FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                              CONTACT: MARK SANDERS

February 27, 2006                                                                 512-469-9393

CAMPAIGN CONSIDERS LEGAL OPTIONS AS PERRY APPOINTEE INTERFERES WITH ELECTION
 
(AUSTIN) – In light of conflicting, contradictory and obstructive decisions and information provided by the Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, the Carole Keeton Strayhorn for Governor campaign today said it is exploring its legal options.

“It is regrettable that Rick Perry’s hand-picked secretary of state is spending taxpayer dollars behind the scenes thwarting our efforts to give voters a real choice in November,” said Brad McClellan, Strayhorn’s campaign manager.

The Texas Secretary of State, the state’s chief election official, has:

Provided contradictory information to independent candidates about when they can begin collecting signatures of registered voters to gain access to the general election ballot.

Prohibited independent candidates from submitting signatures on a “rolling basis” and insisted all signatures must be submitted for verification at a specific time.

Refused to approve a modified petition form that is easily printed on regular-size – not legal-size – paper.

Decided verification of signatures will take two months after the signatures are submitted.

“The state can and will determine shortly after the March 7th primary who is eligible to vote in any runoff, but the secretary of state says it will take two months to verify signatures of voters who want to see Carole Keeton Strayhorn’s name on the ballot in November,” McClellan said. “This is partisan political gamesmanship designed only to keep her out of the election and deny people a choice.”

Attorney Roy Minton said he was exploring the possibility of legal action.

In a letter sent to Williams today requesting formal opinions today, McClellan wrote “How absurd is that statement when you have to verify primary voters for the runoff election within weeks? How absurd is that statement when you and counties have to know who voted early to allow voters to vote on election day within four days after the end of early voting.”
 
The campaign said it would announce its legal options this week.   

IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            February 1, 2006

CAROLE KEETON STRAYHORN CHALLENGES ALL CANDIDATES TO EMBRACE INITIATIVE & REFERENDUM, WANTS VOTERS VOICES HEARD

(AUSTIN) – Independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn today challenged all candidates running for office to embrace her call for statewide Initiative and Referendum in Texas.

“Now is the time for a constitutional amendment granting Texans statewide Initiative and Referendum,” she said. “Texans – practical people – not professional politicians have the right to shape their own future – and determine their own destiny at the ballot box.”

She also said critical issues of the day should, and will be, put before voters during her administration.

“We are going to implement Initiative and Referendum during my administration,” she said. “Texans want it, and they should have the right to have their voices heard.”

Strayhorn said many critical issues have been ignored and the voters of Texas should be allowed to bring needed laws, including, to:

(1)  strengthen and improve our schools for the children and the long-term future of Texas;

(2)  toughen violent crimes against child sex offenders and adopt Jessica’s Law in Texas;

(3)  secure our borders and stop illegal immigration;

(4)  enact real property tax reductions with a Constitutional amendment to protect private property from economic development;

(5)  stop and repeal toll road proposals and secret agreements with foreign companies;

“For too long, Texans have made it clear they want real concerns solved not studied, and they want opportunity to make them the law of the land,” Strayhorn said. “I say politicians should not fear, but should embrace, the will of the people. Let the people vote.”

“I&R, through a deliberative and careful process, is simply the best way to involve people in their government and to stop this regime of special interests and DC lobbyists,” she said. 

For Immediate Release                                                                                                 February 2, 2006

Tough Grandma Opens the Door for Real Reform Says Independent Texans Leader David Stall, leader against the Corridor First to Take the Pledge

            Linda Curtis of IndependentTexans.com, an association of independent and split ticket voters, applauded independent gubernatorial candidate Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn's announcement yesterday to challenge the candidates running in this election to support statewide Initiative and Referendum (I&R) for Texas voters.  

            Curtis said, "Carole Keeton Strayhorn understands that what it means to be tough is to give the voters of this state the most important tool to fight partisan special interest deals -- I&R.  And that is why Texans, who are naturally inclined to be independent, whether they vote in either party primary or not, support I&R by 70% according to Texas Poll.” 

            Independent Texans has already begun to survey candidates across the state on their I&R position.  The first candidate to take the I&R pledge is David Stall, leader of the citizens movement to stop the contentious Trans Texas (NAFTA) Corridor.  Stall is running in a 3-way hotly contested Republican primary in State Senate District 18, where Sen. David Armbrister (D-Victoria) is retiring.  With Strayhorn no longer running in the primary, reformers across the state are starting to watch this race as a bell weather on partisan corruption.

            Conservative estimates are that 4.2 million voters in Texas, a 35% plurality, identify as independent, according to the CNN/Gallup and other polls.  Millions more who vote in either party primary split their ticket, voting for the person regardless of party.  Citizens in 24 states have used I&R for the last century to enact such fundamental reforms as the 8 hour work day, women’s suffrage and social security.  In the most recent decade voters have used I&R increasingly to win democratic restructuring reforms such as term limits, redistricting reform, fair ballot access and campaign finance reform.

            Added Curtis, "Independent voters are all over the place on single issues.  What unites us with millions of party voters, is giving ordinary people this tool to circumvent a special interest driven legislature.  It’s going to take One Tough Grandma, a genuine populist independent, to win the mother of all reforms – I&R."

For Immediate Release                                                          February 8, 2006 

 “Bentzin Buyers Beware” Issued by Independent Texans & Libertarians 

            Today, Linda Curtis, founder of Independent Texans, a voter association for independent and split ticket voters, together with Wes Benedict, the Travis County Chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas, released a statement to warn voters who are about to vote in the runoff for the special election in the 48^th District State Representative race where Donna Howard and Ben Bentzin are squaring off.  They say that candidate Ben Bentzin cannot be trusted.  Curtis reported that she had been approached by Mr. Bentzin when he first ran for office in 2002 for State Senate against Gonzalo Barrientos.  Bentzin called her to a meeting with heavy weight GOP fundraiser, Norman Newton of the Associated Republicans ofTexas to urge her to jump in to the same race on the Green Party line to help “spoil” the election for Senator Barrientos.

             Curtis said, “When Mr. Bentzin approached me with this offer, it was at the office of the Associated Republicans of Texas.  Norman Newton, who I had met before, was also at this meeting. They wanted me to run on the Green Party line for State Senate.  They thought that that with my name recognition amongst Austin progressives and the popularity of the Greens in Austin, that I was in a position to hurt Senator Barrientos’ chances and thereby help Mr. Bentzin.   They made it clear that they were willing to help me financially run a campaign.  I told them straight up that I wasn’t interested.  I told Mr. Bentzin if he wanted to do something publicly with independent voters – and to publicly support our issues, in particular giving Texans the same rights enjoyed by voters in 24 other states -- statewide initiative and referendum – we could talk seriously about working together.  But, it was clear he wasn’t interested in an above board relationship with independent voters.  He wanted to use us and thought he could seduce us with his money and access to money.”

            Wes Benedict, Chair of the Travis County Libertarian Party said, "With the Libertarian candidate knocked out of the race, I won't be supporting a candidate.  However, I am deeply concerned about the corruption of our free market system with the hundred million dollar handouts Ben Bentzin supports to companies like Dell Computer and Samsung, while raising taxes on others.   As a former Dell executive, CEO of the World Conference of Information Technology, Ben Bentzin has too many conflicts of interest to be trusted to pick who should or shouldn't get hundred million dollar tax handouts.”

            Independent Texans and the Libertarian Party organizations are not endorsing anyone in the race.  Curtis and Benedict said they simply wanted the voters to weigh in on some facts that might shed further light on someone they thought would be a detriment to their common goal – to open up political competition in the state for independent and third party voters.