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Live City Election Results

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, February 05, 2008 at 7:59 PM

Once again, the St. Louis Board of Elections appears to be doing a fine job maintaining live streaming election results.

CLICK HERE to see today's results as they come in.

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Eight ACORN Workers Indicted [Updated]

By Antonio D. French

Filed Friday, December 21, 2007 at 2:59 PM

The following press release is from the St. Louis City Election Board in response to today's indictment of eight former ACORN workers on charges of voter registration fraud:
Earlier today, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of the State of Missouri, Catherine L. Hanaway, announced that eight former employees of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, were indicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on federal election violations. The indictments come approximately thirteen months after the City of St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners turned over to federal investigators, thousands of voter registration cards that had been submitted for processing to the Board by ACORN.

These voter registration cards contained fraudulent signatures, improper and inaccurate voter information, and duplicative and incorrect names. Included in the voter registration cards that were patently fraudulent was a voter registration card and signature attributed to a fifteen year old girl whose mother alerted the Board that no such card and signature had been completed.

"These voter registration cards were brazenly fraudulent, and we are pleased that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is taking steps to properly prosecute those who commit voter registration fraud," stated Republican Director Scott Leiendecker.

"The Board will continue to vigorously investigate any and all allegations of election fraud and refer any incidents to the appropriate law enforcement authorities."

Here's our video report from October 2006:



UPDATE: More on the indictments from the U.S. Attorney's Office:
Eight voter registration workers, employed by The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), have been indicted on election fraud charges in connection with the November 2006 general election, United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway announced today.

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”) is a not-for-profit organization and during 2006 maintained and operated an office at 4304 Manchester Avenue in the City of St. Louis, in part to conduct a voter registration drive for the November 7, 2006 general election.

Project Vote is a not-for-profit organization that works with ACORN to register voters for federal and local elections. Project Vote funded ACORN in the 2006 voter registration drive.

“The allegations of Election Fraud announced today represent criminal activities which undermine the public’s confidence in government. This type of criminal activity should not be tolerated by citizens of the community,” said Hanaway. “We intend to investigate vigorously, and prosecute fully, any allegations of fraud in our election system.”

ACORN and Project Vote recruited and employed workers to obtain voter registrations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County during 2006. The workers were trained and instructed by ACORN and Project Vote on how to obtain voter registrations and how to prepare voter registration applications, which included training and instruction that the actual voter must sign the voter application and that a forged signature is a violation of the law.

The indictment alleges that from July through October 2006, the eight defendants indicted today were employed by ACORN as voter registration workers to obtain voter registrations in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. They are charged with multiple counts of election fraud for submitting false voter registration applications to the St. Louis City and St. Louis County Board of Election Commissions falsely stating addresses, names and other information of the voters being registered, and which contained forged signatures of the purported applicants, in violation of Title 42, United States Code, Sections 1973i(c) and 1973 gg-10, election fraud.

The indicted individuals are:

  • BRIAN BLAND, St. Louis, Missouri
  • BOBBIE JEAN CHEEKS, a/k/a Dorothy Jones and Bobbie Tobert, St. Louis, Missouri
  • CORTEZ COWAN, St. Louis, Missouri
  • GOLDEN GIBSON, St. Louis, Missouri
  • RADONNA MARIE SMITH, St. Louis, Missouri
  • ANTHONY M. RELIFORD, St. Louis, Missouri
  • KENNETH DEMOND WILLIAMS, St. Louis, Missouri
  • TYAIRA L. WILLIAMS, a/k/a Tootsie Roll, St. Louis, Missouri
If convicted, each count of 42 U.S.C. Section 1973i(c) carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or fines up to $ 10,000. Each count of 42 U.S.C. Section 1973gg-10 carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.

In discussions with the United States Attorney’s Office, ACORN has agreed to implement a plan to improve voter registration and quality control procedures. ACORN is planning to strengthen the system it has to monitor and address performance problems, and has agreed to meet with prosecutors to discuss how best to report possible illegal activity. ACORN has agreed that comprehensive training will be required of all quality control and management staff. ACORN has agreed to the creation of a General Counsel position to monitor ACORN programs, and who will communicate with local election officials to address problems. Further, ACORN has agreed to assign a 13-year ACORN veteran and Missouri Head Organizer to St. Louis full time to personally oversee any future voter registration drive.

“The FBI is committed to investigating all instances of election fraud to ensure the integrity of our democratic system,” said John Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, St. Louis.

Hanaway acknowledged the assistance of the St. Louis and St. Louis County Election Boards and commended the work performed on the case by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service and Assistant United States Attorney Hal Goldsmith, who is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations, and each defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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City Voters, Check Those Mailboxes!

By Antonio D. French

Filed Friday, August 31, 2007 at 10:45 AM



Within the next seven days, all City of St. Louis registered voters will receive a very important mailing from the City of St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners. The postcard-style mailing will include a permanent voter notification card, information about the respective voter’s registration, and important election information for 2008.

This "voter canvass" is mandatory, according to State law, and it provides each voter with an opportunity to ensure that he or she is properly registered under the correct name and at the correct address. In addition, under current State law, the voter notification card can be cut out and used as identification at the polling places when the voter requests a ballot.

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Kratky Resigns State Rep Seat

By Antonio D. French

Filed Friday, June 29, 2007 at 12:16 PM

As expected, State Rep. Fred Kratky has resigned.

According to an email obtained by PubDef.net, written from St. Louis City Elections Director Scott Leiendecker to the Governor's Office, Kratky resigned "on or about Friday, June 29."

We reported last week that Kratky, who resides in the City of St. Louis, had been making moves to try to ensure his wife, Michele, received the nomination to succeed him.

Leiendecker is concerned about the timing of the required special election and any additional cost to city taxpayers.

"I am asking at the request of the Chairman of the Board [of Elections] Carol Ann Wilson that if a special election is to be called prior to the August 2008 Election that it would be called on February 5, 2008," wrote Leiendecker.

"At that time the City of St. Louis as well as the State of Missouri will already be holding an election set for the Presidential Preferential Primary. This combination will in fact save time and cost for the City of St. Louis Election Board as well as the city taxpayers," he wrote.

Leiendecker estimates calling a special election anytime before that date could cost taxpayers approximately $50,000.

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Charges Filed in Failed 2005 Recall

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 7:00 PM

BREAKING NEWS — READ IT HERE FIRST

Nearly two years after the allegations were first made, the Circuit Attorney's office filed charges today against the people alleged to have forged the signatures of 22nd Ward residents — some of them dead ones — in the failed attempt to recall Alderman Jeffery Boyd.

Petitioners Linda Rogers, Sebekhu Smith and Charles Keller now face felony election violations.

It was back in December 2005 that PubDef first reported that Boyd's rivals, former Aldermen Kenny Jones and Jay Ozier, had failed in their attempt to remove Boyd from office. Their recall petition fell short of the required number of signatures after Election Board officials said they discovered that many of the signatures were "blatant" forgeries.

"It was evident by the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners that those persons being charged today had in fact willfully misled us in their recall petition drive," said Director of Elections Scott Leiendecker in a statement today.

Boyd, who was recently overwhelmingly re-elected, said that today's charges are a long-awaited first step. "I think we're close to justice and I think the people can feel a little more at ease that this did not go unnoticed," he said.

But Boyd wonders if other indictments will follow.

"It's always the little people that take the fall, but where did it all start?"

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Ball in Williamson's Court

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, February 21, 2007 at 2:41 PM

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

In the matter of whether the name of a candidate for alderman should be removed from the ballot less than two weeks before the election, the Election Board today opted to leave it up to to the courts.

As we reported yesterday, supporters of Alderman Frank Williamson (D-26th Ward) sent at letter to the Election Board claiming that his opponent in the March 6th primary, H. Lee Willis, was in violation of a state law which says no person's name can appear on the ballot if he or she is in arrears for any unpaid city taxes on the last day of filing for the office. Willis confirmed to Pub Def that he did owe $786.41 in real estate taxes and $59.49 in personal property taxes to the City.

Mary Wheeler-Jones, the Democratic Director of Elections for the City, said that since it is so close to Election Day — and if the Board did remove Willis' name from the ballot there would likely be a lawsuit filed and ultimately decided by the courts anyway — the Election Commissioners today decided to leave it up to Williamson to file a lawsuit to have a judge find that Willis does not meet the qualifications for the office.

When Pub Def reached Williamson by phone, he had not yet heard of the Commissioners' decision. After we told him what happened he said he would have to discuss with his legal team his next course of action.

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Getting Nasty in the 26th, Election Board May Remove Candidate from Ballot

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at 10:39 AM

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE

With Election Day just two weeks away, things are starting to get heated in the race for 26th Ward alderman. Allegations of criminal records, unpaid taxes, and dirty politics are being thrown around as the two candidates engage in a repeat of their 2003 contest.

It was in their last race that supporters of now-incumbent Frank Williamson first alleged that his opponent, H. Lee Willis, was a convicted felon who has pleaded guilty to passing bad checks, assaulting a police officer, and burglary. Just days before the 2003 primary election, a flier saying as much was distributed throughout the ward, and Williamson went on to defeat Willis by a 32-point margin.

And now, "they're at it again," said Willis.

The same allegations — plus a potentially damaging new one — are again being thrown around in the last few weeks before E-Day. Willis' past run-ins with the law have once again become issues, as well as an issue with taxes that may threaten the validity of Willis' candidacy.

Records provided to Pub Def outline a series of arrests and charges (many of which were quickly dismissed) between 1999 and 2002 and all of which Willis sat down with Pub Def to explain.

The most serious of the charges came from an April 3, 2000 incident in which, as Willis explains, involved a bad check written months before, without his knowledge, by his then-wife.

Willis said a plain-clothed officer came to his door and began questioning his young son without identifying himself. Seeing his son outside talking with a strange man, Willis said he reacted quickly and pulled his son inside. The officer, who still had not identified himself, according to Willis, tried to push his way inside the home. Willis said he pushed back and the next thing he knew the man was telling him he was under arrest for Assaulting a Law Enforcement Officer and Resisting Arrest.

Willis maintains that he was never convicted and never pleaded guilty to a felony. But records obtained by Pub Def show that he did plead guilty to that bad check-writing incident, a felony, and misdemeanor Assaulting an Officer.

Regardless, Willis says it is in the past and in no way a reflection of his character. He accused his opponent of trying to distract voters from the issues.

"I think that's how they operate," said Willis. "It's just a continuation of the strong-arming [Alderman Williamson] started back in December."

Back in December, Willis alleged that Williamson had contacted several of the business owners in the ward who are supporting the challenger and threatened them. Willis alleges that following his campaign kickoff event at Marion’s St. Louis Rib Co., Williamson "harassed and threatened" proprietor Marion Waters.

Weeks later, before an event scheduled at Eklectic Designz on Delmar, owner Bonita Richardson was quoted in a Willis press release as saying Williamson "both telephoned and came to the salon. Frank was quite forceful in his view that I shouldn't allow Lee Willis to hold his event at my salon."

Williamson denies that ever happened. He also denies having anything to do with putting out the information about Willis' criminal record.

"I think it's just a group of concerned citizens that feel that the voters should know about who they may be voting on," said Williamson.

But Willis isn't buying that. "He's trying to tear down my character and my integrity," he said.

Williamson's supporters are also trying to make Willis' candidacy invalid.

A letter was sent last week to the St. Louis City Election Board claiming that Willis is delinquent in paying his real estate and personal property taxes. That is relevant because a state law says no person's name can appear on the ballot if he or she is in arrears for any unpaid city taxes on the last day to file a declaration of candidacy for the office.

Attached to the letter were records from the Collector of Revenue's office showing that as of February 14, Willis still owed $786.41 in real estate taxes and $59.49 in personal property taxes. Willis confirmed to Pub Def that those taxes are still owed, but he said they will be paid today.

The letter was sent by attorney Darryl Piggee, chief of staff for Congressman Lacy Clay. Clay's uncle, Irving Clay, is the former 26th Ward alderman who, upon retirement, was succeeded by Williamson. The Clays and Williamson are considered political allies.

Mary Wheeler-Jones, the Democratic Director of Elections for the City, tells Pub Def that the matter is on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting of the Election Commissioners.

Jones said she did not know what action the Commissioners might take on the issue, but it was "not as cut-and-dry as it appears."

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Officials: High Turnout in City

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, November 07, 2006 at 2:42 PM

Officials at the St. Louis City Board of Elections tell PUB DEF that based upon morning traffic at the polls, they expect a higher than expected turnout of about 58 to 60 percent -- roughly 100,000 voters.

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VIDEO: First Votes Come In

By Antonio D. French

PUB DEF EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

The first votes have arrived at the St. Louis City Board of Elections. Election judges arrived at in police cars around 12:30 carrying white boxes filled with optical scan ballots.

Election officials said no vote totals will be released until after the polls close.



Stay with PUBDEF.NET today for hourly updates.

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Union Calls for Leiendecker to Resign

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, November 01, 2006 at 5:09 PM

The Missouri council of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) today called on Republican election director Scott Leiendecker to resign from the St. Louis City election board.

"Recent letters signed and sent by Leiendecker had the sole intent of causing eligible new voters to think that they have done something wrong or that they need to meet some higher standard in order to vote," wrote AFSCME council director Ken Jacob in a press release today.

"It is clear that this was a transparent attempt to suppress the number of St. Louis citizens who go to the polls," said Jacob.

"Hundreds of the public servants whom we at AFSCME represent live in St. Louis, and many of them may have been disenfranchised or needlessly confused about their rights because of the acts of Leiendecker as director of elections," Jacob added.

Last week, Leiendecker and his Democratic counterpart, Mary Wheeler-Jones, sent a letter to thousands of people whose names were on suspect voter registration cards turned in by ACORN. Those cards, according to Leiendecker, are now at the U.S. Attorney's office being investigated for fraud.

He said the letter was meant to insure that no legitimate voter would go unregistered simply because their card got mixed up with those suspected of being fraudulent.

"There will not be one living person turned away on Election Day," Leiendecker told PUB DEF this evening. He said the problem is that many of the names on those suspect cards, and therefore who the Board's letter was addressed to, are not alive. Many, he said, are dead, or underage, or clearly had their signatures forged.

The U.S. Attorney is currently investigating these allegations. Leiendecker said he nor Wheeler-Jones have any intentions of resigning ahead of Election Day.

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Carnahan Weighs in on BOE Letter

By Antonio D. French

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office has contacted the directors of the St. Louis City Election Board and told them that a letter they sent out last week to thousands of new voters registered by workers from ACORN was illegal.

In a letter dated October 30, Betsy Byers and Kay Dinolfo, co-directors of elections in Carnahan's office, told Scott Leiendecker and Mary Wheeler-Jones (the Republican and Democratic directors respectively) that "these steps outlined in your letter are additional registration requirements in violation of Missouri law."

As we reported earlier, the letter asked the new voters to call the Board of Elections to confirm their registration.

An official with the election board said Carnahan's office "doesn't have all the facts" and they would be responding to her letter this week. The election board is also sending out today a second letter, written with the help of representatives from the Advancement Project, a DC-based civil rights organization, which is meant to clear up any confusion from the first letter.

UPDATE: According to ACORN that new letter states:

"You received the notice of October 24 because the voter registration application was incomplete or required additional information. The Board did not intend to impose additional requirements on the application because it was submitted to our office by the community organization ACORN. Although the notice contained a reference to allegations of wrongdoing that were reported in the media, please be assured that you are not the target of any investigation by the St. Louis Board of Election commissioners."

The letter continues, "You do not need to take any additional steps, including phoning the Board or sending us a signed copy of the notice, in order for the voter registration application to be processed…"

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Election Board Hires Perkins, Asks New Registered Voters For More Info

By Antonio D. French

Filed Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 9:13 AM

A story in today's Post-Dispatch recounts much of what has already been reported on this and other websites about allegations of fraud, poor management and collusion by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). But reporter Jeremy Kohler's article does add one new piece of information.

"In a twist, [Josephine Perkins, the fired ACORN worker featured in PUB DEF's Oct. 4 exclusive video report] was hired days later as a temporary worker by the city's Republican elections director, Scott Leiendecker, an outspoken ACORN critic," wrote Kohler, putting Perkins' credibility in question and apparently suggesting the Republican-controlled Election Board was rewarding Perkins for publicly alleging that ACORN managers instructed employees to get out the vote for Democrat Claire McCaskill.

The Post did not mention that the job Leiendecker gave Perkins pays just $7.25 an hour (75 cents less than ACORN pays) and lasts only two weeks.

Leiendecker told PUB DEF in a phone interview yesterday that he felt sorry for Perkins, who came to his office last week nearly a month after being fired by an ACORN manager who she and other workers identified as telling them to GOTV for the Democratic candidate. ACORN maintains they fired Perkins for stealing a purse, a charge she vehemently denies.

Leiendecker said he respected her spirit and decades of experience in northside organizing. After also being interviewed by Democratic Director of Elections Mary Wheeler-Jones, Leiendecker said Perkins was offered a temporary job helping the Board prepare for the Nov. 7 election.

In related news, Leiendecker and Jones sent letters last week to hundreds of people that were registered to vote by ACORN workers, asking them to call the Board of Elections to confirm their registration.

This appears to add an additional hurdle to the voter registration process, one that civil rights organizations may soon jump on.

"Due to concerns about a number of the Applications submitted by ACORN, as reported recently in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, we are asking that you contact the Election Board so that we can confirm your voter registration information and complete the registration process," states the letter dated Oct. 24.

Related Videos:

VIDEO: The video that started it all
VIDEO: More ACORN allegations
VIDEO: Pub Def on Fox News

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PUB DEF on Fox News

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 12:54 PM

Cable news network Fox News has picked up on the controversy surrounding ACORN's GOTV and voter registration campaigns. Reporter Jeff Goldblatt is in Kansas City today reporting on ACORN's troubles there.

His story, to run during the 6:00 hour at 5:30, will feature PUB DEF's video report on allegations made by several St. Louis ACORN workers about being trained to campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Claire McCaskill while registering voters on behalf of Proposition B, the proposal to raise the state's minimum wage.

UPDATE: Here's the Fox News report, which also features St. Louis City's Republican Elections Director, Scott Leiendecker...

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Triplett to Run

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 10:10 AM

READ IT HERE FIRST

It appears Congressional aide Kacie Starr Triplett is indeed running for alderman.

As PUB DEF reported earlier, Starr had been rumored to be considering a run at replace 6th Ward Alderman Lewis Reed, who is almost certainly running for Aldermanic Board President.

Sources now tell PUB DEF that Starr, now a "former" aide to Congressman Russ Carnahan, has someone at the Board of Elections reserving her place at the top of the ballot.

Developing...

UPDATE: Alderman Dionne Flowers (D-2nd Ward) also has someone at the BOE holding her spot on the ballot. The person who was reserving a spot for Lewis Reed has not shown up today.

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Last Day for E-Day Specialists

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 1:52 AM

Today (Thursday) is the deadline to sign up to be a tech support guy (or lady) at polling places on Election Day, Nov. 7. Technical Specialists are still needed.

You don't have to be a CS, able to write code with your eyes closed. Just know a bit more than the sweet white-haired ladies that will be asking for your photo I.D. before you can vote.

Do a public service and maybe make enough to pay your car payment (or at least a couple of fill-ups). The pay is $225 for a day of training and the actual work on E-Day. Call Stephanie Doss at 622-3546 or Summer Richardson at 622-4327. Tell 'em PUB DEF sent you.

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Mathis is New Election Board Chair

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, August 30, 2006 at 1:21 PM

THIS JUST IN...

Attorney Kimberley J. Mathis has been sworn in as the next Chair of the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners. Governor Matt Blunt announced today that he had selected Mathis to replace Ed Martin, who he recently tasked to serve as his Chief of Staff.

"I have tremendous confidence in the selection of Kim Mathis. She will contribute a fresh perspective to our election process," stated Martin. "Kim brings an exceptional legal, professional and personal background to this job and will continue to lead the Board’s ongoing efforts to maintain the confidence of our voters in this process."

Mathis, 34, is an attorney with the downtown law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP. Mathis holds a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Louis University, and a Juris Doctorate from Washington University. She is married to James Mathis, an attorney for Anheuser Busch. They reside with their three children in the St. Louis Hills area.

"I am honored to serve at the pleasure of Governor Matt Blunt," said Mathis. "His administration is one that takes action with results, and I hope to lead the Election Board in much the same way he has lead our great state."

Mathis also praised out-going Chairman Ed Martin for his dedication and devotion to changing the way the citizens of St. Louis perceive the election process. "Martin has put us back on the map," said Mathis. "He deserves a lot of credit and praise. Ed has put into place a team which has helped rejuvenate and restore confidence in our city’s voting process."

Mathis was sworn in at 11:30 a.m. today at the Federal Courts Building by Judge Ray Gruender. There will be a formal swearing in sometime after the November election.

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VIDEO: Martin Celebrated

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 10:12 PM

Friends and colleagues of Election Board Chairman Ed Martin gathered tonight at Café Eau in the Chase Park Plaza to celebrate his appointment as chief of staff for Gov. Matt Blunt.

Many of Martin's election board colleagues were on hand to wish him well as he leaves the board and moves to Jefferson City. Republican officials including Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Judy Zakibe, Chair of St. Louis City's Republican Central Committee, as well as several elected Democrats -- including License Collector Gregg Daly, Ald. Jeffrey Boyd, Circuit Atty. Jennifer Joyce, Circuit Clerk Mariano Favazza, State Sen. Pat Dougherty, and State Rep-elect Talibdin El-Amin -- stopped in to congratulate Martin, who starts his new job on September 1.



Other well-wishers included: Former Election Board member Angeletta McCormick Franks; former Rams star, Mike "The Tackle" Jones; and Police Board Pres. Chris Goodson.

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Bosley Recall Update

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at 12:11 PM

The case to decide whether signatures can be removed from a petition to recall 3rd Ward Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. has been continued until next week. During that time briefs may be filed in support of the two sides' positions.

The recallers claim that since there is no law that allows the city election board to allow petition signers to have their signatures removed, the board should not have allowed Bosley to ask hundreds of 3rd Ward residents to do just that.

The election board contends that since there is no limit to the amount of time that recallers have to gather signatures, it is only fair to allow signers to change their minds weeks, months or even years after they signed the petition. They also claim that since neither state law nor the City of St. Louis' charter says otherwise, then they are allowed to create board policies in the interests of fairness and maintaining an orderly process.

A decision in this case -- which may have a significant impact on several ongoing and planned recall efforts -- may come early next week.

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Progressives on the Ballot

By Antonio D. French

The Progressive Party of Missouri reports that Secretary of State Robin Carnahan today certified six Progressive candidates to appear on the November ballot. The candidates include:
  • Lydia Lewis of Afton, a retired federal employee and union officer, for U. S. Senate.
  • David Sladky of Mehlville, a retired brewery worker, for Congress (3rd District).
  • Terry Bunker of Kansas City, an in-house accountant for a financial institution, for State Auditor.
  • Melinda “Mel” Ivey of Kansas City, a computer programmer, for U. S. Congress, 4th District.
  • Shirley Yurkonis of Savannah, a retired social worker, for U. S. Congress, 6th District.
  • Bill Hastings of Columbia, a retired psychology professor, for U. S. Congress, 9th District.
Local election authorities had certified to the Secretary of State that 12,078 (81%) of the 14,932 petition signatures that the party submitted were valid. Ten thousand valid signatures were required.

Organizers say the new party, which is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States, is filing to provide an alternative view not currently expressed by existing parties.

"We need a real opposition party so that there can be a dialog about getting out of Iraq," said party chair Dee Berry of Kansas City in a press release sent out today.

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City Board Denied Intervention

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, August 21, 2006 at 3:09 PM

A Cole County Judge today denied the St. Louis City Board of Elections' request to be a part of the legal fight surrounding the controversial photo ID requirement passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Matt Blunt.

Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, and Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields joined the ACLU in the legal challenge. The election board -- composed of Democrat and Republican members appointed by Blunt -- had requested to join the suit in defense of the law.

The case is in progress...

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Bosley Recall Hearing Today

By Antonio D. French

A hearing in the lawsuit filed by 3rd Ward residents seeking to recall Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr. is currently in progress.

As we reported earlier, the recallers sued the St. Louis Board of Elections to stop them from allowing more signatures to be removed from their recall petition and to have a judge order that previously removed signatures be returned.

On June 30, Citizens to Recall Aldermen Bosley turned in approximately 1,100 signatures to the Board. Bosley was subsequently successful in getting 339 people who had originally signed the recall petition to then sign an affidavit asking for their names to be removed.

The recallers claim that since such an allowance for removal is nowhere in the City's charter -- which outlines the recall procedure -- that the Election Board "exceeded the scope of power delegated to it" by allowing it and therefore violated the civil rights of the recallers.

Developing...

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Bosley Recall Update

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, August 10, 2006 at 8:08 AM

The effort to recall 3rd Ward Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr. is on hold as the recallers and election officials wait for a judge to decide the legality of an Election Board practice of allowing aldermen to get signatures removed from a recall petition by way of signed affidavits.

On June 30, Citizens to Recall Aldermen Bosley turned in approximately 1,100 signatures to the Board. Bosley was subsequently successful in getting 339 people who had originally signed the recall petition to then sign an affidavit asking for their names to be removed.

The recallers claim that since such an allowance for removal is nowhere in the City's charter -- which outlines the recall procedure -- that the Election Board "exceeded the scope of power delegated to it" by allowing it and therefore violated the civil rights of the recallers.

A lawsuit has been filed seeking to have those signatures put back onto the petition -- without which the petition will fall short of the required number of signatures. A temporary restraining order was issued last week preventing the St. Louis Board of Elections from certifying or removing any more signatures from the petition to recall Bosley.

A hearing in this matter has been set for August 21.

Related Stories:

Bosley Recall Petition Turned In
Is Today the Day

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El-Amin Claimed Ballots Were Illegal

By Antonio D. French

Filed Wednesday, August 09, 2006 at 6:17 PM

In the petition for a temporary restraining order filed yesterday by then-State Senate candidate Yaphett El-Amin, she alleged that one of her opponents, Amber Boykins, and State Rep candidates Joe Palm (who was running against her husband) and Shaun Simms (who was running against her political ally, Jamilah Nasheed) were distributing sample ballots in the 1st, 4th, 18th and 27th wards that were "false, misleading, and illegal."

Her complaint held that by using the terms "Democratic Sample Ballot" those campaigns were misleading voters into thinking that they had been endorsed by the respective Democratic ward organizations, which they had not.

Judge Lisa Van Amburg agreed with El-Amin and at 3:25 p.m. she issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting them from being further distributed.

Election Board officials say they instructed their roaming judges to inform the campaigns' poll workers to stop passing out the illegal ballots.

A hearing in this matter has been set for Friday, August 18, at 9:00 a.m. -- long after the polls have closed and winners have been decided in the affected races.

The Complaint
The Order
1st Ward Ballot
4th Ward Ballot
27th Ward Ballot

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Ward-by-Ward Breakdown

By Antonio D. French

You gotta love this new and improved Board of Elections. Click here to download the ward-by-ward breakdown of yesterday's election.

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City Election Board Scores Big Win

By Antonio D. French

For the first time in longer than most political watchers can remember, the St. Louis City Board of Elections got the final unofficial totals out before midnight and beat the St. Louis County Board by hours (they still aren't done).

Board Chairman Ed Martin vacates his post to take over the Governor's Office on a high note as he, his fellow board members, the Republican and Democratic directors, and all of the Board's employees and E-Day workers have made the impossible possible.

At one point the results were popping out so fast reporters were begging them to slow down. "Bring the Democrats back," one joked. "I can't keep up!"

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Election Board Goes Live

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, August 08, 2006 at 7:19 PM

The St. Louis City Board of Elections has set up a pretty nice "media room" with a wireless Internet connection, veggie snacks, and "live" election results projected on the wall from a laptop.



The board should have some election results posted here on www.stlelections.com.

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Bosley Recall Update

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, July 31, 2006 at 8:39 PM

The effort to recall Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward) entered its final stage today as organizers turned in nearly 90 more pages of signatures.

As readers may remember, on July 10, the St. Louis Board of Elections informed the recallers they were 778 signatures short of the 1,466 needed to put the recall question to the voters. They were given 20 days to gather the rest.

We are told that today's pages represent just 800-850 signatures. Bosley will again have an opportunity to ask signers to remove their name from the petition.

Judging by the high percentage of signatures withdrawn (339) and rejected (733) 20 days ago, it is not looking good for the recallers.

Related Stories:

Is Today the Day?

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Is Today the Day for 3rd Ward Recall? [Updated x3]

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, July 10, 2006 at 11:58 AM

The St. Louis Board of Elections has until 4:45 p.m. today to certify or reject the recall petition turned in 10 days ago against Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr. But sources tell PUB DEF not to expect a first round knockout.

The veteran alderman has gotten several registered 3rd Ward voters to agree to take their names off the petition. And some political operatives working to help Bosley have brought attention to numerous invalid signatures. At the same time, sources say that Election Board workers have also found many of the approximately 1,900 signatures turned in to be duplicates or not verifiable.

If the board does not certify the petition today, the recallers have 20 days to try to get the remaining number of valid signatures. Depending on how short they are of the nearly 1,500 valid signatures required, the recallers might be able to score a second round knockout if they can pull together a well-organized campaign for the tough three-week fight which probably lies ahead.

But Bosley is ready for a fight too -- and he's called in some help from his friends. Political consultant Tim Person, who used to work for Bosley's son, former Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr., and who has been working on the Republican side of the aisle in recent years, said he is hard at work helping the elder Bosley. He likened his assistance to the Biblical story of the prodigal son returning home. "I'm like the bastard son," he told PUB DEF.

Political operative Lou Hamilton confirmed last week that he had also taken an interest in the 3rd Ward recall. He denied being asked to assist in beating the recall, but he said if Bosley did ask, he wouldn't hesitate to help.

With decades of political knowledge and connections on one side, and strong feelings stemming from the issue of eminent domain abuse and a stinging 19-vote defeat in 2005, the fireworks may extend a few more weeks into July.

UPDATE: As of about 2:00 today, Bosley has submitted 400 affidavits of people asking for their names to be taken off the petition. Tim Person said less that 1,200 of the signatures turned in were valid. Minus the 400, it appears the recallers may have fallen 600-700 short of the needed 1,466 needed.

Developing...

UPDATE 2: The following is from the City Election Board...

The Board of Election Commissioners for the City of St. Louis today certified the results of a petition filed on June 30, 2006 to recall Freeman Bosley, Sr. as the Alderman of the 3rd Ward. The petition contained 1,850 signatures, 1,117 of which were initially accepted as valid signatures of registered voters in the 3rd Ward. However, 339 of those signatures were subsequently withdrawn. As a result, only 778 of the original 1,850 signatures were accepted for purposes of the petition. The requirement for the petition to be sufficient was 1,466 signatures.

Pursuant to the City Charter, the proponents of the recall now have 20 calendar days to submit to the Board supplemental signature pages confirming to the requirements of the original petition filed with the Board on June 30. Within 10 days after the filing of any such supplemental signature pages, the Board will certify as to the sufficiency of the recall petition as supplemented.


SIGNATURES REQUIRED TO PASS PETITION: 1,466


TOTAL SIGNATURES SUBMITTED TO AND CHECKED BY BOARD: 1,850


Accepted Signatures: 1,117


Rejected Signatures: 733


Breakdown of rejected signatures:


Duplicates: 139 (Signed petition twice).


Not Registered: 343 (Some cases of registrations being received in office after the date the petition was signed).


Wrong Address: 200 (Signed the petition however resides in a different ward).


Wrong Signature: 51 (Determined by staff that the signatures did not match the signature we have on file).


TOTAL SIGNATURES WITHDRAWN AFTER SUBMISSION: 339


TOTAL VALID SIGNATURES REMAINING AS OF JULY 10, 2006: 778


UPDATE 3: The challenge now facing the recallers is to get 688 valid signatures in 20 days. After hearing today's news, Debra Gordon, with the 3rd Ward Democrats for the People, told PUB DEF simply, "We will get what we need."

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Election Day Techs Still Needed

By Antonio D. French

Filed Thursday, June 15, 2006 at 1:27 PM

Today is the deadline to sign up to be a tech support guy (or lady) at polling places on Election Day, August 8. The folks at the St. Louis City Board of Elections say techs are still needed.

You don't have to be a CS, able to write code with your eyes closed. Just know a bit more than the sweet white-haired ladies that will be asking for your photo I.D. before you can vote.

Do a public service and make enough to pay your car payment (or at least one fill-up). The pay is $225 for a day of training and the actual work on E-Day. Call Stephanie Doss at 622-3546 or Summer Richardson at 622-4327. Tell 'em PUB DEF sent you.

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Clay worries about voting machines

By Antonio D. French

Filed Monday, May 22, 2006 at 9:16 AM

In next week's issue of Newsweek, Congressman Lacy Clay responds to serious security flaws found in the Diebold voting machines used by the St. Louis Board of Elections.

According to Newsweek's Steven Levy, digital security experts say:

It requires only a few minutes of pre-election access to a Diebold machine to open the machine and insert a PC card that, if it contained malicious code, could reprogram the machine to give control to the violator. The machine could go dead on Election Day or throw votes to the wrong candidate.

Worse, it's even possible for such ballot-tampering software to trick authorized technicians into thinking that everything is working fine, an illusion you couldn't pull off with pre-electronic systems.

"If Diebold had set out to build a system as insecure as they possibly could, this would be it," says Avi Rubin, a Johns Hopkins University computer-science professor and elections-security expert.

Clay told Newsweek, "It gives me a bit of alarm that the voting systems are subject to tampering and errors."

Click here to read the Newsweek article.

Related Stories:


City election board chooses controversial Diebold

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Swearing-In Controversy Continues

By Antonio D. French

Filed Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 10:54 PM

The chairman of the St. Louis City Board of Election Commissioners sent a letter to the St. Louis Public Schools this week informing them that, as far as they are concerned, Peter Downs and Donna Jones are not yet elected officials.

As PUB DEF exclusively reported last week, officials at the election board have not yet certified the April 4 election and have said that it was premature to swear-in the two newest school board members until they do so.

State law allows the Board of Elections 14 days to certify the election. Before that occurs, the Board must conduct accuracy tests on the voting machines and perform internal audits.

Scott Leiendecker
, the Board's Republican director of elections, told PUB DEF last week that they were shooting to get all of that done by Wednesday, April 12, but that they may take until the April 18 deadline.

PUB DEF caught up with Ed Martin, the chairman of the election board, Tuesday in the State Capitol building in Jefferson City. He said that he expects the election to be certified on or about the 18th, in time for that evening's regular school board meeting.

But at Tuesday night's administative and executive meetings of the school board, Downs and Jones assumed their seats despite the election board's claims. They have been advised by attorneys for the district that it is proper for new board members to begin their duties almost immediately.

Ex-board members Darnetta Clinkscale and James Buford did not attend Tuesday's board meeting and no other board members objected to Downs and Jones taking their seats.

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