[This is an article about the ongoing ballot audit in the contested CDP Chair’s race, and was originally published in the Sac Bee as given below. I meant to include it as part of Friday’s distribution; apologies. /KC ]
If California Democrats don’t check the vote, progressives could mutiny
by DAN GORDON and GREGORY RIVERA
From the Sacramento Bee, June 6, 2017
Breaking the rules to win is not exclusive to any political party. But if California Democrats cannot trust the election for chairperson of the most progressive state party in the country, our state may be in big trouble.
Democrats in California have gained a nearly decade-long hold on all statewide offices and supermajority status in the Legislature by building a diverse coalition. But the desire to gain power may have led to one side to sacrifice both its own integrity and that of the election.
Concern about this possibility heightened after a preliminary audit of nearly 3,000 ballots cast May 20 at the party convention in Sacramento, after a months-long contest between longtime party insider Eric Bauman and progressive nonprofit director Kimberly Ellis. By a very narrow margin, Bauman appeared to win.
We are among party leaders calling for a thorough, independent review of the ballots. Confidence in the outcome of the contest and the course of our state’s governing party are at stake. We do not want a mutiny and certainly not another wave of exits, as occurred last summer following the defeat of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the state’s presidential primary. We want to bring our diverse membership together to work on policy issues, campaigns and the growth of our party. That can only happen with trust in our internal governance and our officer elections.
The preliminary audit revealed irregularities in scores of votes that may have disregarded or manipulated eligibility standards. Some party leaders and staff may have misused their authority to arrange proxy votes cast by an in-person substitute who is obliged to follow the will of the absent delegate. Dozens of proxy votes came in from every corner of California, but were cast by current or former staffers, many living in the Sacramento area.
This pattern raises the possibility that Bauman – vice chairman of the state party, chairman of the largest county party in the state for more than 15 years and top staffer in the Assembly speaker’s office for arranging hires and favors – may have used his role in appointing and replacing delegates to shift procedures in his favor.
We believe an audit is crucial to resolve these questions. An audit could keep party activists concerned about corruption from jumping ship and thinning the donor base and volunteer force for months and years to come.
When talking about California’s leadership on climate change, immigrants and LGBT rights, Bauman has said, “We’re the only state party in the country that actually knows how to do it right.” He now has an opportunity to lead by example and show what a transparent election looks like.
If there is no wrongdoing, then he has nothing to fear. Should a full and fair review process dispel the widespread concerns, we will do our part to bring Democrats together and get to work on building a party that leads the way on progressive policy for our state and country.
Dan Gordon is a Democratic delegate from Los Angeles and can be contacted at dan@schmoliticsshow.com. Gregory Rivera is chairman of the Democratic central committee of San Benito County and can be contacted at agforequality@gmail.com.
Resolution to Restore Trust in Democracy within the CDP by Validating Votes for State Party Officers and Regional Directors
WHEREAS the right of Californians elected or appointed to the Democratic State Central Committee to elect the leadership of the California Democratic Party (CDP) becomes meaningless if all votes are not vetted properly and tabulated fairly; and
WHEREAS candidates, voters, and observers of the 2017 CDP state officer and Regional Director elections have serious concerns about how these elections were conducted, and ballot reviews are still unresolved, while candidates leading in the reported vote have assumed office despite uncertainty; and
WHEREAS party unity is critical to Democrats’ success in 2018 and 2020 elections, but such unity depends on respect for all Democrats as reflected in their ability to trust in the fairness and integrity of our party’s internal elections; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED that the El Cerrito Democratic Club calls for an independent, impartial, professional, transparent, and complete forensic audit of all CDP state officers’ or Regional Directors’ elections facing a challenge, including the election for CDP State Chair, to ensure each such election was conducted in accordance with principles of democracy and CDP rules (including whether ballots were cast by delegates or their eligible proxies, properly credentialed), in which auditors have the full support of the CDP to examine materials related to registration, credentialing, voting, counting votes, and securing ballots (including ballots, proxy forms), anything made available to candidates during ballot reviews, and other materials auditors deem appropriate (e.g., contact information for delegates, proxies, or others; surveillance recordings; CDP communications; or signatures); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the ECDC will transmit this resolution to the acting CDP Officers, the Compliance Review Commission.