http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/category_rss/electoralreform WMC’s empty suit on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Michael Gableman, has responded to the complaint filed against him by the State Judicial Commission. Gableman ran what is widely acknowledged as one of the sleaziest campaigns in the history of the high court. The specific charges in this matter surround Gableman’s Willie Horton-style TV ad against his opponent former-Justice Louis Butler. It clearly implied that Butler, while serving as a public defender, enabled a sex offender to be released and that the offender then went on to commit more egregious crimes. At best the Gableman ad was a clear effort to mislead the public and at worst it was a premeditated and contemptible lie. Either way Gableman’s actions clearly violated the Code of Judicial Conduct which is the case being made by the Judicial Commission. Part of Gableman’s breathtaking “defense” against the Judicial Commission is that the state’s statutes on judicial candidates making misleading or confusing statements is unconstitutional. Based on that he apparently believes that he has the right to mislead the public whenever he chooses! Only in Gableman’s small world would an elected official fight tooth and nail to defend his perceived “right” to lie to the public without repercussion. What is next from Gableman? A passionate argument defending his imaginary “right” to libel? Actually, as absurd as that may sound, one could very reasonably suggest that he is trying to make that very case right now. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHgd http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHgd/commentary#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:58:24 EST http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHgd Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHgd/ Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s partisan lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board (GAB) endangered the right to vote for scores of Wisconsinites. It also forced taxpayers to pay the bill coming and going. Thanks to J.B. we had to pay for both filing the frivolous lawsuit and for defending against it. Now we find out that it may have cost the state in a few other ways. Over the weekend the Associated Press reported that two assistant attorneys general told Van Hollen’s top aide that they were close to reaching a favorable settlement on cases in which they were representing the GAB. They also advised him that filing Van Hollen’s suit against the GAB would derail their progress in the matter saying: However, as I also indicated, there is virtually no likelihood of exploring, much less settling, these cases if this office files an action against GAB ... If such a filing is in the offing, you need to know this. Not only was the partisan suit “in the offing” but Van Hollen actually filed it a very short time after being warned about the consequences that it would have on his office’s defense of the GAB in other cases. Thankfully Van Hollen’s partisan lawsuit was thrown out of court before it was allowed to disenfranchise Wisconsin voters in an election that by all accounts ran very smoothly . Unfortunately, there still were other casualties of his partisan lawsuit: taxpayer dollars and important cases where he should have been focused on defending the State of Wisconsin not suing it. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVY http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVY/commentary#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:45:23 EST http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVY Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVY/ Former State Rep. Debi Towns continues to receive the backing from All Children Matter , an organization that remains under a legal cloud in Wisconsin after the State Elections Board determined in November 2006 that they violated rules about express advocacy. Top donors to the lawbreaking pro-private vouchers group have given Towns over $8,000. They have also sent out smear mailings on her behalf and placed a large television buy in her media market. All Children Matter is the $10 million out-of-state, pro-private school vouchers group financed by right wing billionaires and millionaires, including Dick and Betsy DeVos and the Wal-Mart heirs. All Children Matter, which has blanketed the state with racist attacks against numerous Democratic elected officials and candidates, was fined $5.2 million by the Ohio Elections Commission on April 4 for illegally funneling $870,000 into Ohio campaigns. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVQ http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVQ/commentary#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:55:01 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVQ Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVQ/ If there were any doubt about whether John McCain -- or the Wisconsin Republican Party -- had a shred of decency left, the answer is no. As forecast yesterday, the GOP mailer tries to make it look like Obama is a terrorist who wishes he had planted more bombs. Pardon the expression, but it should blow up in the GOP's face. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/CHVv http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/CHVv/commentary#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:59:38 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/xoff/CHVv Xoff Xoff 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVv/ From the moment that state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed his frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board (GAB) it was clear to any honest observer that it was without merit and motivated by rank partisanship. That was confirmed later when it was revealed that Van Hollen’s office had multiple communications with Republican Party officials prior to filing the suit. While trying to defend his partisan actions, Van Hollen insisted that the GAB was not following the law even though it was carrying out the proper checks as required. Van Hollen’s insistence on checking names retroactively all the way back to 2006 would have caused mass chaos at the polls and could have disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of voters. All of this drama over some nonexistent requirement that Van Hollen, a McCain co-chair, made up out of whole cloth. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVr http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVr/commentary#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:36:21 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVr Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVr/ Republicans have been busy slandering ACORN in recent weeks improperly alleging “voter fraud.” One has to wonder how these same people will respond to the fact that the California Republican Party hired a firm whose owner has been arrested for possible voter registration fraud. Reports state that Mark Jacoby, owner of Young Political Majors, was arrested for fraudulently registering himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that all signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California. If true, it would appear that he committed the crime in an attempt to get an easy pay check from the GOP. If we are using the same flawed model as conservatives have used with ACORN, then we must condemn the GOP for engaging in some grand conspiracy to commit “voter fraud.” To add insult to injury, there was an entirely different problem with Jacoby and his firm’s actions. The arrest actually came after dozens of voters said that they were duped into registering as Republicans by people employed by Jacoby. The Republican Party of California was paying his firm $7 to $12 for every person that they could get registered. How long will we have to wait for conservatives to start feigning outrage over the actions of the California Republican Party and the arrested leader of the firm that they themselves hired? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVX http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVX/commentary#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:01:35 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVX Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVX/ It has certainly become an important question. Just Who Will JB Van Hollen Disenfranchise if the partisan lawsuit that he has filed is successful? According to the Government Accountability Board the answer could be over one million Wisconsin voters. We already know that Van Hollen’s office communicated with Republican Party of Wisconsin officials about the suit before it was actually filed and we are also well aware of the fact that Van Hollen is a co-chair of the John McCain presidential campaign. We have seen these kinds of partisan uses of public office before and we will not let Florida in 2000 become Wisconsin in 2008! To this end, One Wisconsin Now is debuting a new web video entitled “WWJBD?” to ensure that people across Wisconsin have the facts and know the impact if Van Hollen’s partisan lawsuit succeeds. It includes a petition to tell Van Hollen once and for all to dump this partisan lawsuit. You can VIEW THE VIDEO at SaveWisconsinsVote.org ! Please watch the video , sign the petition and pass it along to your friends! The more people that see this video and sign the petition, the louder our untied voice will be. We are not only left with the question, “who will JB disenfranchise?” but more importantly we must ask ourselves, what are we prepared to do about it? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVt http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVt/commentary#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:22:28 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVt Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVt/ Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed a legal brief with Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi on Wednesday. In it he asked the judge not to dismiss his partisan case against the Government Accountability Board (GAB). As we have already learned, Van Hollen's office first communicated with Republican Party officials about the matter before the suit was filed. We also know that J.B. Van Hollen is a co-chair of the McCain presidential campaign. His frivolous lawsuit could very directly benefit John McCain’s campaign in Wisconsin by disenfranchising specific groups of legitimate voters. Some have estimated that hundreds of thousands of voters could face problems at the polls if Van Hollen’s suit is successful. In announcing the filing of his latest legal brief, Van Hollen claims that the GAB, an entity made up of six former judges, simply doesn’t understand his lawsuit. Are we really supposed to dismiss the concerns of such a distinquished panel of proven legal minds because J.B. says so? Not likely. Nobody likes a know-it-all, especially one that is threatening our most basic right as citizens. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHV5 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHV5/commentary#comments Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:18:42 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHV5 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 18 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHV5/ I just concluded my most recent blog by saying that the right wing had very bad intentions regarding our right to vote. Shortly after I got that blog posted I came across a news item from the Washington Post that not only confirms what I just said, but also carries it even further. The Washington Post has obtained a leaked email by the Republican Party of Wisconsin spelling out some of their potential plans for possible voter intimidation on Election Day. According to the story by the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, Mary Pat Flaherty, the RPW email sought “names of Milwaukee area veterans, policemen, security personnel, firefighters…” to volunteer at inner city polling places, presumably to challenge voters, disqualify voters and create long lines which will cause working people to leave the polls without voting. The email suggested such specific kinds of people apparently because they find inner city polling locations “more intimidating.” http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVj http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVj/commentary#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:34:55 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVj Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 2 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVj/ The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that a man has been charged for registering to vote and trying to register others after being convicted of a felony. While this specific case may not directly apply, it does bring up some very important questions that we should be asking ourselves. In Wisconsin convicted felons are not allowed to vote until after they have completed the terms of their sentence. That could mean a prison term in addition to a long extended period of supervision. Convicted felons often have to serve very long periods of probation and/or parole after they leave prison. One of the major goals of this supervision is that they become productive and fully integrate back into society. Exactly how are they supposed to do that if they are barred from voting, one of the most basic rights/responsibilities that we have as citizens? Many of them hold down jobs, pay taxes, provide for their families but still Wisconsin law refuses their right to vote. According to an ACLU study , 62,324 people with felony convictions in Wisconsin are not allowed to vote; however, 61% of these people are no longer incarcerated. By not allowing them to vote, we are hindering their ability to reinstate themselves as active members of the community. According to Senator Russ Feingold , “…the more doors we close on people trying to rejoin society, the more likely it is we will drive them back to the behaviors we want them to leave behind.” Wisconsin ’s felony disfranchisement laws are more severe than those of several of its neighboring states. Michigan , Illinois , Indiana and Ohio all automatically restore voting rights upon release from incarceration. Disenfranchisement in Wisconsin also disproportionately affects African American males and other minority populations. The ACLU study found that one out of nine African Americans males are disenfranchised because of Wisconsin ’s ex-offender laws. This statistic places Wisconsin 11th in the nation for the disenfranchisement of African American voters. This is obviously unacceptable and some might even call it Jim Crow, Wisconsin style. It is a disgrace and the current law should be changed. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVB http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVB/commentary#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:07:11 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHVB Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHVB/ After Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed his frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board (GAB), he claimed that his motives were not partisan. He went on to claim that his position as John McCain co-chair played no role in the suit even though the action could help McCain by disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of legal voters in Wisconsin. After his repeated denials, the media began to learn of multiple contacts that high level Van Hollen aides had with high level Republican Party operatives about the suit. It was not long after these contacts that Van Hollen filed the lawsuit. As if we have not already seen enough evidence of Van Hollen’s judgment being clouded by rank partisanship, now we actually have audio evidence of partisan plotting at the Republican convention in St. Paul. Wispolitics has obtained a recording  of J.B. Van Hollen addressing Wisconsin delegates to the Republican National Convention. In his remarks he clearly gives the partisan bunch a small taste of what he has planned for Wisconsin voters: “We are out there front and center everyday and you'll be hearing much more from the Department of Justice in the coming months about doing what we can to make sure that those people who have illegally and illegitimately registered to vote, don't have the opportunity on election day to show up and take away your vote by casting one that is not legal.” http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj9 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj9/commentary#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:40:14 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj9 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 2 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHj9/ J.B. Van Hollen’s frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board, (GAB) is political mischief that could complicate voting for as many as 1 million people in Wisconsin. One Wisconsin Now, the League of Women Voters, municipal clerks, the GAB itself and many others have taken a stand against J.B. Van Hollen. Now the Milwaukee chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Milwaukee Teachers Association are entering the fray . Both organizations submitted a filing to the Dane County judge responsible for the case, arguing that Van Hollen’s checks are unreliable and could bar about 135,000 people who registered to vote in 2008 from the polls. The organizations also pointed to GAB figures that 15 percent of 53,515 registrants since August had failed the checks because of non-matches. Most of the non-matches are due to clerical errors, misspellings, a missing middle initial or an old address on a driver’s license. Even four of the six judges on the GAB board didn’t get exact matches . http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj8 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj8/commentary#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:24:25 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHj8 Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 1 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHj8/ It's time the Government Accountability Board to act on the recommendations of the former State Elections Board and penalize All Children Matter for violating Wisconsin election laws in 2006. The Election Board ruled last year that All Children Matter broke the law, but the pro-private school vouchers group hit with a stunning $5.2 million fine in Ohio this April for illegal money funneling has yet to be punished by the GAB. All Children Matter remains under investigation in Wisconsin after the State Elections Board determined in November 2006 it violated rules about express advocacy in opposing John Lehman's bid for the State Senate. A mailing by All Children Matter prompted a complaint by the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals and the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association. The former Elections Board agreed that All Children Matter violated campaign laws for failing to register with the state prior to the $35,000 it spent directly advocating against Lehman. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHCp http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHCp/commentary#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:18:22 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/scotross/CHCp Scot @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/b15bea43ee26199f1d_l7awmvb5t.jpg Scot @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCp/ Hundreds of thousands of legal voters are at risk – but we only get utter silence from the McCain campaign. The media has been reporting that Wisconsinites have received absentee ballot applications from the John McCain for President campaign with incorrect return addresses, which would likely prevent the registration and processing from being completed. The people of Wisconsin deserve real answers about this McCain mailing immediately and we need a full investigation by law enforcement. Not only could this lead to voters failing to receive their absentee ballots, it also could cause chaos on election day as those who did not receive their ballots scramble to cast their vote. The easy solution would seem to be: check the records, inform people who received an incorrect application and make sure no one is disenfranchised. Unfortunately the McCain campaign refuses to tell us the exact number and won’t even be interviewed about the scope of the problem. One Republican official has said that “hundreds of thousands” of absentee ballot applications have been mailed by the McCain campaign. We need a formal investigation. Just last week, Attorney General JB Van Hollen and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm announced a new task force focusing on election issues. While the prudence of having Van Hollen, the McCain campaign state co-chair, is certainly up for question, the task force must investigate this matter and assure the public their right to vote is not being compromised by an intentional disenfranchisement scheme by the McCain campaign. You can make your voice heard now by signing a petition for a complete investigation of the misleading McCain mailing, at SaveWisconsinsVote.org . If you have actually received one of these mailings, you can also use the site to file a formal complaint. Fair and clean elections are a critical issue for the state of Wisconsin and protecting the right to vote is essential to our Democracy. Please Take Action Today! http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCn http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCn/commentary#comments Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:38:06 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCn Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 2 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCn/ If there was ever any doubt that J.B. Van Hollen’s lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board was partisan at its core, the latest events this week should eliminate it. First, in a surprise to no one, the Republican Party of Wisconsin has decided to jump into the lawsuit and has filed a motion in the case. Now the Wisconsin State Journal is reporting that the Republican Party Chairman, Reince Priebus, has admitted to having conversations with Van Hollen’s top aide and Deputy Attorney General Ray Taffora. This is in addition to the contact that republican lawyers have also had with the Wisconsin Department of justice before the partisan suit was filed. Previously Van Hollen and his aides had denied contact with Republican officials but now after OWN’s open records request and serious inquiry by the media, we are finding that these initial statements were not accurate. We already knew that Van Hollen was presiding over a DOJ war between law enforcement professionals and his partisan hires , but now it looks like he has gone even further. Van Hollen has turned the Wisconsin Department of Justice into the taxpayer-financed legal arm of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the McCain for President campaign. The public is not going to stand by and let J.B. Van Hollen use our own tax dollars to take away our voting rights. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCV http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCV/commentary#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:29:47 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCV Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCV/ The highly respected Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's School of Law, has a comprehensive, well researched and documented white paper by Justin Levitt on recent allegations of voter fraud allegedly occurring in Wisconsin and other states within the last eight years, entitled, "The Truth About Voter Fraud." Once you read it, your eyes will be opened to the sham that is being perpetrated upon the U.S. voters. In fact, one could easily argue that the widespread rumors of voter fraud exist to confuse the populace and further deepen the cynicism of our electoral process. These efforts may also serve a larger agenda to keep real voting reform off the table, that is, extending the time people are allowed to cast votes; make it LESS burdensome for people to vote in the first place; and acts by political campaigns to buy votes, among many others. A nonpartisan task force is being created to investigate the claims of voter fraud in Wisconsin. They could save a lot of time and money by simply reading this excellent report RIGHT NOW. Since the 2004 election, there have been persistent, unsubstantiated rumors of voter fraud in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee in particular. Wisconsin Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen, who is also co-chairman of the Wisconsin campaign of presidential candidate John McCain, is knowingly using these unsubstantiated rumors in his efforts to suppress legitimate votes in Wisconsin this November. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/warmmidwest/CHCj http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/warmmidwest/CHCj/commentary#comments Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:32:25 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/warmmidwest/CHCj User from Madison, WI User from Madison, WI 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCj/ J.B. Van Hollen’s frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board, could disenfranchise up to 1 million legitimate voters in November. Much of that could happen because of very minor discrepancies such as a middle initial, clerical error or an old address appearing on a driver’s license. Even four of the six judges that make up the GAB board found that their own personal information did not totally match. To drive the point home even more, Michael Horne blogging at Milwaukee World , checked voting records to see if J.B. Van Hollen himself could fall victim to his own partisan mischief. Horne finds some of the following: ...I don't think he'd pass his own test. JOHN BYRON VANHOLLEN is the same guy as JOHN B VAN HOLLEN, who once lived at 816 Chalfont Drive, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, when he served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. But a search of "J. B. Van Hollen" (with or without the space) would not turn up his name in the state register of voters, even though he uses the initials and the space as his legal designation in court documents and when he ran for election, and in his official biography in the Wisconsin Blue Book… And, once you find out his first name is John, things don't get much better, since when he was registered in Sun Prairie on November 5th, 2002, he went by JOHN B VAN HOLLEN, [no middle name, and a space between "Van" and "Hollen"]… Oh, by the way, it appears that Van Hollen registered at the polls, since he also voted on November 5th, 2002, on the spot, according to records. Apparently Van Hollen likes the convenience of registering at the polls -- I wonder what sort of ID he had to produce when he registered in Waunakee on September 14th, 2004 -- also an election day! That's when he signed up as JOHN BYRON VANHOLLEN -- adding a middle name, and merging his two last names into one. How perfect is that? I wonder if someone will put him on a list and challenge his right to vote at the polls? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCM http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCM/commentary#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:34:55 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCM Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 140 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCM/ It now appears that Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s office is admitting that top officials at the Wisconsin Department of Justice consulted with Republican Party operatives regarding the filing of J.B. Van Hollen’s frivolous lawsuit against the state’s Government Accountability Board. The suit could cause as many as 1 million voters to be disenfranchised, an action that is likely to serve the political interests of the John McCain presidential campaign, for which Van Hollen serves as a state co-chair. Shortly after the partisan suit was filed and a full week before these latest allegations of coordination, OWN filed an open records request with DOJ. In it we demanded full disclosure by the DOJ, asking for any and all documentation of communications that they may have had with Republican operatives prior to filing the partisan lawsuit. They finally admitted to such communications yesterday and today it’s time that they turn over the records that we requested a full week ago. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCx http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCx/commentary#comments Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:45:58 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCx Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 39 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCx/ Since J.B. Van Hollen filed his frivolous lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board, his partisan action has been panned far and wide. From OWN to the League of Women Voters, to the nonpartisan retired judges that serve on the GAB board and many others. Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said that his suit “smells of political mischief.” Now the nonpartisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is lampooning Van Hollen’s latest actions. In a blog entitled, “ Our Very Own Katherine Harris ” Mike McCabe makes the following points: J.B. Van Hollen seems intent on becoming Katherine Harris. Unlike Harris's Florida, Wisconsin does not allow partisan officials to run our elections. We entrust that task to a politically independent agency under the direction of a nonpartisan board of retired judges. That arrangement is obviously not to the liking of Van Hollen, who is the highest ranking elected Republican in the state and co-chairman of John McCain's presidential campaign in Wisconsin. He is suing the agency and the former judges who head it in an effort to get people kicked off the voter rolls. He insists it's necessary to protect us against voter fraud. He is undeterred by the fact that voter fraud is more rare than a financially stable investment bank. He is even less sensitive to the considerable collateral damage his crusade will do. In his apparent zeal to emulate Katherine the Great, Van Hollen hardly waited for the ink on his lawsuit to dry before announcing that he is forming an "election fraud task force." It's hard to believe many voters will put much trust in a task force headed by someone so heavily invested in making sure John McCain is the next president. http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCg http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCg/commentary#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:29:43 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCg/ Shortly after becoming the Co-Chair for John McCain’s Wisconsin Campaign, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said the following : “I’m honored to help lead John McCain’s Wisconsin campaign, and I’m looking forward to his victory in November.” The next thing you know Van Hollen is filing a frivolous lawsuit against the State of Wisconsin (which he is supposed to represent) which will, if successful, give an advantage to McCain while disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters. Now we find the McCain Campaign Co-Chair at a Milwaukee press conference announcing the creation of a new “joint task force to investigate any allegations of election-related improprieties.” The real whopper of the press conference came when Van Hollen had the nerve to say that “fair elections are not a partisan issue.” This from the same guy that filed a frivolous partisan lawsuit to disenfranchise specific groups of voters? Even the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was forced to admit that his suit “ smells of political mischief .” Now we are supposed to trust him to fairly investigate things surrounding the same election that he has a clear stake in? http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCB http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCB/commentary#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:37:33 EDT http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/post/coryliebmann/CHCB Cory @ One Wisconsin Now http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/profile_picture/9ad40ac09a26a36f86_dlqmv2gn9.jpg Cory @ One Wisconsin Now 0 http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/page/community/comment_rss/CHCB/