MINUTES FROM 5-31-05 SCC MEETING, approved
PORTLAND LIBRARY, PORTLAND CT
Complied by Barbara Barry DeRosa
1. Arron Gustafson, co-chair, Hamden; Mike DeRosa, co-chair, Hartford; Barbara Barry DeRosa, Secretary, Hartford; Ed DeBrule, West Hartford; Andy Derr, New London; Judy Herkimer, Treasurer, Northwest; Kim Herkimer, Northwest; Ralph Ferrucci, New Haven; Karen Norton, Tolland; Tim McKee, Tolland. Allan Brison, New Haven.
1. Tom Sevigny had to cancel being facilitator at the last minute. Arron Gustafson acted as facilitator for this meeting.
1. Ground Rules accepted.
1. Fall Gathering (peace demo) endorsement added to agenda (by request of Justine McCabe).
1. Agenda accepted with addition.
1. No quorum was available at this meeting. Normal acceptance of reports/minutes could not transpire because of a lack of a quorum (copies of minutes distributed and sent out to list server).
1. Treasurer’s Report(Judy H) Over the last month we have received $603.78. Expenditures were $335.88. Balance in our account of $1,557.71(that can be used for state and chapter expenses).
Bank expenses for credit card deductions also. See full report for further information on expenditures and funds received.
Question to Treasurer: Who has the 800 #? Answer: Tom Sevigny
Statement by Arron: “When we locked in funds, we made it possible for chapters to forgive the
Debt (give back to the state there balances). You can talk about it with your chapter if you
Would like to do this.”
Question: Are you officially the Treaurer? Yes, I got the paperwork from the state.
8 Guest Speaker: Ralph Morelli, True Vote CT. Professor of computer science at Trinity College. Subject: Speech on Bill 55 (Voter Verified Paper Trail Bill)
Announcement: Mike D says that SB 1233 (bill that allows permanent ballot access for Minor Parties has passed all committees).
Points from Ralph Morelli Talk:
a. The reason we are trying to pass bill 55 is because of the Help America Vote Act(HAVA),
b. HAVA requires that all voting machines be auditable and accessible to those with disabilities. Old Mechanical machines must go.
c. CT Secretary of State (SOS) has determined that all new machines that are bought must be DRE (Direct Recording Electronic voting machine-i.e computer based machines). SOS wants to buy 1 for each voting district in CT(using the federal money allocated under HAVA $33Million)
d. Controversy is over how the paper audit takes place with these machines. Either a audit coming out of the machines(Black Box-no voter verified paper trail) or one coming out of the machine plus a paper trail verified by voter under a glass.(ie. Voter Verified Paper Trail).
e. Using VVPT eliminates mistakes, computer clichis, fraud, or other tempering with votes.
f. Senate bill 55 requires a VVPT.
g. Senate bill 55 also requires a random manual audit of one machine in every legislative district(approx 154 in CT-about 10%). Paper ballot is official ballot under Senate Bill 55.
h. Status: Passed house and senate unanimously . Gov Rell has promised to sign bill.
i. True Vote CT(and VOTER) disagree very much with SOS because she supports only DRE
j. TVCT & VOTER want the legal option(under HAVA) to have optical scanning devices that include bubble paper ballots(similar to SAT sheets). SOS has not given any reason for her support of DRE. (some say she supports Senator Dodd’s opposition to optical scanners and VVPT) . DRE are expensive, they break down easily, up keep cost is high, and after the SOS buys one machine for each voting district it will be up to the towns to buy the rest of these. Also they are slower to vote on (more machines) DRE= $42Million(to replace all machines);
Optical Scanner approach=$24 Million(to replace all machines); Mix and match approach=$?. HAVA has given CT $33 Million federal funds. FL eliminated DRE machines
Because of problems(someone in audience suggested that we buy FL old DRE machines).
k. Some disability groups have opposed VVPT bill, “we finally came to the conclusion that people like Jim Dixon (leader of a American Association of Persons with Disabilities) who has received over a million dollars from Diebold and other electronic voting machine companies , are opposed to VVPT and Optical Scan voting and say they will sue states that put it into action. (Aside: recently SOS included Mr. Dixon along with others opposed to VVPT on a “workshop” on HAVA and voting). Behind the scenes “under the radar of media”.
l. RFP (request for proposal) for VVPT is also problematic with SOS. Bias of SOS on Optical Scan. We need help to fight against SOS biases and mixed messages. We need new RFP so we can look at all the options and make an informed decision. “This debate is all driven by private large corporations, all of whom are owned by very well connected high up Republican operatives, and right wingers too.” The EAS is an agency of federal government that is going to be making recommendations about voting equipment is also stacked with these same right wing people opposed to VVPT. Open source transparent software is not going to be considered. We don’t think that the lever machines will be legal in 2006, therefore since you need more of them (since they take longer to vote on) there may be long lines in 2006. Also training voters and voting officials may be an issue. “We want to take on the RFP issue right now, we need pressure on the SOS to change this right now”. We need the help of your organization to make this happen. WEB SITE: www.truevotect.org ; Another one is : www.verifiedvoting.org.
9. Aaron Makes Revised Presentation On Re-Structuring of Green Party of CT:
MAJOR FOCUS: Attainable Goals, Increased Benefits, Increasing Membership, Increasing Fund Raising, Increasing Voter Base. Discussed in EC at last meeting. The following is a work in progress that will be refined and presented as they become available:
Green Party of CT Restructuring Plan & 2005/2006 Goals
Working Draft; prepared by Kelly McCarthy & Aaron Gustafson, Co-chairs
MEDIA COMMITTEE (MC): Aaron Gustafson, Co-chair
Implement press release dissemination system
Explore alternative media outlets
Letters to the editor/op-ed team
Develop & maintain newsletter, email lists, listservs, websites and blogs
Work w/ ELC on candidate/campaign support
Work w/ LC on legislation support
LEGISLATION COMMITTEE (LC): Mike DeRosa, Co-chair
Research three issues for candidates @ each level: local/state/federal
Develop CTGP platform & position papers for candidates
Educational campaign for 2005/06: IRV
Research & support referendums
Work w/ MC on current legislation activity
Work w/ ELC on platform development
ELECTIONS COMMITTEE (ELC): Kelly McCarthy, Co-chair
Identify good races & groom candidates to achieve electoral goals
Electoral Goals 2005: 10 Local candidates
Electoral Goals 2006: 1 Statewide candidate; 5 State candidates (State Senate or Rep.); 2 U.S. Rep candidates;
Candidate for Secretary of the State
Keep track of deadlines for petitions and paperwork
Develop sliding scale funding formula for endorsed candidates
Research endorsements
Organize candidate workshops
Publish a state-wide resource directory for candidates by 2006
Work w/ LC on platform development
Work w/ MC on candidate/campaign activities
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE (FC): Judy Herkimer, Treasurer
Implement fundraising plan
Research & produce merchandising (according to budget)
Provide tabling kits for all chapters
Implement endorsement funding for all candidates on sliding scale
Work w/ ELC, LC, MC on fundraising activities & monitor goals
INTERNAL COMMITTEE (IC): Barbara Barry DeRosa, Secretary
Overhaul & maintain bylaws
Develop & implement budget (w/ Treasurer & FC)
Organize yearly internal elections
Create & maintain approved proposal reference book for EC (include proposal & date, divided into procedural, endorsements, financial & other)
Maintain SCC Reps’ voting record
Monitor registration goals w/ FC, ELC, LC, MC (increase Greens by 10%=250 people by end of 2006)
“Streamlining for Productivity” Guidelines for Member Involvement
Each individual should:
1. Assess personal strengths & interests
2. Estimate your weekly availability & time commitments
3. Choose the one Committee (Media/Legislation/Elections/ Fundraising/Internal) that suites you best
4. Commit to focusing on that Committee’s tasks & goals
5. If your availability changes, inform your Committee as soon as possible, so that your duties may be reassigned.
NOTE: Other Diagrams(and other visuals) that were part of Arron’s presentation will be included when they can be obtained. Upgrade of the above plan is in the works. Ultimately these will be put into proposal form for the Green Party of CT to consider or may be just guidelines for the EC for 2005.
Question: What about the chapters? How do they fit into this plan?
Aaron: We haven’t talk about the chapters a lot. I think we need having greater involvement in having chapters to be involved on the state level with each other. Also a resource directory, so chapters would know what other chapter had in resources that they could share. This isn’t the solution it is the road back to a solution.
Barbara: This plan will help help to meet the needs of the chapters. The officers will be liaison through the committees to build chapters resources and build chapters.
Question: I would like to see the internal process on the graphic. It is clean and simple. My concern is the action plan that already exists. It was passed by SCC. I would like to see these either accepted or rejected, or brought together.
Aaron: I did look at the Action Plan and incorporated the Action Plan into this. There is a lot of overlap between the Action Plan and this Re-organization plan. I think it is good that we keep talking about this. Is this a direction or does if have to be formally accepted by SCC? This should not stop us from doing the stuff that we have being doing in the SCC meetings. Just to let you know the co-chairs are going to be focusing in these areas and we would like you to be involved in those areas.
Mike : The only thing that it not here is how we evaluate whether this is working for us. Is it producing what we need. We need to have some way that we can have some feedback after a period of time so that we can change what we are doing.
Aaron: This is a quick bandage that can give us some focus.
Mike: Get’s us to the next stage.
10. Justine’s concerns: E-mail from Justine Mc Cabe: “ I attended the CT United For Peace meeting on 5/15/05. Coalition members are seeking endorsements from their groups for an initative spearheaded by US Labor against the war to gather all the anti-war protestors for one huge demonstration in the fall and to support a state wide bring the National Guard home initiative over the summer” Should be brought forward on next month agenda. Justine feels that we need to discuss this at the SCC because it is involvement rather than endorsement. Endorsements can be done through the EC.
11. Short discussion about the need for more effective dissemination of events and projects done by the Green Party of CT and its chapters.
12. Short report of Election Committee. Judy: The election committee never came forward with the final results. Ed: I sent them out to EC members with the ballot by ballot results. Aaron said if they were sent to him he would post them on the web site. The fact that IRV was used in the GPCT election will also be put on the web site according to Aaron.
Next SCC Meeting: June 28, 2005, 7PM. Government Center, 3rd Floor, 2750 Dixwell Ave. Hamden, CT.