to many of the same candidates Schock has favored.
Harper, whose race is rated Safe Republican by CQ Politics, has given $1,000 apiece via his leadership PAC to at least five House Republican candidates, all seeking open seats: Brett Guthrie in Kentucky; Andy Harris in Maryland; Wayne Parker in Alabama; and Christopher Lee in New York; and Glenn Thompson in Pennsylvania.
Harper’s campaign manager, Michael Cravens, declined to say whether there are other candidates to whom Harper has given through his new PAC.
Cravens said Harper’s focus is not to position himself to run for a class leadership post.
“That’s an assumption that some people have made,” Cravens said. “This is only an opportunity for him to help candidates who need help.”
Harper’s PAC, which filed its FEC paperwork on Oct. 16 is the type that can give $2,300 per candidate per election.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Childers Staff Salary
Legistorm takes public information on file in Washington, D.C. and puts it online. Courtesy of their database and thanks to an email tip, here is a list of the official staff members of Congressman Travis Childers and their salaries from May 14 through June 30.
Travis Childers
05/14/08 - 06/30/08
Bradford K. Morris
Chief of Staff
$12,402.78
Richard W. Davidson
Deputy Chief Of Staff
$10,966.67
Richard J. Babb
District Director
$7,500.00
Harry D. Fuller Jr.
Field Representative
$5,600.00
Daniel S. Christensen
Staff Assistant
$3,333.33
Jeanette Materio
Senior Legislative Assistant
$2,933.33
Eddie A. Longstreet
Field Representative
$2,916.67
Nissa R. Hiatt
Legislative Correspondent
$2,311.11
Irene K. Miller
Staff Assistant
$2,000.00
Dean A. Lester
Shared Employee
$1,250.00
Travis Childers
05/14/08 - 06/30/08
Bradford K. Morris
Chief of Staff
$12,402.78
Richard W. Davidson
Deputy Chief Of Staff
$10,966.67
Richard J. Babb
District Director
$7,500.00
Harry D. Fuller Jr.
Field Representative
$5,600.00
Daniel S. Christensen
Staff Assistant
$3,333.33
Jeanette Materio
Senior Legislative Assistant
$2,933.33
Eddie A. Longstreet
Field Representative
$2,916.67
Nissa R. Hiatt
Legislative Correspondent
$2,311.11
Irene K. Miller
Staff Assistant
$2,000.00
Dean A. Lester
Shared Employee
$1,250.00
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rankin Ledger profile Harper, Gill race
Rankin Ledger - Harper, Gill to face off Nov. 4
Gill, president of Mississippi Livestock Markets Association, said, among his top priorities, are providing for veterans, securing Social Security and a responsible energy policy. The Pickens alderman said military retirees are being treated badly, especially when it comes to receiving free medical care, which was promised to many veterans. "These men and women who gave 20 years of their lives are now being told we're not going to honor that promise," he said. "That's a slap in the face to these folks. We can't give them back their 20 years (of service)."
When it comes to energy, Gill said he wants a "reasonable" energy policy - allowing offshore drilling but supporting development of hydrogen and other alternative fuels for the future. He also said he supports constraints that would keep fuel harvested from America in America. Gill said he has worked in agriculture for 38 years, and he aims to reach out to the rural population. He said many areas of southwest Mississippi lack development and these economies are sorely hurting. "I'm hoping to be able to spur small business," Gill said. Gill lives outside of the 3rd Congressional District but said he spent a big part of his life in the district, including his childhood in northeast Jackson.
Harper, who has worked on numerous Republican campaigns, also listed energy as one of his top priorities. "We have to become energy independent," the Pearl resident said. "We just can't send our nation's wealth to the Middle East any longer." Harper said he supports drilling in Arctic Wildlife National Refuge and offshore, but he also sees a need for the development of clean coal technology.
Ending illegal immigration and helping families with special needs children are some of his other big issues. Harper said the United States needs to secure its borders and continue enforcing existing laws. He said he opposes amnesty. Harper has been involved in multiple political campaigns, and his first campaign was in 1978 for Charles Pickering, when he ran against Thad Cochrane in the Republican primary. "I've always been involved in campaigns," he said. He also has served as the chair for the Rankin County Republican Party for seven and a half years.
Gill, president of Mississippi Livestock Markets Association, said, among his top priorities, are providing for veterans, securing Social Security and a responsible energy policy. The Pickens alderman said military retirees are being treated badly, especially when it comes to receiving free medical care, which was promised to many veterans. "These men and women who gave 20 years of their lives are now being told we're not going to honor that promise," he said. "That's a slap in the face to these folks. We can't give them back their 20 years (of service)."
When it comes to energy, Gill said he wants a "reasonable" energy policy - allowing offshore drilling but supporting development of hydrogen and other alternative fuels for the future. He also said he supports constraints that would keep fuel harvested from America in America. Gill said he has worked in agriculture for 38 years, and he aims to reach out to the rural population. He said many areas of southwest Mississippi lack development and these economies are sorely hurting. "I'm hoping to be able to spur small business," Gill said. Gill lives outside of the 3rd Congressional District but said he spent a big part of his life in the district, including his childhood in northeast Jackson.
Harper, who has worked on numerous Republican campaigns, also listed energy as one of his top priorities. "We have to become energy independent," the Pearl resident said. "We just can't send our nation's wealth to the Middle East any longer." Harper said he supports drilling in Arctic Wildlife National Refuge and offshore, but he also sees a need for the development of clean coal technology.
Ending illegal immigration and helping families with special needs children are some of his other big issues. Harper said the United States needs to secure its borders and continue enforcing existing laws. He said he opposes amnesty. Harper has been involved in multiple political campaigns, and his first campaign was in 1978 for Charles Pickering, when he ran against Thad Cochrane in the Republican primary. "I've always been involved in campaigns," he said. He also has served as the chair for the Rankin County Republican Party for seven and a half years.
Turnbow: 2 Polls - Davis 47 Childers 46 & Childers 51 Davis 42
From Turnbow: "I saw two polls this morning from the north Mississippi congressional race between Travis Childers(D) and Greg Davis(R). One had Davis up by a 47-46 margin and the other one had Childers up 51-42."
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Gregg Harper: New blood in the Third District - Craig Ziemba - Meridian Star
Gregg Harper is someone I respect as a true social and fiscal conservative and genuinely decent man. Spend an hour with Gregg and you’ll get to know a man who absolutely dotes on his wife and two children and would much rather talk about them than politics. But ask him about tax reform, illegal immigration, or national defense, and that smiling family man becomes very intense.
Gregg doesn’t have carefully nuanced positions drafted by a focus group. He has bedrock principles and has spent his whole life working for conservative causes. He quotes Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and Tom Coburn.
Gregg Harper is passionate about the sanctity of human life. I watched his face one night at a pro-life event as Gianna Jensen, the only woman to survive an attempted saline abortion, told her life story. It was clear then and has been ever since that to Gregg, the sanctity of human life is much more than just a political issue that polls well in the third district.
Hopefully, regardless of what happens in November’s general election, relative newcomers like Gregg Harper and Sarah Palin represent an emerging trend of Americans becoming involved in politics because they cherish the ideals of less government, more individual responsibility, the social values that made our country not only strong, but good.
Just for Kicks - Custom of civility goes missing in Senate race
Gregg Harper is someone I respect as a true social and fiscal conservative and genuinely decent man. Spend an hour with Gregg and you’ll get to know a man who absolutely dotes on his wife and two children and would much rather talk about them than politics. But ask him about tax reform, illegal immigration, or national defense, and that smiling family man becomes very intense.
Gregg doesn’t have carefully nuanced positions drafted by a focus group. He has bedrock principles and has spent his whole life working for conservative causes. He quotes Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and Tom Coburn.
Gregg Harper is passionate about the sanctity of human life. I watched his face one night at a pro-life event as Gianna Jensen, the only woman to survive an attempted saline abortion, told her life story. It was clear then and has been ever since that to Gregg, the sanctity of human life is much more than just a political issue that polls well in the third district.
Hopefully, regardless of what happens in November’s general election, relative newcomers like Gregg Harper and Sarah Palin represent an emerging trend of Americans becoming involved in politics because they cherish the ideals of less government, more individual responsibility, the social values that made our country not only strong, but good.
Just for Kicks - Custom of civility goes missing in Senate race
Earmarks; NRA endores Childers
DeSoto Times Tribune - Davis: End federal earmarks, Childers says earmarks "not necessarily bad"
Davis said the time has come to end earmarks as a means of getting federal spending under control. "We would sign a bill that would ban earmarks," Davis said Friday, echoing comments he made in a televised debate with Childers at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday.
Childers said he does not want North Mississippi to miss out on federal funds for badly needed projects, and therefore is not inclined to categorically ban them. "If every member of Congress were willing to join a pact saying that they wouldn't take earmark appropriations, then I would be the first one to sign on. But if big states throughout the country continue to accept these funds, I'm not going to sit idly by while North Mississippi falls behind. There are legitimate projects in this district that need funding, and I'm going to fight for what's best for this district."
Commercial Appeal - NRA endorses Rep. Childers
Daily Journal - Few watching the House race
DeSoto Times Tribune - Southaven to host Veterans Day luncheon
Just for kicks. Clarion Ledger - Custom of civility goes missing in Senate race
Davis said the time has come to end earmarks as a means of getting federal spending under control. "We would sign a bill that would ban earmarks," Davis said Friday, echoing comments he made in a televised debate with Childers at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday.
Childers said he does not want North Mississippi to miss out on federal funds for badly needed projects, and therefore is not inclined to categorically ban them. "If every member of Congress were willing to join a pact saying that they wouldn't take earmark appropriations, then I would be the first one to sign on. But if big states throughout the country continue to accept these funds, I'm not going to sit idly by while North Mississippi falls behind. There are legitimate projects in this district that need funding, and I'm going to fight for what's best for this district."
Commercial Appeal - NRA endorses Rep. Childers
Daily Journal - Few watching the House race
DeSoto Times Tribune - Southaven to host Veterans Day luncheon
Just for kicks. Clarion Ledger - Custom of civility goes missing in Senate race
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Debate
Daily Journal - Davis and Childers go head to head - But according to Davis, Childers voted 95 percent of the time along party lines, while Childers countered that he holds the second-most independent voting record in the Democratic party. Davis also insisted Childers voted a majority of the time against offshore drilling, while Childers defended his record, saying he voted only against those bills that also authorized other measures he didn't agree with. And Davis attacked Childers for receiving a large campaign contribution from a former board member of Planned Parenthood, which is a pro-choice organization. Childers said that at least Davis was being honest during the debate that the contribution came from a former board member and not the organization itself, which was a claim being made by the Davis campaign, Childers said.
Commercial Appeal - Childers, Davis debate economy - But Davis chided Childers for also voting to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Childers responded by saying that if that bailout plan had not been approved, the home values of residents would have “been deflated and devalued.”
DeSoto Times - Childers, Davis pledge to end negative ads - Davis drew cheers from the crowd when he said if elected his first vote would be against the re-election of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Childers said his votes in Congress since he was elected in May's special election have differed from the Democratic leadership.
Clarion Ledger - 1st District debate not marred by attacks - The bailout is one vote Davis and Childers agree on, but Davis disagreed with Childers' vote to support the government's $200 billion bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. "He's taken contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Davis said. "It bailed out the Chinese government - not our own." Childers said bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "is different than the $850 billion bailout. They have over half the mortgages in the country. If we didn't do that, every single one of our homes would have deflated - (the bailout) will pay itself back."
Commercial Appeal - Childers, Davis debate economy - But Davis chided Childers for also voting to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Childers responded by saying that if that bailout plan had not been approved, the home values of residents would have “been deflated and devalued.”
DeSoto Times - Childers, Davis pledge to end negative ads - Davis drew cheers from the crowd when he said if elected his first vote would be against the re-election of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Childers said his votes in Congress since he was elected in May's special election have differed from the Democratic leadership.
Clarion Ledger - 1st District debate not marred by attacks - The bailout is one vote Davis and Childers agree on, but Davis disagreed with Childers' vote to support the government's $200 billion bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. "He's taken contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," Davis said. "It bailed out the Chinese government - not our own." Childers said bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "is different than the $850 billion bailout. They have over half the mortgages in the country. If we didn't do that, every single one of our homes would have deflated - (the bailout) will pay itself back."
Harper Makes Endorsement Rounds
Mississippi Association of REALTORS® to Endorse Harper on Tuesday
Business groups endorsing Harper - With only three weeks remaining before the Nov. 4 general election, Mississippi 3rd Congressional District candidate Gregg Harper pulled his big blue charter bus into Brookhaven once again Tuesday to publicly accept the support of several state and national business groups. The Pearl Republican stood on the steps of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Tuesday morning to receive the endorsements of organizations such as the Mississippi Association of Realtors, the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
WLBT - Harper takes on Gill to replace Pickering in 3rd congressional district
Business groups endorsing Harper - With only three weeks remaining before the Nov. 4 general election, Mississippi 3rd Congressional District candidate Gregg Harper pulled his big blue charter bus into Brookhaven once again Tuesday to publicly accept the support of several state and national business groups. The Pearl Republican stood on the steps of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Tuesday morning to receive the endorsements of organizations such as the Mississippi Association of Realtors, the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
WLBT - Harper takes on Gill to replace Pickering in 3rd congressional district
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Union Bosses and a Debate
Bobby Harrison - State elections more competitive than usual for Democrats - The Web site lists the race between 1st District U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, a Democrat, and Republican Southaven Mayor Greg Davis as competitive, but leaning toward the incumbent.
DeSoto Times - Childers courts union workers - Although Mississippi’s First Congressional District is not a heavily-unionized region like its neighbor to the north, U.S. Rep. Travis Childers is courting union workers who live in DeSoto County but work in Memphis. Clay Davis of Hernando, a retired electrical worker and a member of Local No. 474 in Memphis, said his electrical workers union is staunchly behind Childers. Davis, no relation to Childers’ Republican opponent Greg Davis, is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “I just got a letter from 474 plugging for Travis and Ronnie (Musgrove),” Clay Davis, a Childers supporter, said Monday. “Travis Childers is strictly for organized labor.” His big support comes from trial lawyers and unions,” Greg Davis said. “Our campaign would never court people that we don’t philosophically agree with.”
Commercial Appeal - House candidates Childers, Davis set to debate today - Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., and Republican opponent Greg Davis, the Southaven mayor, meet in Oxford this afternoon for a debate that both candidates say will focus on the issues and not personal attacks. But in saying they intend to stick to the high road, each candidate blamed the other for starting negative campaigning.
DeSoto Times - Childers courts union workers - Although Mississippi’s First Congressional District is not a heavily-unionized region like its neighbor to the north, U.S. Rep. Travis Childers is courting union workers who live in DeSoto County but work in Memphis. Clay Davis of Hernando, a retired electrical worker and a member of Local No. 474 in Memphis, said his electrical workers union is staunchly behind Childers. Davis, no relation to Childers’ Republican opponent Greg Davis, is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “I just got a letter from 474 plugging for Travis and Ronnie (Musgrove),” Clay Davis, a Childers supporter, said Monday. “Travis Childers is strictly for organized labor.” His big support comes from trial lawyers and unions,” Greg Davis said. “Our campaign would never court people that we don’t philosophically agree with.”
Commercial Appeal - House candidates Childers, Davis set to debate today - Rep. Travis Childers, D-Miss., and Republican opponent Greg Davis, the Southaven mayor, meet in Oxford this afternoon for a debate that both candidates say will focus on the issues and not personal attacks. But in saying they intend to stick to the high road, each candidate blamed the other for starting negative campaigning.
Harper in Natchez with Realtors, NFIB
Natchez Democrat - Harper makes Natchez campaign stop - Congressional candidate Gregg Harper stopped in Natchez Tuesday to receive endorsements from two small business associations. The Mississippi Association of Realtors and the National Federation of Independent Business endorsed Harper, the Republican candidate for Mississippi’s Third Congressional District, at a press conference at Crye-Leik Stedman Realtors. Mississippi NFIB director Ron Aldridge said small business is the heart of the economy, and Harper would “take some good, old-fashioned Mississippi common sense to Washington.” The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Builders and Contractors also endorsed Harper Tuesday, but representatives were not present at the conference.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Harper Announces Endorsements
WTOK - Harper Announces Endorsements - At a Meridian news conference, the Republican announced endorsements by the Mississippi Association of Realtors, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Mississippi, the National federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
On Again
North Miss. congressional race is on again - Associated Press
Like many other members of the fiscally conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats in the House, Childers recently voted against a $700 billion bailout for the financial sector. "It was unfair to ask north Mississippians who didn't do one thing to cause that problem, to ask them to tack on another $2,800 worth of debt on every man, woman, boy and girl to bail out Wall Street," Childers, 50, said by phone between campaign stops late last week. In a separate interview, Davis said that if he had been in Congress, he also would've voted against the financial bailout. He said he would've gone a couple of steps further than Childers, by opposing procedural moves that allowed the bill to come up for votes in the first place. "That's a huge difference there," said Davis, 42.
Childers sponsored a bill seeking to make the District of Columbia expand the rights of its residents to buy and own firearms, including semiautomatic weapons. The bill was backed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by the District's only delegate to Congress. It passed the House 266-152 in September, but is unlikely to be considered by the Senate before this session ends. "We just felt like if they could stop the law-abiding people in D.C. from having a gun, then they could do it in Tupelo, Mississippi - or Batesville, Mississippi, where I am today," Childers said Friday. "We just felt like that D.C. was thumbing their nose at the Supreme Court." Davis said he wonders if the legislation is just "a political game." "Kind of strange, I think," Davis said. "Why are we doing city-specific legislation? If we are going to protect gun owners as a whole, then we should've made the same rules apply nationwide."
Like many other members of the fiscally conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats in the House, Childers recently voted against a $700 billion bailout for the financial sector. "It was unfair to ask north Mississippians who didn't do one thing to cause that problem, to ask them to tack on another $2,800 worth of debt on every man, woman, boy and girl to bail out Wall Street," Childers, 50, said by phone between campaign stops late last week. In a separate interview, Davis said that if he had been in Congress, he also would've voted against the financial bailout. He said he would've gone a couple of steps further than Childers, by opposing procedural moves that allowed the bill to come up for votes in the first place. "That's a huge difference there," said Davis, 42.
Childers sponsored a bill seeking to make the District of Columbia expand the rights of its residents to buy and own firearms, including semiautomatic weapons. The bill was backed by the National Rifle Association and opposed by the District's only delegate to Congress. It passed the House 266-152 in September, but is unlikely to be considered by the Senate before this session ends. "We just felt like if they could stop the law-abiding people in D.C. from having a gun, then they could do it in Tupelo, Mississippi - or Batesville, Mississippi, where I am today," Childers said Friday. "We just felt like that D.C. was thumbing their nose at the Supreme Court." Davis said he wonders if the legislation is just "a political game." "Kind of strange, I think," Davis said. "Why are we doing city-specific legislation? If we are going to protect gun owners as a whole, then we should've made the same rules apply nationwide."
Friday, October 10, 2008
Childers - Davis Debate
Childers, Davis set for Oxford showdown - DeSoto Times
Childers, Davis meet on campus for Oct. 15 debate - Daily Mississippian
Congressional Candidates to Discuss Issues at Oct. 15 Overby Center Forum - UM Newsdesk
Travis Childers Kicks Off Campaign throughout MS01 - Y'all Politics
Childers, Davis meet on campus for Oct. 15 debate - Daily Mississippian
Congressional Candidates to Discuss Issues at Oct. 15 Overby Center Forum - UM Newsdesk
Travis Childers Kicks Off Campaign throughout MS01 - Y'all Politics
DA: Sautermeister cleared
Roll action cleared by DA - Madison County Herald - An investigation by the Madison County district attorney's office found no criminal intent by Election Commissioner Sue Sautermeister when she inactivated more than 10,000 voters before the March primary election. District Attorney Michael Guest, in response to an inquiry by The Madison County Herald, said last month his office concluded its investigation and does not anticipate any further proceedings.
The names, while not purged from the system, were removed from the voter registration books and had to be restored by the Secretary of State's office before the March presidential and congressional primaries. Some of the names removed belonged to residents who have voted in recent elections. Congressional candidate David Landrum, whose name was on the March ballot, was removed from the poll book along with his wife. "No voters were removed from the voter rolls," Sautermeister said. "I was simply doing what I was elected to do, namely keep the voter rolls maintained and accurate."
The district attorney's worked with the FBI and the Secretary of State in determining that "there were more people on the voter rolls than there are actual voters. So a clean-up was merited in an effort to bring the voter records into compliance with the law," Guest said. "Our investigation determined the following: that the election commissioner had requested funds to notify those that were being removed from the rolls but didn't receive the requested funding; that the records that were deleted were added back into the system before any election was held; and we uncovered no evidence that the election commissioner was removing names, in an attempt to illegally disenfranchise those whose names were removed, or to impede the outcome of an election. Therefore no criminal intent was uncovered. To that end, it is the decision of this office that unless new information develops this case should not move forward.
Sautermeister said that Madison County's voter rolls are "so bloated with names of people who have died or moved out of Madison County that it is 122 percent of the county's entire population including those under the age of 18. "Counting an estimate of 10,000 who are under 18, this then means that a good percentage of the names on the Madison County voter roll is not eligible to vote. This situation is a very large open door to voter fraud, and I will continue to do all I can to properly correct the situation," she said.
The names, while not purged from the system, were removed from the voter registration books and had to be restored by the Secretary of State's office before the March presidential and congressional primaries. Some of the names removed belonged to residents who have voted in recent elections. Congressional candidate David Landrum, whose name was on the March ballot, was removed from the poll book along with his wife. "No voters were removed from the voter rolls," Sautermeister said. "I was simply doing what I was elected to do, namely keep the voter rolls maintained and accurate."
The district attorney's worked with the FBI and the Secretary of State in determining that "there were more people on the voter rolls than there are actual voters. So a clean-up was merited in an effort to bring the voter records into compliance with the law," Guest said. "Our investigation determined the following: that the election commissioner had requested funds to notify those that were being removed from the rolls but didn't receive the requested funding; that the records that were deleted were added back into the system before any election was held; and we uncovered no evidence that the election commissioner was removing names, in an attempt to illegally disenfranchise those whose names were removed, or to impede the outcome of an election. Therefore no criminal intent was uncovered. To that end, it is the decision of this office that unless new information develops this case should not move forward.
Sautermeister said that Madison County's voter rolls are "so bloated with names of people who have died or moved out of Madison County that it is 122 percent of the county's entire population including those under the age of 18. "Counting an estimate of 10,000 who are under 18, this then means that a good percentage of the names on the Madison County voter roll is not eligible to vote. This situation is a very large open door to voter fraud, and I will continue to do all I can to properly correct the situation," she said.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Childers brings AFL-CIO tactics to Mississippi 1
Meet Your Release Staff: March Cochran, USW - Mississippi AFL-CIO - The son and grandson of union aluminum workers in Muscle Shoals,Ala., Mark Cochran carries the values and spirit of a union household to every shop he visits and every volunteer he enlists as USW’s Mississippi coordinator for Labor 2008. His work helped Democrat Travis Childers win a congressional election last year in a district that has historically voted overwhelmingly Republican.
Leafleting USW shops—from paper mills to facilities producing air conditioners and golf club shafts—Cochran and his volunteers have been confronted by security guards and escorted of plant properties. “Anywhere we’ve been turned away, we’ve returned to get the job done,” says Cochran.
Mississippi is not used to having a high level of coordination between local unions on political campaigns. “But we’re here to stay,” says Cochran. It’s a serious message from the father of three who played two years of football at the University of North Alabama.
As a member of the Alliance (CWA, USW, IFPTE, UAW), Cochran is working with AFL-CIO affiliates to introduce Sen. Barack Obama, Rep. Travis Childers and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to the sizeable numbers of unionists who work in southern Tennessee, but live in Mississippi.
Leafleting USW shops—from paper mills to facilities producing air conditioners and golf club shafts—Cochran and his volunteers have been confronted by security guards and escorted of plant properties. “Anywhere we’ve been turned away, we’ve returned to get the job done,” says Cochran.
Mississippi is not used to having a high level of coordination between local unions on political campaigns. “But we’re here to stay,” says Cochran. It’s a serious message from the father of three who played two years of football at the University of North Alabama.
As a member of the Alliance (CWA, USW, IFPTE, UAW), Cochran is working with AFL-CIO affiliates to introduce Sen. Barack Obama, Rep. Travis Childers and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to the sizeable numbers of unionists who work in southern Tennessee, but live in Mississippi.
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