WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed five nominees for the Federal Election Commission, breaking a prolonged partisan logjam and allowing the agency to resume functioning.
The nominees were confirmed without dissent after drawn-out talks between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and a last-minute hang-up over a demand from Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., a campaign finance crusader, to meet with all five nominees.
Though the FEC staff has been at work, the six-member commission has been inactive because it has not had a quorum to conduct business. The commission is the agency that regulates federal elections and campaign finance matters.
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The newly confirmed commissioners are Democrats Cynthia L. Bauerly of Minnesota and Steven T. Walther of Nevada, along with Republicans Caroline C. Hunter of Florida, Donald F. McGahn of the District of Columbia and Matthew S. Petersen of Utah.
This was obviously a critical move. You have to have a functioning FEC to oversee the upcoming Presidential election. That’s brutally obvious.
The FEC has been unable to function for months because Bush insisted on offering Hans von Spakovsky to fill an open seat, and the Democrats simply wouldn’t confirm him. For very good reason. While temporarily serving on the FEC via Bush recess appointment, Spakovsky was an evil mastermind of voter suppression:
Spakovsky stalled ruling on Mississippi redistricting, effecting electoral outcomes.
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Spakovsky pushed through Texas re-districting that violated the Voting Rights Act.
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Spakovsky urged Maryland officials to reject voter registration forms of lawful voters.
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Spakovsky blocked an investigation into voter discrimination against Native Americans.
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Spakovsky approved “modern day poll tax” over objections of career staff.
Yet Bush continually pushed to have this man confirmed by the Senate for a position on the FEC. Per the AP story linked above, he just recently relented which allowed the commission to once again be fully staffed:
A key breakthrough came last month when the White House nominated Petersen, the Republican chief counsel on the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, to the commission, replacing another candidate who withdrew after coming under Democratic fire.
Petersen replaced Hans von Spakovsky, a former Justice Department official whose oversight of voting rights matters had angered Democrats. Von Spakovsky served on the FEC under a recess appointment.
This has been dragging out way, way too long. Thank God it’s over.
