Chesk out Chris Deschene--A Navaho veteran seeking the Az SOS

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Exploratory Committee

December 22, 2009

Dear Friend,
In 2004, Jan Brewer was co-chair of George W. Bush’s re-election effort in Arizona. In 2008, she did the same thing for John McCain.

When did it become okay for any Secretary of State – whose Number 1 responsibility is to guarantee fair and open elections – to be directly working for the election of one candidate and the defeat of another?

Unfortunately, this isn’t new. Florida Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, was co-chair of Bush’s first campaign in 2000 when the presidency of the United State was literally swung on the re-count. Ohio’s Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, co-chaired for Bush in 2004 and did exactly the same thing. At the bare minimum that conflict undermined the appearance of fair play and peoples’ confidence in the results.

Don’t get me wrong; it would be no more right if the candidates involved were Democrats. This is one of the reasons I’m exploring a run for Secretary of State in 2010: I believe a level playing field is the right of every voter and every candidate in every election. (Help Chris)

Because we need a Chief Elections Officer who is impartial, I’m also doing something that has never been done before and making it my personal pledge not to support ANY candidate for public office if I am Secretary of State. Ever.

Instead, I promise to spend my time and energy making sure we have an Elections Department which:

Makes certain that every eligible vote is counted
Demands complete transparency and accountability in our elections process
Respects and protects every qualified voter’s rights
Moves to quickly remove existing voter registration and election policies that discriminate heavily against rural voters

Makes available to voters clear instructions on where to go and what to do on Election Day in time for this information to be useful
Recruits and trains poll workers to make sure that lines are shorter and information is accurate
Immediately responds to instances of voter intimidation and holds those responsible to account

Safeguards the accuracy of voting machines by insisting on thorough Logic and Accuracy checks and by securing the chain of custody for voting machines both before and after the election.
I am doing this because election protection is a personal issue for me.

In 2008, after serving my country overseas as a Special Forces officer in the US Marine Corps, I found my own voting rights under attack right here at home. I was a defendant in a lawsuit that would have limited the ability of Native Americans to participate in elections and would have kept me from being able to run for public office.

It was outrageous and wrong. I fought the case in court and won a legal decision that protects voters of any background. (Contribute)

Political strategists tell me it’s not good politics to write such a detailed letter and that people like you will tune out what I have to say. I apologize for the length, but this is something I care passionately about and I think there’s too much at stake to be quiet or to use shorthand and political hyperbole.

If you agree with me, please help get this message out to voters by contributing right now. December 31st is the deadline to donate before my first, important financial disclosure and I need your help.

I hope you will also visit my website at www.descheneforarizona.com. You can read more about our exploratory campaign there, sign up as a supporter or help me with your ideas and volunteer energy.

I know that Arizona is a state that values fairness and accountability. I am counting on those ideals and on my belief that people like you will be willing to support a candidate who is unequivocal and willing to fight to uphold them.

Sincerely,


Chris Deschene
State Representative (D – Window Rock)
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This guy seems like the real deal.

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1. Kick to get more people to look at this young politician

with a lot of potential.