The National Association of Secretaries of State has handed South Dakota Secretary of State Jason Gant some nice résumé filler with an appointment to co-chair its Committee on Elections.
NASS could have done South Dakota a favor and ordered Secretary Gant to sit in on meetings of its Notary Public Administrators Section, since Secretary Gant is unclear on his own notary public laws. Interestingly, the NPAS has no South Dakota members.
But surely as Secretary Gant assumes this position, NASS will ask that he review the organization's constitution, which says that NASS commit to the following ethical standards:
- Adhering to the highest standards of excellence that will nurture and maintain the public trust;
- Placing loyalty to state and federal constitutions, the law, and ethical principles above private or political gain; and
- For those Secretaries of State who serve as their state's chief elections official, practicing fair and unbiased election administration that recognizes each eligible citizen's right to cast his or her vote, and for that vote to be counted with the highest regard to constitutional foundations.
Good luck with the new sinecure, Secretary Gant! Let us know if you learn anything.
For a minute, I thought I mistakenly clicked on The Onion.
And then there was this appointment to our own state's Open Government Task Force: http://news.sd.gov/newsitem.aspx?id=13316
I can not believe they chose Gant?!? The perception and allegations of wrong doing not sufficiently and fairly investigated by the SD Attorney General should have been enough grounds to consider someone else for this position and definitely from another state.
So maybe PP was shown the door to take the heat and clear the way for this appointment. For a position no one really cares about, but just the same.
Now we're going to find out that Pat Powers was named to the Association's Committee on Employee Ethical Standards. Apparently, either NASS makes zero effort to vet its nominees for gross malfeasance, or it's become a GOP front group to shield the minority voter suppression tactics employed across the nation by Republican Governors and Legisaltures.
No, either PP quit for the reasons he said he quit, or he had other plans and didn't need to keep holding Gant's hands on the computers.
Next you'll be telling me that Mr. Howie's still hangin' in there like a hair in a biscuit in the running for Governor and that tomorrow inside Ifrit's the horseflies will be biblical.
Howie could easily slip into delusions of grandeur by looking at the Nelson, Rausch, and Buckingham endorsements and thinking, "I can beat Denny in a primary!" I generally eschew delusions... but I might find Howie's delusion in this direction useful.
Cory: please correct me if I'm wrong, but, on Rachel Madow last night there was a story about how early voting was allowed in the Republican majority counties of Ohio, however, the Democratic stronghold counties couldn't muster a big enough majority on the council to approve early voting. The Republicans in those counties successfully blocked early voting with the Republican Secretary of State breaking the tie in their favor. However, the Republicans that control the other counties with overwhelming majorities want early voting? If it's true, why doesn't it surprise me?
Alas, G, you appear to be correct: http://www.thenation.com/blog/169284/ohio-early-voting-cutbacks-disenfranchise-minority-voters#
Perhaps Gant can work on a national ID program to ensure that Romney wins everywhere not just PA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87NN5sdqNt8&feature=related