Wednesday, August 21, 2002

am releasing this statement before we know the results of this election. This should not be perceived as sour grapes or being a poor loser or being a poor winner and kicking the other guy when he's down. I don't know who's going to win. This issue goes way beyond winning or losing a particular campaign. It goes to the core of our values and our system of government.

Our county has been "treated" to one of the most dishonest and corrupt political tricks out there. Many Fayette County voters received a phone call from "Public Opinion Research," conducting a "survey of Fayette County Republican voters." Then the voter was asked if they had decided if they were voting for Greg Dunn or Mike Wheat. If the voter said, "Greg Dunn," they were asked a series of three negative questions, with each accompanied by "would this make you more likely or less likely to vote for Greg Dunn?". If the voter asked for more information about the caller, the telephone number or name and address of the organization or who was paying for the poll, they were disconnected.

This is known as a "push poll." While push polls, themselves, are not illegal, they are condemned by legitimate professional polling and political organizations including The American Association of Public Opinion Research, which says they "violate the code of ethics by intentionally lying to or misleading respondents" and the American Association of Political Consultants who calls it "an activity which would corrupt or degrade the practice of political campaigning."

It remains to be determined if the failure and refusal to identify who the caller was and who was paying for the poll is a violation of the Georgia Elections Code. The State Elections Board has asked that a complaint be filed with them.

We have sunk to a new low. It's the single most disappointing political event in this county for at least the last 15 years.

The simple fact that the callers identify themselves as doing a "survey," when they are not, is the core issue. The intent is to trick the voter into believing that they are hearing from an unbiased source. It's a deliberate falsehood. When they deceive a voter, they rob that voter of their rights. There are many in Fayette County who have put their lives on the line for those rights. There are many who had been Fayette County citizens or were family members of Fayette County citizens who did give their lives for those rights. This is an insult to those people and those families. And, indeed, an insult to all Fayette County citizens.

We do not yet know for certain who's responsible for this. But, when the proof comes in, and if it turns out that a candidate did sponsor this, we may be left with a serious problem. Anyone who succeeds in winning an election with tactics like this has won a tainted election. Their legitimacy, integrity, and character will forever be questionable. If you have been deliberately dishonest to the voters to win the office, how can the citizen ever trust you to be honest in the office? It also taints every other elected official because it feeds distrust and cynicism about our government.

You, the voters of this county, should demand to know who financed this scheme and who carried it out. Do not be satisfied with, "you do anything it takes to win." If you received one of these calls, please send your name, address and phone number to pushpoll@aol.com or to Peter Pfeifer, 220 Copperplate Lane, Peachtree City, GA 30269. This information may be forwarded to organizations and agencies who investigate this practice.

Peter Pfeifer

County Commission Post 3

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