All presidential primary candidates are invited to attend the event, and we expect that in the good NH tradition, DFest participants will be able to meet them on the "streets" of the "Town of Democracy" where DFest is taking place.
In addition to the usual fabulously fun DFest agenda, DFNH will be hosting its portion of the program on Sunday June 10th with a special Election Integrity track. Join us in exploring grassroots democracy New Hampshire-style!!! Here is what we have planned:
SPEAKER: NATIONAL HERO OF GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY THE "DEAN" OF SECRETARIES OF STATE, NEW HAMPSHIRE'S OWN SECRETARY OF STATE, THE HONORABLE WILLIAM GARDNER
Secretary Gardner is currently serving his 16th consecutive 2-year term as NH's Secretary of State. The youngest elected (he was 28 yrs. old when first elected), and the longest serving, Secretary Gardner has earned the respect of his colleagues nationwide, who refer to him as "the Dean". As a Democrat elected 15 consecutive terms by a Republican majority, Secretary Gardner exemplifies the nonpartisan approach that he intentionally brings to his service. A true hero of grassroots democracy, Secretary Gardner entered office with the self-described goal of "bringing more people into the process." The large welcome mat outside his ever-open door gives testimony to this goal. Under his leadership, New Hampshire passed the first in the nation REAL paper ballot law, mandating that no machines may be approved for use in NH that do not read the voter's mark on a paper ballot, initiated election day registration, preserved the first in the nation presidential primary as a public event, making accessible to any eligible citizen the dream of running for President of the United States, established financially accessible recounts and a tradition (now made into law) of hand counting every recount, and has established the modus operandi among the entire state election apparatus of "erring on the side of letting people vote."
WORKSHOP: POLLWORKER TRAINING IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE HAND COUNT METHODOLOGY
Workshop led by the amazing staff of the office of the New Hampshire Department of State
SPEAKER: NH ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTHONY STEVENS: COSTS AND MANAGEMENT OF HAND COUNT ELECTIONS
Assistant Secretary Anthony Stevens has worked in the NH Department of State since 1994. He holds an MBA from Harvard University and worked in the field of international financial management prior to joining the Department of State. Following the passage of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), Mr. Stevens was responsible for the development of the State's electronic voter registration database, and played a significant role in the HAVA State Plan Task Force responsible for meeting HAVA mandates for disability solutions. He represents New Hampshire on the national Standards Board of election officials, and serves on the Advisory Board of ACCURATE (A Center for Correct, Usable, Reliable, Auditable, and Transparent Elections). Mr. Stevens was also the only election official to serve on the National Academies Research Council Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, which released its report "Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting in 2005, and a follow up "Letter Report on Electronic Voting" in 2006.
SPEAKER: NEW HAMPSHIRE ELECTION ATTORNEY PAUL TWOMEY: INFLUENCING ELECTION LAW FROM THE GRASSROOTS UP
New Hampshire's own Perry Mason, Attorney Paul Twomey successfully investigated and prosecuted the case against the New Hampshire GOP, which had been involved in jamming the get out the vote phone lines of the New Hampshire Democratic Party in the 2002 General Election. Attorney Twomey's investigations into the phone jamming case connected the dots between the NH GOP, Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and the White House itself. Following the successful prosecution of the phone jamming case, Attorney Twomey won his case on ballot order against the State of New Hampshire, ensuring fair ballot order display of both candidate and party names on New Hampshire ballots.
Panel participants include New Hampshire city and town clerks and election moderators
FILM SCREENING: WE'RE COUNTING THE VOTES AND YOU CAN TOO PLUS HACKING DEMOCRACY
AND.....SPECIAL HONORED GUEST SPEAKER AND SPECIAL EVENT TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!!!
