MSNBC has just announced that former Walter Mondale campaign manager and Democratic strategist, Bob Beckel is "gathering information" about the electors.

Speculation has already been made by radio talk show hosts that Beckel's effort is designed to gather damaging information on the electors -- leaving them open to blackmail -- to make them change their vote from George Bush to Al Gore.

I have checked the internet for stories -- but so far, I have found none.

MSNBC stated that a group called CITIZENS FOR TRUE DEMOCRACY has posted the names and addresses of the electors and a sample letter.

This webpage has printed the names and home addresses of many of the electors. If you were an elector how safe would you feel right now? I think the electors need body guards!

Here is some information from their webpage:

Contact The Electors
CTD has obtained the names of 189 electors in 19 states that voted Republican in this election. (16 of the 19 states -- Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia -- do NOT legally require their electors to vote for their party's official candidate. Electors in the other states (North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Virginia) are subject to a fine if they do not vote for their party's candidate. Click HERE for a list of which states do and do not require their electors to vote for their party's candidate.) Using publicly-available state and Internet resources, we also obtained contact information for most of these electors. As the names of and contact information for additional electors become publicly available, we will post them on this page.

The majority of the states provide the names and addresses for their Republican electors. Using online directories, we have obtained addresses and phone numbers for almost all electors, and e-mail addresses for some electors; therefore, there is a possibility that some of this contact information is incorrect. Please let us know if you discover any innacuracies.

Please be curteous to these individuals. Be respectful of their opinions and decisions.

Sample Letter/Phone Message

Dear Mr./Ms. ________,

As one of 538 presidential electors, you will help to determine the future of American democracy. If the Electoral College contradicts the nation's popular vote, American democracy will face a serious legitimacy crisis. You have the power to help our nation avert this crisis.

I understand that you are committed to support George W. Bush, but before doing so, you should weigh America's national interest. Your state, unlike many others, does not legally require you to vote for your party's candidate. To the best of my knowledge, you will face no penalties whatsoever if you decide to vote consistent with the majority of Americans.

Patriotism should come before partisanship. I trust that you will make the responsible choice.

Sincerely,
__________

CITIZENS FOR TRUE DEMOCRACY
Advocates for Fair Elections

Federal elections fail to represent the beliefs -- or votes -- of most Americans. CTD is commited to improving our elections' fairness by replacing the electoral college with direct elections, reforming campaign finances, estaclishing proportional representation for House elections, and improving voter resestration, education and turnout.

http://claremontmckenna.com/ctd/index.html