Jeannie Berg
From Ballotpedia
Jeannie Berg is the former director of the Oregon Voter Education Project. She is a contributor to "Blue Oregon", a liberal/progressive Oregon-based website, where it is reported that she worked as a political organizer for SEIU, did research on Bill Sizemore and "advis(ed) campaigns in several states on creative techniques to oppose initiatives during signature gathering."[1]
Initiative rights activists have described her as a "leading expert at destroying the initiative process".[2] She is alleged to be the author of a memo to Steve Rosenthal of America Coming Together advocating five ways that state legislatures can pass laws to "put a large stumbling block in front of any right-wing petitioning campaigns".[3]
In 2000, Berg was employed as an analyst by the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.[4]
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Voter Education Project
Oregon's Voter Education Project was headed by Berg and funded by "public and private labor unions and other sources."[5]
States where Berg has been active
Massachusetts
Berg testified in an October 2005 legislative hearing in Massachusetts, suggesting additional restrictions on laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts "including a regulation that signature collectors be paid a stipend or hourly wage to stop them from being motivated by the number of signatures collected."[6]
Nebraska
Berg was paid $4,000 on June 30, 2006 as a "training consultant" by the group conducting a petition blocking effort to keep a 2006 TABOR measure off the ballot in Nebraska.[7]
Nevada
Berg was paid $14,559.38 between July 11 and August 1, 2006 by Nevadans for Nevada, the group conducting a petition blocking effort to keep the Tax and Spending Control Initiative off the ballot in Nevada.[8]
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Journal Record reported on July 13, 2006 that Berg had been hired in Oklahoma during the petition drive for the Oklahoma Stop Overspending Initiative by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and other groups to supervise individuals who were monitoring the signature-gathering process.[9] The Tulsa World reported on December 10, 2005 that Berg was an "Oregon election-process consultant working with groups such as the Oklahoma Education Association and Oklahoma Public Employees Association".[10]
The Ralph Nader campaign and 21st Century Dems
On June 24, 2004, Berg sent an email to Oregon Democrats from the organization, "21st Century Democrats"[11] titled "Unbelievable Nader news... Please forward immediately". The email notified its recipients of a "desperate, last-ditch effort" on the part of the Ralph Nader campaign "to make the Oregon ballot".[12] (See Ralph Nader v. Democratic National Committee).
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Contributor bio of Jeannie Berg
- ↑ Internal memo that exposes plan to kill initiative rights Retrieved Feb 16, 2008
- ↑ Memo to Steve Rosenthal from Jeannie Berg Unsigned and unauthenticated
- ↑ State coffers flush, but voters want some back CNN, October 23, 2000, retrieved February 16, 2008
- ↑ Voter Education Project fights petition fraud
- ↑ Marriage petition backers answer questions on signatures
- ↑ [http://nadc.nol.org/ccdb/search.cgi?page=formb1d&IDNO=06BQC00138&OFFREC=08/08/2006 Expenditure detail, August 8, 2008 mandatory disclosure
- ↑ [http://nvsos.gov/cefddocs/0002006_Reports%2f000Political_Action_Committee%2f000Nevadans_for_Nevada%2f000CE_Period_1.pdf Expenditure detail, August 8, 2006 mandatory disclosure, retrieved February 16, 2008
- ↑ TABOR challengers, backers offer views on grand jury probe
- ↑ TABOR petition worker arrested
- ↑ 21st Century Democrats
- ↑ Oh, Nader can get 1000 votes
