TO: CVF-NEWS FROM: Kim Alexander, CVF President DATE: April 15, 2002 RE: CFP conference update & more
Hi Folks,
This (rather long) CVF-NEWS round-up features an update on the 12th Annual Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference which begins tomorrow in San Francisco, along with a few other news items and updates.
In this edition:
CFP 2002 -- details, details, details
I'm getting ready to head to San Francisco tomorrow to participate in the 12th Annual Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference and am looking forward to seeing many of you soon!! CFP 2002 takes place April 16-19 at the Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Ave. at Geary Blvd. The full conference program is available online at http://www.cfp2002.org.
As a member of the CFP program committee I've organized three panels for the conference. Below are the panel times and lineup of speakers:
1) How to Hack an Election
Thursday, April 18, 8:45 - 10:00 a.m.
Panelists:
Ernie Hawkins, Sacramento County Registrar of Voters
Joe Taggard, Election Systems and Software
Andy Neff, VoteHere
Peter Neumann, SRI International
Jason Dearen, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
Moderator: Kim Alexander, California Voter Foundation
2) Grassroots Goes Global: Using the Internet for Activism
Thursday, April 18, 2:15 -3:30 p.m.
Panelists:
Jason Mark, Global Exchange
Chris Carlsson, Shaping San Francisco, Critical Mass
Caruso, Quantum Light
Heather Mansfield, eActivist.org
Moderator: Michael Cornfield, Democracy Online Project
3) How Public is too Public? Public Records and Personal Privacy
Friday, April 19, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Panelists:
Rebecca Daugherty, Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press
Carrie Gardner, Ph.D., outgoing chair of the American Library Association
Intellectual Freedom Committee subcommittee on Privacy
Kim Alexander, California Voter Foundation
Beth Givens, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Moderator: Deirdre Mulligan, Boalt Law School
The CFP program committee has been working hard on the conference for months, and we are all really excited about the program and all the people who will be there. There are a lot of big issues tackled at this and every CFP. One of the things that I like most about being at CFP is it provides a sense of community across sectors and a shared commitment to working together to address some of the most challenging public policy issues of our time.
News stories about the conference will be posted to the site during the conference. If you are looking for me during the conference I will be "findable" through the press room or the hotel.
(see the March 14, 2002 edition of CVF-NEWS for more details about the CFP conference)
FPPC to hold public workshop on campaign finance disclosure
On Tuesday, April 16 the California Fair Political Practices Commission will conduct a "hands-on" workshop for journalists and anyone else who wants to better understand how to read California's campaign finance disclosure reports and how to utilize the Secretary of State's Cal-Access web site. Here are the time, location, and RSVP details:When: Tuesday, April 16, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Where: FPPC headquarters, 428 J St. (Fifth and J Streets) in downtown Sacramento, in the eighth-floor hearing room
RSVP: Seats are still available but space is limited. RSVP by contacting Hal Dasinger at (916) 323-2938 or hdasinger@fppc.ca.gov.The full press release is online at:
http://www.fppc.ca.gov/index.html?id=48&show=detail&prid=439
U.S. Senate passes federal election reform legislation
Last week the U.S. Senate passed a major election overhaul bill on a 99-1 vote. The Washington D.C.-based Constitution Project is tracking federal election legislation and has compiled a side-by-side comparison of the bill passed by the Senate (S. 565, Dodd), and the one passed by the House (H.R. 3295, Ney-Hoyer). The three-page comparison covers provisions for funding and conditions on grants, the creation of new federal commissions, voting system standards, requirements for computerized voter registration lists, voter identification, acceptable "voter error" rates and error notification that protects the secret ballot, and more.
The Constitution Project's analysis is available online in PDF at the Electionline web site:
http://www.electionline.org/site/docs/pdf/election.reform.side.by.side.4.11.2002.pdf
California Primary voter turnout at 34.5 percent
Last Friday California Secretary of State Bill Jones certified the results of the March 5, 2002 California Primary election. The final numbers show a 34.5 percent turnout of registered voters, which is the lowest percentage turnout in California history. Prior to March 5th, the lowest turnout in a California Primary was June 1994, when 36.1 percent of registered voters participated.
It's important to note, however, that the March 5, 2002 Primary turnout was not the lowest in terms of numbers of voters. Nearly 5.3 million Californians voted on March 5, up from 5 million in June 1994. California's population is constantly growing while at the same time the percentage of voters who affiliate with the two major parties declines. There has been a lot of hand-wringing since the March primary about low voter turnout, but some of the cause can be found simply by looking at demographic and partisan trends at work in California over time.
The Secretary of State's office is printing the official, certified Statement of Vote now and it will be formally released and available on the Secretary of State's web site in a few weeks.
Webby Award Nominees to be announced April 29
Thanks to all of you who sent in your suggestions for nominees in the Government & Law category for the 2002 Webby Awards. The nominees will be announced on April 29 -- stay tuned, and for more details visit http://www.webbyawards.com
That's all for now. Have a great week!
-- Kim Alexander, California Voter Foundation
kimalex@calvoter.org, (916) 452-7706, www.calvoter.org
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This page was first published on April 15, 2002 | Last updated on April 15, 2002
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