A CALL TO ACTION
Tuesday morning, by a 4-1 margin, the Orange County Board of Supervisors passed a “Resolution in Support of the Right to Vote.†This resolution, drafted by Board Chairman Bill Campbell, a Republican, purports to provide an adequate response to the recent attempted disenfranchisement of 14,000 American citizens in Orange County.
Campbell’s resolution merely states the obvious inaccuracies in the Tan Nguyen letter and encourages U.S. citizens who are properly registered voters to exercise their right to vote. The resolution takes no significant action towards preempting future voter fraud or intimidation, nor does it call for the notification of the 14,000 individuals initially victimized, in the form of a letter or otherwise.
We are deeply disappointed by the Board majority’s lack of leadership on this issue. In fact, we believe that it is yet another indication of a pattern of behavior on the part of local Republican officials to turn their backs in the face of obvious voter intimidation or fraud.
In 1988, the Republican Party of Orange County was responsible for funding and placing uniformed guards at Hispanic polling places in Santa Ana in an attempt to suppress minority votes.
Earlier this year, bounty hunters paid for by the Orange County Republican Party switched the registrations of hundreds of individuals from Democratic or Decline to State to Republican without their knowledge or authorization.
In the past year, more than 500 verified complaints of voter registration fraud have been filed with the California Secretary of State, the District Attorney, and the Registrar of Voters. Each of these Republican officials has promised a swift investigation and prosecution of these recent acts of fraud. Months after these initial complaints were filed and the offenders identified, no charges have been filed.
Until Republican officials show real leadership rather than offer mere rhetoric, the claims of the Republican Party to be one of inclusion will remain laughable. Until Republican District Attorney Rackauckas moves to arrest all of those who have perpetrated this pattern of criminal attack against the democratic process, the integrity of our elections in Orange County will remain questionable.
Since it is obvious that we cannot rely on Republican leaders to ensure a full and fair vote, we must DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO GET THE VOTE OUT ON NOVEMBER 7.
If you are interested in helping, email us back at info@ocdemocrats.org.
Or visit the party website at www.ocdemocrats.org
Tell us where you live and what you would like to do to help, and we’ll get you in touch with a local campaign where you can TAKE ACTION.
Sincerely,
Frank Barbaro
Chairman
email: info@ocdemocrats.org
phone: (714) 835-2122
web: http://www.ocdemocrats.org/