In the Public Interest

League of Women Voters^®
of Norman

Commentary

Susan B. Anthony. Community Growth Places Stress on Water Resources. Quality Education a Priority with the League. The LWV is an Advocate for the Voter. Balancing Civil Liberties and Secure Communities. Term Limits in the OK Legislature. Strengthen Democracy with Voter Owned Elections. Save the Rail Infrastructure.

We celebrate the life of Susan B. Anthony on her birthday.

Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, February 15, 2010
On this President's Day we celebrate the courage of our founding fathers in forging a new nation. Let us also celebrate the courage of those who dedicated their lives to bringing about "liberty and justice for all."
Some complain that our government has moved away from the one intended by our founding fathers . . . yes, indeed it has. The government they created placed full power in the hands of white male property owners, who made laws in their own interests. It took more than a century of struggle and the 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments to the United States Constitution to bring the rest of the population under its protection.
Susan B. Anthony, born on this day in 1820, dedicated her life to the cause of woman suffrage. During the nineteenth century women could not vote, own property, earn a living, or have custody of their own children. While some progress was made state by state on these fronts through intensive lobbying, full citizenship for women in the United States was not attained until 1920, fourteen years after Anthony's death.
To promote the cause of woman suffrage, Susan B. Anthony registered and voted in 1872 at Rochester, New York in the knowledge that she would be arrested for performing an illegal act. She was denied the right to be judged by her peers. The judge in the case read an opinion and directed the jurors to find her guilty before they were given an opportunity to deliberate. At the end of a statement after the verdict was pronounced she said, "And I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old revolutionary maxim, that `Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.' "
Anthony was also denied appeal to a higher court, so she took her case to the public by publishing the transcript of the trial. She refused to pay the $100 fine. No further action was taken against her. Without missing a beat she was back on the lecture circuit.
Susan Brownell Anthony

Community Growth Places Stress on Water Resources

Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, October 2, 2009.
Beyond The Tap: Could we run out of water? is the first of a series of investigative reports by Asia Scudder for Voices of Oklahoma on the affect of community growth on Norman's water supply. Later in the series she will be discussing "sustainable strategies for water management." We encourage our readers to follow this series online and to become active in promoting policies and practices that will ensure adequate sources of clean water for generations to come.
The protection of water resources has been a priority for LWV study and action for decades...and will likely be a priority for decades to come.
The League supports:

water resource programs and policies that reflect the interrelationships of water quality, water quantity, ground-water and surface water and that address the potential depletion or pollution of water supplies;

measures to reduce water pollution from direct point-source discharges and from indirect nonpoint sources;**

policies to achieve water quality essential for maintaining species populations and diversity, including measures to protect lakes, estuaries, wetlands and in-stream flows;

stringent controls to protect the quality of current and potential drinking-water supplies, including protection of watersheds for surface supplies and of recharge areas for groundwater.

**Direct point-source and indirect nonpoint source discharges: Pollution that emits from a discrete location (e.g. a pipe, a tank, a ditch, a pit) is referred to as point-source. Pollution caused by contaminated runoff from multiple locations is nonpoint source pollution. Definitions converge when considering "urban runoff" where pollution from multiple sources may be channeled through storm water drainage systems and discharged into nearby lakes or rivers.
Peoples of the world struggle daily to obtain enough water to survive. As Maryknoll Missionary, John Lange, reminds us, "Water is life. And no water will mean death." He reports that in the slums of Nairobi, Africa, a line of 1,000 people with jerry cans snakes for 500 yards to use one church water faucet where "water trickles out at a rate to fill a coke bottle in a minute."
Resources updates:
Beyond The Tap: Could we run out of water?, part 1 of a series, Voices of Oklahoma online community magazine.
Beyond The Tap: Q&A on Norman water issues, part 2 of a series, Voices of Oklahoma online community magazine.
Beyond The Tap: Preparing for water `booms and busts', part 3 of a series, Voices of Oklahoma online community magazine.
Oklahoma Water Resources Board: Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality: Water Quality Division
Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG): Water Resources
City of Norman Storm Water Master Plan

Quality Education a Priority with the League

Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, August 25, 2009.
The Common Education Program Position of League of Women Voters of Oklahoma advocates strengthened financial and administration structures to provide for quality education in Oklahoma.
Concern for the quality of education provided Oklahoma's children has been a thread running through League program positions for decades. The current education positions reflect the intense national interest in improving the equality of opportunity for quality education, which arose in the 1970s. Oklahoma focused its attention on improving administrative structures and the manner in which education was funded. Much of what has been accomplished in the field of education in Oklahoma has had the active backing of the League.
FINANCE
The League of Women Voters of Oklahoma believes that improved financing is the key to providing equal opportunity for quality education for all children in Oklahoma. It believes that the state should assume the major responsibility for financing common school education. The state should also assume the responsibility for improving and equalizing financial resources among the school districts. The major portion of financing for common schools should come from state funds, moving away from a base of ad valorem taxes. Overall tax reform must be achieved with continued improvement of assessment practices and removal of constitutional limitation on millage.
A League study examined the state system based on a combination of local ad valorem taxes and state support and concluded that changes needed to be made for the benefit of all children in the state. The League pursued action at the legislative level by giving support to efforts to create equalization in school funding. The state established a new equalization formula which more fairly distributes state aid to education. The League's citizen awareness campaign, funded by the LWV Education Fund helped build support for the new system of equalizing ad valorem taxes across the state.
ADMINISTRATION
The League believes that the state Superintendent of Public Instruction should be appointed.
Whether appointed or elected, the members of the State Board of Education should be selected to represent districts based on population such as congressional districts.
An early League study and consensus called for mandatory kindergartens. The Legislature made kindergarten a reality with local districts offering free kindergartens by September 1, 1974; however, kindergartens were not mandatory for all students. The League worked for expanded special education services for both the handicapped and gifted and talented child, and 250 new special education classes were established for the 1971-72 school year. Programs for gifted and talented students were provided funding and implemented over a three-year period beginning in the 1981-82 school year and completed by the 1983-84 school year.
TEXTBOOK SELECTION
The League believes that the State Board of Education should maintain a statewide adoption process for the selection of textbooks but not limit the approved items to any specific number. The adoption process should have the flexibility to include both textbooks and other learning materials; the textbook should not be the sole source of information available for use in the classroom. Local school districts should be permitted to use state appropriated textbook funds to purchase learning materials appropriate to a course of study.
Selection Committee members at both the state and local level should be trained to critically analyze materials in relation to the curriculum, accuracy of content and appropriateness of method. Such training should be required and could be provided through in-service and/or teacher education courses.
In 1992 the House and Senate joined in an interim study to recommend legislation on textbook reform to the 1993 Legislative Session. A panel of educators and legislators came up with suggestions for legislation, which were essentially recommendations made by the League following the 1986 Textbook Study. The bill passed and the reforms were implemented.

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HOUSE BILL 1017: THE EDUCATION REFORM AND FUNDING ACT OF 1990.
This bill mandates that all schools meet standards equal to or greater than those of the North Central Accrediting Association. Some of these standards include improved curriculum, better access to counselors, and class size reduction.
HB1017 improved funding to Oklahoma's public school system by adding earmarked sales and income tax hikes to fund mandates of the bill. This increase in funding gave an additional $230 million in the first year.
The League was involved in extensive lobbying for the passage of HB1017. With the passage of this bill, several long-standing League education positions were implemented. Among League positions which became law are some dealing with the administration and structure of the common education system and the funding of this system. A new funding equalization formula to more fairly distribute state aid was established.

The LWV is an Advocate for the Voter

Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, March 23, 2009.
The Oklahoma League of Women Voters recently concurred with the Norman League's views concerning the desirability of maintaining the current State voting system, which uses voter-marked paper ballots and Optical Scan machines rather than Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) computers. A letter was sent to Secretary of Elections Paul Ziriax, which outlined the League positions. In contrast to the outstanding performance of Oklahoma's voting system, defects in election administration and procedures in other states have disenfranchised countless eligible Americans every election cycle. Unfortunately, too many state Leagues still report long lines, delays, technological failures and other administrative problems at polling places.
Organizations such as the League are crucial to assuring that voter registration is available to every voter. The facts also show conclusively that we are key to assuring that minority voters have access to registration. In 2004, approximately 8.5 percent of registrants had been registered by the efforts of third party organizations, according to the Bureau of the Census. The data also make clear who is impacted by restrictions on third-party voter registration efforts. In 2004, 15 percent of African-American and Hispanic registrants had been registered to vote as a result of an organized drive -- a rate much higher than the 8.9 percent rate for Whites. According to Wendy R. Weiser with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and Jonah Goldman with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law,

"Voter registration problems typically are the largest cause of unwarranted voter disenfranchisement in the United States. Year after year, a substantial number of Americans show up at their polling places only to find that their names are not on the voter rolls, either because of a problem in the registration process or because their names have been incorrectly removed from the rolls. Others are unable to register to vote in advance of Election Day because of restrictive voter registration requirements."

One of the major restrictions is voter registration deadlines. The data from 2004 shows that six states had "same day registration" during the General Election and eligible voter turnout was 13.6% higher than in those states which had earlier deadlines. In addition to increasing turnout, same day registration helps overcome a number of problems in state registration systems. Americans often complain that voter registration deadlines prevent them from participating in elections because they enter into the political discussions after the registration deadline has passed. Moreover, one of the most frequent causes of disenfranchisement on Election Day, even for those who have submitted timely voter registration applications, is the registration process.
The League believes that there are opportunities to enhance voter registration through same day registration and designation of federal offices as voter registration agencies, such as the Veterans Administration, naturalization services, Supplemental Security Income, and other programs. Restrictions on voter registration remain as the single largest barrier to voter participation, especially when the number of affected persons is considered.
The League is also concerned about the operation of statewide voter registration databases. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) requires each state to implement a single, uniform, computerized statewide voter registration list to serve as the official voter list for the conduct of all elections for Federal office. These statewide databases should be designed to streamline communication among voter registration offices and to improve election administration. In many instances, however, "no match" rules, lack of clear statewide administration and other problems have undermined rather than enhanced voter registration. Properly implemented statewide databases should ensure that once registered, no eligible voter will be removed from the official list simply because he or she has moved within the state. Effective management of state voter lists is the necessary starting point for any discussion of improvements in voter registration systems.
HAVA also speaks to a closely related issue -- the question of purging. Federal law has provisions to ensure that eligible voters are not dropped from the registration list. Anecdotal evidence suggests that these protections are, unfortunately, not always followed. For example, many jurisdictions seemingly purge voters within 90 days of an election, which is prohibited.
In addition, the League strongly opposes photo ID requirements, since research shows that such requirements disproportionately impact the elderly, young people, people of color, rural voters, frequent movers, and individuals with disabilities.
The League urges a periodic review by State Election Officials of these laws and of the recent research by states and major Universities on the problems encountered during elections over the last decade. Additional reliable information is available at: The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, Election Protection -- a division of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Resources:
An Agenda for Election Reform (pdf) by Wendy R. Weiser and Jonah Goldman and published by the Brennan Center for Justice and the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.
Election Protection 2008: Helping Voters Today, Modernizing the System for Tomorrow (pdf) a report published by the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.
LWVUS letter to U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, March 11, 2009.

Balancing Civil Liberties and Secure Communities

Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, January 14, 2009.
Should government laws sacrifice civil liberties as part of a strategy to strengthen homeland security? Should the public be involved in the formulation of security policy?
It is the League's strong belief that public input and involvement in government are not just desirable -- they are essential to the health and vitality of this country.
The attacks on September 11, 2001 affected every level of our government -- from new departments and laws in government to citizens' awareness of what is going on in their communities, and these changes will be here for a long time.
As our federal, state and local governments work to protect us, fundamental questions have occurred about whether or not the increased protection is undermining our basic freedoms and liberties. Is it possible to feel secure and preserve our democracy as it used to be?
One of the most significant actions by Congress is the USA Patriot Act, which was passed very quickly after 9-11. Some of the permanent parts of this Act have led to debate on how to balance civil liberties and homeland security. Advocates of the Act believe that the provisions related to civil liberties are needed for law enforcement to take action which will keep us safe, and advocates of civil liberties say that certain provisions in the Act infringe on rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
Public involvement in the issues surrounding the provisions of the USA Patriot Act has been limited. Much of the debate in Congress has been conducted behind closed doors, and the public has received little information.
In June 2005 the League of Women Voters of the United States partnered with the Study Circles Resource Center, a national organization working for deliberative democracy. Together they facilitated ten public discussions in different cities across the country. The findings of these meetings are reported in a League publication, Local Voices, published in August 2005.
The Local Voices report concludes with several League of Women Voters recommendations that relate to how all levels of government, the media, and the public can help strengthen public understanding and involvement about the decisions that have been made or will be made in the future regarding homeland security and civil liberties.
A Challenge to Policymakers.
The LWV asks that policymakers at all levels of government keep the public informed regarding important talks and decisions about liberty and security. Policymakers should inform the public in a yearly report about changes and implementation of policies, as well as the impact of these changes on our citizens.
Recommendations:
The Executive Branch

Strengthen the reporting mechanisms to Congress of federal agencies related to homeland security and civil liberties, and share this information with the media and the public.
Prevent further erosion of open government that disallows access to information.
The new Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board should define ways it can inform the public about these complex issues.

Members of Congress

Hold open hearings on issues and legislation related to civil liberties and homeland security.
Hold town hall meetings in their districts on civil liberties and security to share information with the public and ask for their input.

State and Local Policymakers

Issue yearly reports on homeland security policies and any overlap of these with civil liberties.
Hold public meetings to discuss any issues involving security and civil liberties.

Citizens

Ask for and participate in public forums.
Monitor city council and other city meetings.
Vote in every election.
Study the Bill of rights, civil liberties and how our democracy works.
Write letters to the press and members of all levels of government.
Join and participate in civic organizations, such as the LWV, to let others know your opinions.

The Media

Write more about homeland security, how civil liberties are affected, and how the public can become involved.
Provide educational material on civil liberties and how they are being challenged.
Sponsor and cover public forums on these issues.

The League's Local Voices concludes with the following comments:
"Government needs to share information with and listen to the public, the public needs to make efforts to keep informed and to make their voices known, and the media and other organizations need to facilitate and monitor activities which achieve these ends. The League of Women Voters is committed to these goals, and to these recommendations, and will continue to work with all to ensure their accomplishment."

Term Limits in the Oklahoma Legislature: Good, Bad or Just Plain Ugly?

by Cal Hobson
Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, November 19, 2008
Editor's Note: The League of Women Voters opposed term limits for the state legislature in the belief that voters within a legislative district should determine at the ballot box whether to return an incumbent to office or retire that individual in favor of another candidate. Term limits disenfranchise voters. We asked Cal Hobson, who served in both houses of the state legislature, to give his views on how the law is working.
I don't know about you but the first thing I do when boarding a commercial airplane flight is to glance into the left side of the cockpit. What I hope to see there is a healthy looking, alert and somewhat gray haired pilot. Not that youth doesn't have a place in our society. It does, but for me it's just not in the driver's seat of a 747 or any other tin can flying around at 30,000 feet. Rookie pilot...bad. Experienced pilot...good.
Term limits, widely popular and approved by Oklahoma voters nearly twenty years ago, guarantee turnover in our legislature because the voter initiative limited total service in elected legislative office to twelve years. New blood...good. Reinventing the wheel and repeating mistakes...bad.
One can make the argument that flying a plane is a more serious responsibility than showing up at the capitol and casting some votes. Fair enough. On any given day that's true. It's also true, on MOST days, those legislative votes certainly have a greater impact in both the short and long term on the general population than any single airplane flight. Health care, education, infrastructure, public safety, etc, are complex issues grappled with every day by your Oklahoma Legislators and how the members vote MATTERS...big time.
In my nearly thirty years of elected service in the legislature, I learned there are only two things of real value at the capitol: One is your word and the other is knowledge. Keeping one's word is ingrained in us early but the acquisition and proper use of knowledge takes time and lots of it. Other power players at the capitol, such as agency heads, senior staff and lobbyists are not restrained by time limitations.
Further, the most effective legislators are those who understand the legislative system, appreciate its development and history, and actually protect and defend the rules AND traditions that make up our democracy. It's not by coincidence that they also generally have a few wrinkles and a bit of gray hair.
In summary, passage of term limits in Oklahoma has not been the end of the world. However, it clearly has shifted power away from ELECTED officials to UNELECTED individuals, many of whom you probably have never heard of...and for the most part they have never heard of YOU. I don't believe that is the system a few guys like Jefferson, Madison, and Franklin envisioned over two hundred years ago, but it's the one we have and probably will keep...and it's the voters who are the losers, not the politicians.
Cal Hobson is a member of the League of Women Voters of Norman and is Executive Director of Operations, University Outreach, University of Oklahoma.

Strengthen Democracy with Voter Owned Elections

Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, October 10, 2008
The League of Women Voters of the United States believes that the methods of financing political campaigns should ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process. --"Impact on Issues," LWVUS
Our democracy is made fragile by a campaign finance system that allows the wealthier members of society to have undue influence on candidates and public officials. Even the most ethical public officials must consider how their decisions will affect their funding sources, and thus their ability to conduct the next campaign. Voluntary public financing of elections at all levels of government makes it possible for citizens without connections to wealth and influence to run for public office. Candidates who run for office using public funds spend more time listening to the concerns of voters and the nonprofit organizations that represent their interests, rather than talking to potential contributors on the telephone or shaking hands at fund raisers.
Opponents of public financing of elections contend that such a system amounts to "welfare for politicians" by giving them the chance to receive easy money from the public purse. The public financing systems that have been implemented require individuals to demonstrate that they are serious and viable candidates by requiring them to collect a limited number of small documented contributions before accepting public funding. All campaign expenditures must be publicly accounted for and any money that remains in campaign accounts after the election returned to the public campaign fund.
One of the most recent municipalities to adopt a public financing of elections ordinance is Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Known as the "Voter Owned Elections Program," the ordinance establishes "an alternative source of campaign financing for candidates who obtain a sufficient number of qualifying contributions and who voluntarily accept strict fund-raising and spending limits." The Chapel Hill Town Council approved the ordinance on June 9, 2008, and it will become effective beginning with the fall 2009 Town of Chapel Hill municipal elections.
With each election cycle influence peddling and the rising costs of campaigning further limit the access of citizens to the political process. It is time to build a grassroots movement to work for clean voter-owned elections.
For more information on the Chapel Hill, NC ordinance go to:
Summary of Voter Owned Elections Program for Chapel Hill, NC
Draft Ordinance
Examples of How Program Would Initially Work for Chapel Hill Town Council Candidates
Sources of information about the topic of publicly financed political campaigns:
Also a Winner: Public Funding by Zachary Proulx, published by the Brennan Center for Justice, November 10, 2008.
Government Integrity Reform Agenda for 111th Congress, November 6, 2008, LWVUS.
Getting a Grip on Money and Politics, Part II Video: Author Frances Moore Lapp� talks with John Rauh, founder of the Just 6 Dollars campaign, about making public financing of federal elections a reality.
Clean Elections: Antidote to Unhealthy Campaign Financing by Nick Nyhart, Executive Director of Public Campaign; published by the League of Women Voters of the United States in The National Voter, October 2006.
Breaking Free with Fair Elections, March 2007.
Votes for Sale? Video: A one-hour segment of the program Now produced by PBS, which aired the week of October 20, 2006.

Save the Rail Infrastructure

News Bulletin September 9, 2009
"It was reported to us yesterday that construction crews have commenced work on removing the old passenger platforms at Union Station as part of the final phase of the new Crosstown Expressway. Clearly, this marks the beginning of the demolition and excavation work that will eliminate Union Station's railyard." - Marion Hutchison, OnTrac
Published by League of Women Voters of Norman, September 10, 2008
While other metropolitan areas in the west and southwest are reaping the economic and social benefits of multi-modal transportation systems in various stages of development, central Oklahoma is tying it's future to asphalt, concrete and the automobile.
The LWV of Norman has a strong position on the need for improved public transportation in the Norman area, as well as for a system that would efficiently connect Norman with other communities in Oklahoma. Public transportation is essential to a healthy economic future and a vibrant modern metropolitan community that provides for the well-being and quality of life of its citizens. A multimodal approach--utilizing commuter rail, light rail, circulator buses and/or trolleys--must be centered on rail transit to achieve fuel-efficient, modern public transportation.
Essential to a modern transit system is the preservation of existing rail infrastructure and the development of a rail hub that provides connections for rail routes (both conventional and light rail), as well as rail to bus and trolley routes. For central Oklahoma this means preserving the OKC Union Station and its multiple-track rail yard. Preserving existing rail lines leading out of Oklahoma City in all directions is vitally important to communities throughout the state.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) plans to destroy all except one rail line through the Union Station terminal facility. If this plan goes forward, surrounding communities will no longer be connected to a nationwide rail system at Union Station. Leaving only one track would forever eliminate the functionality of Union Station and preclude the development of a modern public transit system.
Cities that have revitalized their core areas by providing modern public transportation through capitalizing on their Union Stations and/or existing rail infrastructures include Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque and Dallas. These cities have also greatly expanded their economic opportunities and the quality of life of their citizens. Oklahoma City's Union Station is ideally situated to complement the on going Core-To-Shore development project in Oklahoma City and to enhance access to modern public transportation in the surrounding communities, as well as in Oklahoma City.
The Governor of Oklahoma should declare a moratorium on any further work on relocation of the Crosstown Expressway through the Union Station rail yard and its associated rail lines. The Governor should also appoint a Special Commission of citizens, public officials, and transportation experts to consider alternative routing for the Crosstown Expressway that preserves the functionality of the Union Station rail yard and its associated rail lines. The commission should report its findings forthwith to the Governor and to the public.
For more information on this issue visit http://www.ontracok.org/home/, Oklahomans for New Transportation Alternatives Coalition, an Oklahoma-based non-profit public interest organization whose mission is to ensure the future of multimodal and intramodal transportation opportunities for the citizens of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation Mission Statement: To provide a safe, economical, and effective transportation network for the people, commerce, and communities of Oklahoma.
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