HOW ABOUT SOME SOS LOVE? Massive disenfranchisement in the closest swing states have marred the last two presidential elections, and with that in mind, now would be a good time for progressives to focus on putting control of election oversight in the hands of competent and honest officials. While Secretaries of State Ken Blackwell and Katherine Harris have made nakedly partisan rulings to the benefit of their political patrons, progressives should focus on protecting every citizens' right to vote. Efforts like the Secretary of State Project (SOS), which attempts to raise money for incorruptible secretary of state candidates, are one way to go about this. Secretary of State elections are just as important as the House and Senate races that garner all the attention and money. Just as state legislatures have national importance because they control congressional redistricting, putting honest public servants in charge of election oversight at the state level has major implications -- for American democracy, and for who controls Washington.
--Ben Adler
