Bonnie Brinegar of Verified Voting just sent along the following email (with permission to post):

This week Ray Martinez, 2006 vice chair of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, submitted his resignation to President Bush. In his letter www.eac.gov he cited family considerations as his primary reason for stepping down and lauded his colleagues at the EAC and the agency’s staff for their continued work on behalf of the nation–Commissioner Martinez’ resignation is effective June 30, 2006. He was appointed to serve as one of two Democrat Commissioners mandated by the Help America Vote Act.
Listed below are suggestions from VerifiedVoting.org for consideration to fill this vacancy:
Bill Gardner is the current Secretary of State in New Hampshire and the longest serving state level Secretary of State in US History. He is in charge of the department that oversees all general elections, primary elections, voter registration and recounts within the state, including the New Hampshire Primary. He began his life in New Hampshire politics as a state representative and was elected Secretary of State in 1976. He has been kept in office by both Democrats and Republicans governors. In New Hampshire the Secretary of State is elected by the Legislature.
David J. Becker is an Election Law Attorney who works with jurisdictions nationwide to help them comply fully with evolving federal and state election laws (including HAVA and the Voting Rights Act), conducts international democracy-building efforts, and is active in working with Congress on the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. David recently left the U.S. Department of Justice after serving for seven years as a senior Trial Attorney in the Voting Section of the department’s Civil Rights Division, where he was responsible for leading dozens of investigations into violations of federal voting laws, regarding issues including, among other things, minority language voter rights, redistrictings, alleged voter intimidation, and vote dilution. Most notably, David served as lead trial counsel for the United States in Georgia v. Ashcroft, 195 F. Supp. 2d 25 (D.D.C. 2002), rev’d by 539 U.S. 461 (2003), for which the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights awarded him the department’s Special Commendation for Merit.
Douglas A. Kellner was appointed by Governor George Pataki as one of four commissioners of the New York State Board of Elections. Mr. Kellner was also designated as the Co-Chair of the State Board. Doug Kellner served as the Democratic commissioner from Manhattan on the New York City Board of Elections since 1993. He resigned from that position in order to assume the state-wide post. Commissioner Kellner was one of the first proponents of a voter verifiable paper audit trail for electronic voting machines. He was instrumental in promoting new technology for scanning absentee and provisional ballots and drafted model procedures to open the process of canvassing ballots to public scrutiny and convinced fellow commissioners to adopt rules that provided meaningful due process in ballot challenges.
David Orr- Cook County Clerk, serves as the chief election authority in the third largest election jurisdiction in the country and has found innovative ways to reform how government works.Orr – who serves as president of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks (NACRC), and a member of the Board of Advisors to the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) – has played pivotal roles in helping to shape federal and state election reforms. Orr promoted passage of a statewide law that allows senior high school students to serve as election judges, part of the Clerk’s Teen Democracy Program and has used new technology to layout the county’s multiple ballot formats in house, which saves about $1 million every year. Orr established an award-winning interactive voter website, www.voterinfonet.com, and has earned national recognition for launching voter education campaigns and redesigning polling place materials.
Edward Hailes, Jr., senior attorney with the Advancement Project, formerly served as the General Counsel for the United States Commission on Civil Rights, directing the federal agency’s historic investigation into allegations of voting irregularities in Florida during the November 2000 presidential election and the Commission’s high-profile hearing on police practices and civil rights in New York City after the police shooting of Amadou Diallo. Mr. Hailes also served for 10 years as a legal, then legislative, counsel for the NAACP, gaining a remarkable record of success in civil rights litigation and legislative advocacy on behalf of the organization. A graduate of the Howard University School of Law, he also earned his undergraduate degree at Howard University as an Honors Program graduate.
Deborah Markowitz was elected Vermont’s 37th Secretary of State in 1998. Secretary Markowitz is the constitutional officer chiefly responsible for Vermont’s elections. During her tenure, Secretary Markowitz has made it a priority to improve Vermont’s democracy and promote good citizenship. Over the past 7 years, Markowitz has helped schools throughout Vermont bring civics education into the classroom at all levels by providing teachers with curriculum materials including a comprehensive mock-election program. Markowitz has modernized the administration of Vermont’s elections, resulting in fewer problems and complaints during elections. She implemented an ambitious election reform agenda that included widespread voter education and outreach programs. She presently serves on the Executive Board of the National Election Standards Board and is President-Elect of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Markowitz is also widely respected as one of the most knowledgeable resources in the State on legal and ethical issues for local officials.
Ms. Betty Castor was the 2004 Democratic Party nominee for the US Senate from Florida and until recently served on the Carter –Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform. Castor served for six years as president of the University of South Florida, one of the largest metropolitan universities in the nation. Prior to joining the university, Castor served as Florida Commissioner of Education for seven years from 1986-93, she was the first woman ever elected to the Florida Cabinet. She served three terms as a state senator from the west coast of Florida, becoming the first female to hold the position of President Pro Tempore (1985-86) and chaired the Appropriations Committee on Education. She presently is the founder and president of political action committee called Campaign for Florida’s Future focused on increasing participation in public life by citizens in Florida and the nation.
CHRISTINA GALINDO-WALSH is a senior staff attorney for the National Disability Rights Network. Christina oversees voting training and technical assistance efforts for the Protection and Advocacy System. She spearheads the networks Protection and Advocacy System under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) as they work to ensure election access to individuals with various disabilities. She joins the staff from Florida, where she worked as a litigation associate focusing on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Christina received her law degree from Florida State University.
Sincerely,
Bobbie Brinegar
Senior Political Adviser
www.VerifiedVoting.org …
*VerifiedVoting.org has no knowledge of the interest or availability of the people cited above in serving on the EAC.