In the typical Orwellian fashion that would cause him to name a rollback on pollution standards the "Clean Skies" Initiative and a failing educational system that reduces funding to the schools that need it the most "No Child Left Behind," George Bush has nominated Hans Von Spakovsky to oversee fair elections at the FEC.
Donna Brazile, former campaign manager to Al Gore, says about Von Spakovsky in Roll Call (subs. req.d):
"Who is Hans von Spakovsky?" It's a fair question, especially if you're not familiar with the new barriers that have been imposed on our electoral system, making it harder for certain Americans to register and vote. Von Spakovsky has been referred to by leaders in the civil rights community as one of the "chief architects" behind efforts to suppress and dilute the voting rights of minorities in this country. If Senators care about the right of all citizens to participate in our electoral process, they ought to attend the hearing and ask this nominee to answer some of the allegations.
Some of us have come to expect that a nominee to the FEC, or any government agency that is responsible for upholding and enforcing our nation's laws, would have a real interest in "fair election" issues. One also might think that nominees, regardless of their political affiliation, would be committed to policies that encourage the full participation of every eligible citizen in our electoral process. Unfortunately, von Spakovsky seeks a return to an era when laws were used not to protect the rights of all citizens, but to prohibit certain citizens from fully exercising their right to participate in the electoral process.
Senator Obama has issued a statement on von Spakovsky:
Mr. von Spakovsky's role in supporting the Department of Justice's quixotic efforts to attack voter fraud raises significant questions about his ability to interpret and apply the law in a fair manner, [..] Unless Mr. von Spakovsky can provide legitimate explanations for his conduct in these matters, I believe that he should not be confirmed to this important position.
