Board of Elections and Ethics

Councilmember Mary Cheh is Chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Environment, which is oversight of the DC Board of Elections and Ethics (Board). With Che as Chair, the Board has printed absentee ballots without the Republican candidate listed, the nation knew President Obama won but DC residents didn’t know if Obama won DC because of the Board's incompetence, the Board failed to deliver absentee ballots to many DC residents, the Board even failed to deliver an absentee ballot to the son of one of the Republican candidate who was serving in the armed forces in Iraq at the time.

Currently Councilmember Cheh is proposing legislation called the Omnibus Election Reform Act of 2009 (Bill 18-345) which will dramatically change DC's election process. While our Board of Elections cannot run a fair and quick election, Councilmember Cheh wants to add the following provisions:

1. Allow same day voter registration on Election Day.

2. Allow District employees to take a paid leave of absence to work on elections.

3. Allow non-DC residents to serve as poll watchers.

4. Allow an appointed "Advisory" task force from the Mayor and Council to interject their opinions with the three member Board of Elections.

5. Allow satellite offices for early voting in the District.

Michelle Rhee

From the Washington Examiner:

"The Council already has attempted to micromanage discipline policy... Can Chairman Vince Gray come up with a “supermajority” to override the [the Mayor's] veto? Unlikely. By my count, Gray has a solid four votes, resting on the aging shoulders of Marion Barry of Ward 8; Fenty can count on four, led by Ward 2’s Jack Evans. Four are on the fence: they are Mary Cheh of Ward 3..."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/HarryJaffe/012309-Fenty_DC_Council_are_primed_to_battle_over_money_schools.html

Transparency

From the Washington Post's Editorial Board:

"Even though the session was open to the public... Council members Mary Cheh & Phil Mendelson made the preposterous claim it should be withheld from broadcast...."

"Perhaps there were reasons for keeping his testimony secret, but if so the Council should have figured out lawful ways of keeping the questioning confidential."

"(Council members Cheh & Mendelson) cannot retroactively take something off the public record..."

"With (Council members Cheh & Mendelson) decision to take control of the channel devoted to council proceedings, we can only imagine what else -- a misstatement? an embarrassing moment? -- might be deemed unsuitable for public consumption."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070103708.html