Hofeller Files including Redistricting and Census Documents Posted Online by Daughter Stephanie

Hofeller Files including Redistricting Documents Posted Online by Daughter Stephanie
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Tom Hofeller’s daughter Stephanie has given the public a huge “you don’t have to bother with a FOIA request” gift, and arguably a big middle finger to her deceased father, by putting all of Thomas Hofeller’s hard drives, files, and documents online, accessible for all to see. Stephanie found these hard drives, thumb drives, and documents when visiting her parents’ home shortly after her father’s death. She has a background in, among other things, IT, and so it was not difficult for her to realize what she had, and how to share it.

“These are matters that concern the people and their franchise and their access to resources. This is, therefore, the property of the people. I won’t be satisfied that we the people have found everything until we the people have had a look at it in its entirety,” Stephanie said in a radio interview with NPR.

The files includes not only the infamous GOP redistricting tactic files, but even the legal and ancillary documents related to Hofeller’s largely successful efforts to gain custody of Stephanie’s children, as well as information about her stillborn son Milan, whose death was used as “evidence”.

The documents reveal the machinations of both Hofeller the political operative, and Hofeller the man.

They also number in the tens of thousands (link to the full trove of files below).

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Sample Directory of Hofeller Files
sample directory of Hofeller

These include the files that Republican lawmakers in North Carolina sued to keep private. They include not only redistricting maps and spreadsheets, but also Hofeller’s email and reports, some with interesting reveals.

Redistricting

Not surprisingly, many, many of the documents deal with redistricting tactics. Or gerrymandering tactics, depending on how you see it. (The difference between ‘redistricting’ and ‘gerrymandering’ is largely one of intent: Redistricting is a agency-monitored process to make sure that congressional districts and representation keep pace with changes in population distribution; gerrymandering refers to the redistricting process with the specific intent to unfairly weaken the vote of particular groups or classes of people.)

For example, one representative document focuses on minority districts in Alabama:

Minority Districts In 2012 Alabama Legislative Redistricting
“The African-American share of the 18+ DOJ Black Pop, as determined by the American
Community Survey was 25.3% for 2006-2010, 25.5 for 2007-2011 and 25.66 for 2008 -2012. It has been rising slightly.

The State of Alabama has 35 State Senate and 105 State House districts, all single-member.

This translates into 8.785 Senate and 26.565 House seats for the 2006-2010 ACS, 8.925 Senate and 26.775 House seats for the 2007-2011 ACS, and 8.981 Senate and 26.943 House seats for the 2008-2012 ACS.

The Enacted State Senate Plan contains 8 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 73.35%. There are no other districts under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

The Sanders State Senate Plan contains 8 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 69.91%. There are no other districts under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

The Reed-Buskey State Senate Plan contains 8 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 66.75%. There is one additional district under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

The Enacted State House Plan contains 27 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 74.83%. There is one additional district under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

The Reed-Buskey House Plan contains 27 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 73.10%. There are no other districts under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

The Knight House Plan contains 27 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 82.48%. There are no other districts under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

The McClammy State House Plan contains 27 African-American districts ranging from 50.00% to 73.87%. There are no other districts under 50% Non-Hispanic White.

All Plans are at proportionality (rounded up for the House and down for the Senate).”

In another, titled “Florida Redistricting Bullets”, Hofeller observes that:

“There are currently 25 congressional districts (19 GOP & 6 DEM).  Florida is gaining two additional congressional districts.

• Legislative plans are enacted by resolution.  Congressional plans are enacted by statute.  New criteria were imposed by constitution amendments (Props. 5 and 6), which could give FL Supreme Court more leeway to inject itself into the process (not considered a court favorable to the GOP).

• GOP stakeholders filed lawsuits challenging the amendments, but the DOJ has precleared the amendments. The case was dismissed, and the dismissal was upheld on appeal.

• GOP will, however, drafted all the lines, but under stricter criteria.

• Plans could not have been enacted until after January 1, 2012.

• One of the big issues was be the conflict between the new Florida criteria and the maintenance of Democrat Brown’s (3rd District) as a majority-minority district. Keeping that seat as a minority district helps the GOP. That seat is not protected by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

• The Legislature elected to draw the 3rd District as a majority minority district.

• Both the legislative and congressional maps have been passed by the Legislature, and the congressional bill has been signed by the Governor.

• The new congressional remap includes a 22nd District (formerly Allen West’s seat) which is now clearly Democratic, as well as new Democrat 9th District in Orange and Osceola Counties (Orlando). Allen West has moved to the new 18th District and Tom Rooney has moved to the new 17th. All GOP incumbent have new districts without any pairings.

• The post-redistricting partisan balance is now 19R – 8D, with several more GOP seats weaker.

• The legislative maps will be automatically reviewed by the Florida State Supreme Court and a hearing was held on February 29th.

• The Democrats and their allies have already filed against the new congressional map before the Florida Supreme Court.

• The Democrats’ “A Team” attorneys and expert witnesses will pursue litigation vigorously, as Florida is the Democrats’ number-one legal target. Breaking these maps wide open could result in big Democratic gains in both congressional and legislative seats. Experienced GOP Florida and DC attorneys are already involved.

• A VRA Section 5 lawsuit over preclearance of all the maps in the DC District is certain.

• A GOP legal loss in Florida, which could result in 3 or more additional seats for the Democrats, coupled with possible a two-seat loss over what the GOP could have gained in Texas, but for the debacle there, could give the Democrats a serious boost in their chances for a possible takeover of the U. S. House.”

Efforts to Get the Citizenship Question on the U.S. Census

While there are hundreds of documents that provide evidence of political gerrymandering (after all, Hofeller was a Republican redistricting expert), the most legally interesting evidence the files provide relates to the push to include a citizenship question on the census, and the reasons for it.

In one report, for example, Hofeller concludes:

“A shift from a redistricting population based determined using total population to adult population is radical departure from the federal “one person, one vote”ule presently used in the United States.

Without a question on citizenship being included on the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire, the use of citizen voting age population is functionally unworkable.

The Obama Administration and congressional Democrats would probably be extremely hostile to the addition of a citizenship question on the 2020 Decennial Census questionnaire.

The chances of a U. S. Supreme Court’s mandate to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Decennial Census are not high.

A switch to the use of citizen voting age population as the redistricting population base for redistricting would be advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites.

A proposal to use CVAP {Ed. note: Citizen Voting Age Population} can be expected to provoke a high degree of resistance from Democrats and the major minority groups in the nation.”

Equally intriguing is an email thread between Chief of Staff of the Census Bureau, Christa Jones, and Hofeller. Let us repeat that, Chief of Staff of the Census Bureau Christa Jones. What’s more, Chief of Staff of the Census Bureau Christa Jones wrote to Hofeller behind the scenes, using her personal Hotmail account (Hotmail? Really??), to tell him that public comments on the next census data collection were being accepted, and that “Public comment (is) highly useful in this context” and, in a follow up, that “This can also be an opportunity to mention citizenship as well.”

Christa Jones communication with Thomas Hofeller

Efforts to Acquire Politically Advantageous Websites and Domains

Then there is this curious file of what are clearly websites targeted for acquisition and acquired, along with their strategic value, and even within these descriptions there are strategies to be gleaned:

RediStrategyGroup.com (acquired) 
 Potential contracting vehicle for RSLC, LLP entity configuration {Ed. note: RSLC stands for Republican State Leadership Committee)
Additional Domains Available Now:
RediLeaders.com
RediStrategy.com
Redistrict2010.com
Redi2012.com

CivicDataInstitute.com (Tom acquired) 
 Not for profit research and data entity. Might consider establishing “state office” presence in key locations where makes sense.

Wildsolutions.com (acquired) – amenable to restructuring (currently LLC operating as partnership but need new minor partner)

Checkmate2010.com (acquired)
 Stakes of 2010 Elections, Campaign Finance Changes, Census and Redistricting have set the stage for foundational partisan and ideological battle royale. Background research and story for researchers & analysts.
[Note: This was brand mentioned by John Sununu at RNC Meeting to investigate left wing campaign finance investments in capturing state legislative chambers; also MI Committeewoman Holly was involved, but nothing came of it].
Advertising to send to other partner websites for expertise/consult

RealCensus.com (acquired) 
 For profit deployment of CVAP {Ed. note: Citizen Voting Age Population} Research Findings/Estimates?
 Potential blog for influencing Bureau policy
 Explanation of common misconceptions (no long form, ethnicity vs race)
 Application of micro-modeling (aka, microtargeting)
 Advertising to send to GOP or partner websites for expertise/consulting

LongTailPolitics.com (acquired)
 The application of “The Long Tail” theory (book by Chris Anderson) in which the decline of brick and mortar stores coincided with the cheap availability of internet search websites and marketing: Individual preferences are much more vast and fewer units purchased/sold in contrast to big box marketing of smaller variety of goods. Provides framework for decline of Political Parties and rise of fringe interest group politics as a result of BCRA & other “reforms”. Potential outlet for academic studies or opinion pieces.

Corporate entity needed for retirement account tax advantages (401k Roth), Medical (?), Insurance Policy, maximize deductibility of expenses, shifting of fiscal year, and ability to contract with non-profit entity, or serve as management company for non-profit. Also serve as vehicle to form partnerships with other entities. Access to capital is possible from existing IRAs with proper paperwork.
MTW alone cannot execute and deploy on all of these ideas, but needs to form strategic partnerships with others to make maximization possible.

Hofeller and His Daughter Stephanie

For those more inclined towards the lurid – and it has to be said, heartbreaking – personal details of Hofeller’s relationship with his daughter, while there are dozens of documents detailing her allegedly abusive marriage, and Hofeller’s efforts to remove her children from her, we won’t recount them here. Rather, let us share this one telling file of Hofeller’s personal notes when he was clearly interviewing family law attorneys:

Joseph Brophy Cordell, Attorney at Law
115 West King Street
Martinsburg, West Virginia 25401
Phone 304 263 3377

Assistant: “Rachel”
Spoke to Mr.Cordell on Wed 4/18 @ 3:30pm
Was the same attorney I spoke to last year. Wants $5,000 for no hearing, $10,000 for hearing….hostile yet defeatist, heavy WV accent
_____________________________________________________
Pritt & Pritt, PLLC
700 Washington Street E
Suite 204
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-205-0201
Toll free: 866-959-2006

Assistant: “Amy”
Appointment for tomorrow (Thurs 4/19) @ 3pm
$150
______________________________________________________
Kaufman & McPherson, PLLC DOES NOT HANDLE CPS CASES
Toll Free: (888) 425.1142
16 Sterling Drive, Suite 205 | Bridgeport WV 26330
Toll Free: (888) 425.1142
_______________________________________________________
Richardson, Richardson & Campbell
325 Seventh Street, Parkersburg, WV 26102
Attorney at Law
877-215-0385

Assistant: “Danielle”
Spoke to Mr. Richardson on Thurs 4/19. Former prosecutor, told about time frames for prosecutor and CPS, spoke about standards of evidence. Polite, no accent.
___________________________________________________________
Bouchillon, Crossan & Colburn, L.C. DOES NOT WORK IN JACKSON COUNTY
731 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV 25701-2010
304-521-1654
_____________________________________________________________
Victor Victor & Helgoe LLP
1319 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV 25301
877-320-5128
Matthew’s Cell Phone: (304) 437-0150

Assistant: “Amber”
Matthew Victor will talk to Peter
______________________________________________________________

Human Rights Commission
304-558-2616

You can access the entire set of the Hofeller files here, at least until someone finds a way to shut it down.

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