Exhibit G Exchange With Director of Elections
-----Original
Message-----
From: Handy, Nick [mailto:nhandy@secstate.wa.gov]
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 8:08 PM
To: steve.marquis@comcast.net
Subject: Barack Obama Candidate Qualifications
Mr. Marquis,
I apologize for the delay in
responding to your latest note. I wanted to confer with Secretary Reed
before responding and these are very busy times for our office as you can
imagine.
Secretary Reed is very aware of
your lawsuit and your communications below. He has designated me to
manage this matter in cooperation our attorney Jeff Even, Deputy Solicitor
General, in the Office of Attorney General.
Since you have made the choice
of taking this matter to litigation, and since the ballots are printed and
people are voting, our office is moving forward with this election with Senator
Obama on the ballot.
You are certainly free to move
forward with your litigation. That is your right as a citizen.
Because the matter is in
litigation, I would request that you refer your communications to Mr. Even ,
our attorney, who is copied on this email.
Sincerely,
Nick Handy
Director of Elections
Office of Secretary of State
State of Washington
From: Steve.Marquis [mailto:steve.marquis@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 9:27 PM
To: Handy, Nick
Subject: RE: Barack Obama Candidate Qualifications
I
truly appreciate Mr. Reed asking for you to contact me. As someone who voted
for Mr. Reed, I am found at at odd place - legal that is. Can I suggest that
Mr. Reed might actually have some options yet unexplored and while a lawsuit is
filed, Mr. Reeds response does not have to be adversarial. I plan on arguing
that Mr. Reed actually can do something now and in the future. Instead of
fighting against an expanded role, if he see validity in my concerns and
lawfulness in my arguments, his response could be to agree. Odd concept I
admit, but despite the fact that I am representing myself at this point I have
had a judge and another lawyer friend agree that my arguments are interesting
and may be valid. I hope for the sake of the people that I am right.
I
hope to fundamentally change the responsibility of the secretary of state in
regards to election qualifications, transforming the process from one of litigation
after the fact to one involving the same proactive application approach the the
Secretary of States office takes in certifying the voters themselves. I will
try to argue that if he has the authority to do that to the voters, then by
extension he has the right to set application standards for the
candidates. I believe it can be successfully argued that the standard
should be at least as solid as when I got my own first voter card. I had to
show my birth certificate credentials.
If
Mr. Reed would like to explore my arguments rather than fight them, perhaps we
can spare the courts. Has Mr. Reed actually reviewed my points or is he
shielded behind a wall of assistants?
I
remain a man that can be reasoned with - I had asked some time back for a only a
few minutes of Mr. Reed's time which was not granted. Can he not find a
moment to meet with a citizen?
Sincerely,
Steve
Marquis
-----Original
Message-----
From: Handy, Nick [mailto:nhandy@secstate.wa.gov]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:57 PM
To: steve.marquis@comcast.net
Subject: Barack Obama Candidate Qualifications
Dear Mr. Marquis,
Secretary of State Sam Reed has
asked that I respond back to your recent email regarding the qualifications of
Barack Obama to appear on the ballot as a candidate for President of the United
States.
I note also that you have filed litigation in King County Superior Court
on this matter so that officially we are litigants together in this
matter. Our office is represented by Deputy Solicitor General
Jeff Even who speaks officially for this office in all matters of formal
litigation, such as this one.
In this case, however, Secretary
Reed wanted me to get back to you personally to advise that there is really
nothing more our office can do in this matter for you on this particular issue.
Barack Obama has been formally
nominated for this office by the Democratic party. He is the official
nominee and in that capacity he is entitled to appear on the ballot in the
state of Washington.
Any citizen may file a lawsuit in a
court of law challenging Barack Obama’s qualifications for office. That
matter must be decided in a court of law at this point. The ballots have
been printed and are being mailed to voters this week in this state.
I hope this is responsive to your
concerns. Any further correspondence on this matter should be addressed
to our attorney Mr. Even.
Sincerely,
Nick Handy
Director of Elections
Office of Secretary of State
State of Washington