March 15, 2006

Hon. Deborah Markowitz

Secretary of State

26 Terrace Street

Montpelier, VT 05609

Dear Madame Secretary:

I was troubled to learn of your recent comments to legislators that indicated you believe same-day voter registration will benefit Republican Party candidates because Republican voters tend to be, and I paraphrase closely based on accounts from those who heard you first-hand, poorly-educated and of low income.

I object to your suggestion that Republicans in Vermont are too dumb to register to vote in a timely fashion.  Rank and file Republicans in Vermont - regardless of education level - are perfectly capable of utilizing any of the 722 out of 730 days of the election cycle currently available to register. 

I know that studies show that liberal Democrats very much dominate professorships within academia and are the disproportionate owners of PhDs, but I can assure you it does not take one in order to successfully register to vote.

Whether or not Republicans in Vermont tend to be disproportionately low-income I do not know, but I am puzzled at the suggestion that income level would affect one's ability perform the simple task of registering to vote - unless by low-income you meant dumb.  In any case, your evaluation indicates that Democrats are prepared to accuse Republicans of being simultaneously both low-income and super-wealthy, depending on which description best helps them advance their political agenda.

I know many Democrats are big supporters of same-day registration, and I hope I do not sound too cynical by suggesting it is not because you believe the bill will aid my party.  Indeed, our position is clear: voting should be easy, and cheating should be hard.  Same-day registration - if done without due regard to election integrity - opens up all sorts of avenues for potential mischief at the polls and puts a heavy burden on local election officials and town clerks.

Auditor Brock has previously identified some serious issues that need to be resolved before the new statewide voter checklist built by your office can be trusted to guarantee the integrity of Vermont's elections, and both of us have testified as to our concerns with the same-day registration bill as it applies to election integrity.  As you know, even now there are very few safeguards in place to identify voter fraud should it occur, and causing the voter checklist to be a moving target through same-day registration would only amplify the opportunities for fraud.

Attorney General Sorrell has claimed to the United States Supreme Court that Vermont's politicians are uniquely corruptible - enough so to justify campaign contribution limits equal to $50 per election in 1974 dollars for fear they will be bought by special interests if allowed to receive anything more.  Certainly, if Vermont politicians can be so easily corrupted out of the desire to win election then one could imagine the lengths to which they might go to arrange for fraudulent ballots to be cast on their behalf.

With many elections each cycle determined by just a tiny handful of votes, the risk of passing a bill without appropriate safeguards could result in Florida-like electoral chaos.

I think you and I agree that in our democracy, every single legitimate vote is sacred and must be counted.  I hope you and your fellow Democrats will agree, as well, that because every illegal vote cast disqualifies a legitimate vote, it is of preeminent importance that we guarantee the integrity of our elections using every method available and with at least the same level of enthusiasm as adding an additional single day to the 103 weeks we already have to register.  You cannot claim to support the sanctity of the vote while you so casually dismiss reasonable concerns about the potential for vote fraud.

Madame Secretary, I hope you will reconsider your support for this bill until such time as its flaws are corrected.  There are numerous ways to improve the legislation while maintaining the principle that each and every legitimate voter should be given easy access to the ballot box. 

In addition, I hope you will issue a public apology for your mischaracterization of Republican voters. 

                                                                        Sincerely,

Jim Barnett

                                                                        Chairman