Elections Division swats away offer of "security" for polling places
Kari Chisholm
Well, so much for the offer by Evergreen Defense and Security Services to "post sentries at each voting center" to keep election-crazed Oregonians from tearing each other apart. (See my earlier posts about this bizarre story here and here.)
According to PolitickerOR, the director of the state elections division, sent a rather terse and concerned email their way:
“Upon reading the email you sent to county clerks I was perplexed and am hopeful you could answer three questions,” John Lindback of the Elections Division wrote to EDSS Director of Operations Gary Dodson in an email. “Were you offering to do this for free for counties or were you proposing that your firm be hired for this purpose? Are you aware that county clerks rely on their county sheriffs for their security needs during an election and that state agencies are prepared and ready to assist in the event of emergencies? Is your firm planning to post ‘sentries’ at any county with or without the permission of county and state election officials?”“Obviously,” Lindback continued, “if your answer to question #3 is yes we would be very concerned and would need to discuss this with you and the president of your firm.”
According to the Oregonian, Evergreen responded by saying that they'd merely been trying to drum up business - and that they had struck out. Apparently, they contacted every county in the state.
Earlier this month every county elections director in Oregon received an email from Evergreen Aviation, which was trying to drum up some business for its new Defense and Security Services Division. ..."This happens to be one of our new start-up companies," Josh Parkin, an executive vice president with McMinnville-based Evergreen, said Friday. "You have to go after every opportunity and see what develops." ... Evergreen contacted Lindback. But only to say that their sales pitch was a strike out.
The Roseburg News-Review had more details from Douglas County:
The county uses two sheriff’s deputies on Election Day to ensure there is no trouble. One sits in the back room where ballots are processed and another sits in the vault where ballots are run through a counter.“We don’t have any trouble in Douglas County,” Nielsen said.
The biggest problem occurred a few years ago when a man caused a fuss at the front counter at the elections office. One of the deputies stepped out and he didn’t have to say a word to end the disturbance, Nielsen said.
“That took care of that,” she said.
So, there you have it. I'm not sure whether to be creeped out or reassured.
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Nov 1, '08
Be creeped out. Evergreen is creepy, always have been.
Nov 1, '08
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/10/what_is_blackwaters_role_in_the
Democracy Now on the role of Blackwater in the Presidential Election. Check their site for a full section of links over time - they are keeping a good eye on this entity and the mercenary industry. From personal knowledge, these mercenaries are coming straight out of our military. So-called elite troops are assiduously recruited. By key informant report, they perform all of the same functions as they did for the US military, but for astronomical sums. It is not a liberal fantasy.
Nov 1, '08
This is something to be cautious of. Where I grew up our next door neighbors came from Germany. They had left Germany in the '30s when Hitler took power because they were pushed out for opposing him. They told me about how when they went to vote in Hitler's Germany there were "guards" posted at the polling place to watch and to ensure that you voted "correctly". I have always been extremely glad that in the United States we do NOT post guards at polling places. (I never saw a police officer at a polling place until I went to the east coast). Obviously, there is security for protecting the elections offices and ensuring ballot integrity, but we do not have "guards" watch people voting. I would be extremely cautious of going any distance down that path.
Nov 1, '08
On Evergreen:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Evergreen_International_Aviation%2C_Inc.#Allegations_of_impropriety_over_Evergreen.27s_non-profit_museum
And now, for me, the creepy part: my brother died in a warbird crash on the grounds of Evergreen's Museum prior to an airshow. He was an intelligence analyst, ocean rescue professional, warbird pilot and aviation writer [to name only a few of his attributes that came to light in his memorial]. He was known throughout the tight, wide-scattered warbird community. And he happened to work for the NSA.
Sigh. I had begun to wonder recently just how he ended up over at Evergreen's airshow - more as a little sister wondering what MORE unknowns of my brother's incredibly interesting life might ever surface.
Evergreen. Now there is this CIA linkage, and current "logistics" line of business that affords them huge money. They were diverting funds from the non-profit museum into their for-profit arm. Lots to learn about Evergreen.
Eh.
Nov 1, '08
Evergreen site: the Defense and Security Services pages, which detail decades of work in mercenary logistics -
"Vision To help ensure the God-given right of peace, freedom and democracy to all people.
Mission Statement Evergreen is committed to being defenders of freedom by providing ethical and professional solutions to security challenges. We commit to support national and international policies, as well as our brave military men and women."
5:59 p.m.
Nov 1, '08
Yea, I know Multnomah County Elections usually has a few sheriff deputies in the front of the building to make sure everything goes ok.
They were a great help in 2004 when we had a few problems like people using cell phones in the building, when a man shooting video across the street was accosted, when people tried to politic right outside the doors and refused to move, etc.
The officers rarely went over to the area where people were voting, and that was only when we were having a problem, like someone standing over someone's shoulder and refusing to move when asked to do so.
We have excellent security in the form of our sheriff depts. - we definitely don't need an organization like this coming in to "help."
Nov 1, '08
Jenni, on the subject of politicking on-site, our instructions are, of course, not to do any of that, no paraphernalia etc... nobody working an election should show ANY affiliation to affect ANYONE, certainly... but I saw some coverage on a Dem hopeful who is showing up outside polling places to shake hands and engage voters.
I really did not like seeing that. It's not cricket. She had her chance, and this space should be sacrosanct, even if you are running against Beelzebub and his legions themselves. I just have a purist sense on that.
Is this against standard protocol? What are the laws on this? I felt a personal peevishness when I read this, as it's just more press Dems don't need at the very last.
11:56 a.m.
Nov 2, '08
Back home, we always worked the polling places. But there were clearly marked lines that we were not allowed to cross.
Typically when you showed up at a polling place, part of the parking lot was filled with people with signs, t-shirts, etc. who were there rallying for a candidate. Those who didn't want to be bothered could park real close to the building, which put them within the "x" number of feet from the polling place where no politicking was allowed.
When it comes to the line of people waiting to vote, we always stayed away from it - even if the line went beyond the marked area. It wasn't their fault the lines were so long that they were outside the "no politicking" area. We always felt that the line was off limits as well.
I know as a candidate I definitely wouldn't be down there doing that. It just seems wrong. The only working of the line I've ever done (other than the official work as a county elections worker) was to offer umbrellas when it was raining and hot coffee/cocoa when it was cold. And those offers were to everyone, without any discussion on how to vote.
Nov 2, '08
Yoiks! Keep these creepy people away from our voting centers!
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