Bernie backers rage over Calif. Democratic Party chair race
Audit underway after accusations of ballot stuffing, floor protests.
By CARLA MARINUCCI
05/22/2017 10:27 PM EDT
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SAN FRANCISCO — Supporters of the losing candidate in a bitterly disputed election to serve as chair of the California Democratic Party say they’ll begin a detailed audit of the votes on Monday.
The move comes after protests, allegations of ballot stuffing and bitter disputes after votes at a weekend party convention.
Longtime party operative Eric Bauman won the chairmanship of the California Democratic Party over the weekend — but his victory was marred by complaints of ballot-stuffing and floor protests. Backers of the Kimberly Ellis, a favorite of the “Berniecrat,” activist wing of the party — say efforts to scrutinize the votes will begin immediately.
The unprecedented effort to examine the documentation of the disputed state party’s election results was announced by outgoing California Democratic Party chair John Burton at the close of a raucous state Democratic convention this weekend.
Ellis, the former director of Emerge America, a women’s political organization, lost the election by a narrow margin of 62 votes out of 3,000 cast. Her loss immediately set off protests from hundreds of her backers, many of whom charged that there were irregularities that included allowing voters to cast proxy ballots without proper ID.
Some Democratic insiders are already worried the dispute has potential to do long-term damage, creating a rift in the state party as it heads into crucial 2018 elections, where as many as nine GOP House seats could be at stake in California.
The race between Bauman, a longtime party operative, and Ellis, a relative newcomer, was cast as one between the left and the far left of the party, between “new school” and “old school’’ wings — Berniecrat activists and more traditional Democrats.
Macaluso, a lead strategist for the Ellis, said that going into the election during the Democratic Convention in Sacramento, the Ellis campaign had carefully tracked its voters and it determined that 97 percent of those who said they would support her turned up to vote for her.
When the razor-thin outcome was announced, Ellis supporters demanded recounts and a re-vote from the floor — only to be told by Burton there were no provisions for such a move. But Burton did promise Ellis would be given full access to the ballots, now in the possession of the party’s executive director, Chris Myers, for examination.
Macaluso said Ellis will not concede the election until the audit is finished, a process that’s expected to be done quickly, and that she will abide by the results.
“Kimberly says we need to assume the best in everyone, but until we look at it, we won’t be able to validate the election,’’ he said. “But nobody has more of a vested interest in making sure there is no question about the fairness of this election than Eric Bauman. So of all people who should want this to be done cleanly – it’s him.”
Bernie backers rage over Calif. Democratic Party chair race
Audit underway after accusations of ballot stuffing, floor protests.
By CARLA MARINUCCI
05/22/2017 10:27 PM EDT
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
SAN FRANCISCO — Supporters of the losing candidate in a bitterly disputed election to serve as chair of the California Democratic Party say they’ll begin a detailed audit of the votes on Monday.
The move comes after protests, allegations of ballot stuffing and bitter disputes after votes at a weekend party convention.
Longtime party operative Eric Bauman won the chairmanship of the California Democratic Party over the weekend — but his victory was marred by complaints of ballot-stuffing and floor protests. Backers of the Kimberly Ellis, a favorite of the “Berniecrat,” activist wing of the party — say efforts to scrutinize the votes will begin immediately.
The unprecedented effort to examine the documentation of the disputed state party’s election results was announced by outgoing California Democratic Party chair John Burton at the close of a raucous state Democratic convention this weekend.
Ellis, the former director of Emerge America, a women’s political organization, lost the election by a narrow margin of 62 votes out of 3,000 cast. Her loss immediately set off protests from hundreds of her backers, many of whom charged that there were irregularities that included allowing voters to cast proxy ballots without proper ID.
Some Democratic insiders are already worried the dispute has potential to do long-term damage, creating a rift in the state party as it heads into crucial 2018 elections, where as many as nine GOP House seats could be at stake in California.
The race between Bauman, a longtime party operative, and Ellis, a relative newcomer, was cast as one between the left and the far left of the party, between “new school” and “old school’’ wings — Berniecrat activists and more traditional Democrats.
Macaluso, a lead strategist for the Ellis, said that going into the election during the Democratic Convention in Sacramento, the Ellis campaign had carefully tracked its voters and it determined that 97 percent of those who said they would support her turned up to vote for her.
When the razor-thin outcome was announced, Ellis supporters demanded recounts and a re-vote from the floor — only to be told by Burton there were no provisions for such a move. But Burton did promise Ellis would be given full access to the ballots, now in the possession of the party’s executive director, Chris Myers, for examination.
Macaluso said Ellis will not concede the election until the audit is finished, a process that’s expected to be done quickly, and that she will abide by the results.
“Kimberly says we need to assume the best in everyone, but until we look at it, we won’t be able to validate the election,’’ he said. “But nobody has more of a vested interest in making sure there is no question about the fairness of this election than Eric Bauman. So of all people who should want this to be done cleanly – it’s him.”
Bernie backers rage over Calif. Democratic Party chair race
I'm not cosigning this obvious troll by scoop just to get a few shots off on Bernie Bros. No one else should either.
