Du Page County pays consultant for WHAT?

This just in the mail...

permission to reprint with link to http://www.blackboxvoting.org

Frank Salvato, a Republican media consultant, acknowledged in a
brief interview with Black Box Voting today that he received nearly
$30,000 from the DuPage County (IL) Elections division in 2004.
Initially, when asked what DuPage County was paying for, Salvato
said it was for "media consulting."

Salvato's bio from his Web site, TheRant.us, describes him as a
political media strategist. "He supports and is affiliated with the
Republican Presidential Task Force, the RNC's Presidential Victory
Team, RightMarch.com, Republican National Committee, the National
Republican Senatorial Committee and is a GOP Team Leader," his
site says.

"What, specifically, is your affiliation with the Republican National
Committee and the Republican Presidential Task Force," asked Bev
Harris, founder of Black Box Voting.

Salvato said the work done for DuPage County had nothing to do
with his activities with the Republican Party.

"What did they pay you to do?"

Salvato said the DuPage assignment was a voter registration effort,
equally targeted across all demographics and with resulting increase
in voter registrations in all demographic groups.

"What is meant by the word 'affiliated' with these groups?"

Salvato said he was not formally affiliated, except in the sense that
they "bleed him for money."

DuPage County elections chief Robert Saar did not return calls from
Black Box Voting requesting further clarification of Salvato's role.

Aside from whatever Salvato did to receive approximately $30,000
from DuPage County elections, Salvato appears to have dual roles in
promoting Republican politics and a conservative agenda.

He is Executive Director of the Basics Project; his wife Nancy is president
of this group, which appears to be both a conservative think tank and
political "education" group. Listed as nonpartisan and nonprofit, the
Basics Project advocates a solidly conservative philosophy.

Salvato is Managing Editor for The New Media Journal.us and a
contributing writer for GOPUSA, American Daily, and The North Carolina
Conservative. His pieces are featured in The Conservative Battleline,
American Enterprise, The Washington Times, US Politics Today. His Web
site refers to him as a "GOP team leader."

Black Box Voting is seeking public records from DuPage County to
determine whether federal HAVA funds were used to pay Salvato, to
substantiate work done for the payments, and to determine whether it
was, in fact, nonpartisan.

A lawsuit was filed on behalf of SCOTT A. KIBORT, a resident of DuPage County, Illinois, against the elections division for public records violations.

Mr. Kibort requested election records through a FOIA request and was denied them. He was seeking to inspect the following information from the April 5, 2005 Glendale Heights, Illinois Consolidated Election:

1. Absentee Ballot application (for signature verification)
2. Poll Signature cards from all Precincts in above stated election. . . .
3. All Ballots. . . .
4. Ballot box tapes. . . .
5. Records of Election Judge Calls to Election Commission
A. Specifically from BlackHawk (sic) School Precinct 47
B. From Randy Church
C. Concerning voter Dorothy Mulanny.

An Admin on the www.blackboxvoting.org web site posted the following on Monday, January 09, 2006 at 09:15 PM

A note on public records in DuPage: Though required to keep federal
election records 22 months, DuPage wrote us to say they had destroyed
the records.

We need to keep an eye on this case to see what happens with it. The courts can't let them get away with this unpunished.

Steven P. :kick: