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DeForest Soaries Biography

Reverend Dr. DeForest Blake "Buster" Soaries, Jr. (born August 20, 1951, in Brooklyn, New York) is an African-American Baptist minister, author and public advocate, from Montclair, New Jersey. He is the former Secretary of State of New Jersey and former chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission. Additionally, he is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey, a position he has held since November 1990.

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DeForest Soaries Quotes

My sense was that most of the elected officials in Washington - in their heart of hearts - really believe that the system can't be too bad because it produced them. And when people in power can stay in power they do very little to tinker with the apparatus that put them in power. We've seen it time after time after time.

Apparatus, Believe, Heart, People, Tinker

Democracy means that you have the right to vote without intimidation and undue burdens.

Burdens, Democracy, Mean, Undue, Vote

Voting is the foundational act that breathes life into the principle of the consent of the governed.

Act, Breathe, Breathes, Principles, Voting

The Election Assistance Commission represents a major, unprecedented commitment from the federal government to sustained freedom and vibrant democracy. I am humbled by the prospect of being one its charter members.

Commitment, Government, Members, Perspective, Sustained

I found that there is very little interest in Washington for true election reform. That neither the White House nor either house of the Congress seems to be as committed to guaranteeing democratic participation in this country as we seem to be in other countries.

Country, Democratic, House, True, White

Beyond that, states had to also have electronic voting machines that made it possible for people who are physically handicapped to vote in private. . . and the computerized voting machine made it very easy for, particularly, the blind.

Machines, People, Physically, Private, Voting

When Congress passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002, I was thrilled to learn that the federal government would offer resources to all states to assist them in enhancing the voting process in America.

America, Government, Passed, Voting

Voting in this country has essentially been relegated to a very fledging group of election officials, who receive no training and operate on shoestring budgets on one hand, and political consultants whose job is to get their candidates elected on the other. And when you have that kind of scenario, it's really hard to describe yourself as a vibrant democracy. It's an embarrassment.

Being Yourself, Country, Democracy, Kind, Political

I was the Secretary of State of New Jersey in November 2000. I paid careful attention to the challenges that stemmed from inadequate voting systems in various places.

Attention, Challenges, State, Voting

And if we were another country being analyzed by America, we would conclude that this country is ripe for stealing elections and for fraud.

America, Analyzed, Country, Election, Elections

My sense was that most of the elected officials in Washington - in their heart of hearts - really believe that the system can't be too bad because it produced them.

Bad, Believe, Elected Officials, Heart, Washington

What we say is that democracy means that you have the right to vote without intimidation and undue burdens. But if you stand in line for six hours, technically, today there is no document, no standard, no law that says that that's wrong.

Burdens, Democracy, Law, Mean, Six

When I was growing up, we used to play basketball in a park that was never shoveled when it snowed. The basketball rims were never fixed. And we understood then that there was a relationship between public policy and our quality of life.

Basketball, Growing, Growing Up, Inspirational, Used

We have no basis for having a recall of any particular type of voting equipment because there are no standards. And when we do have standards, even these standards are required to be voluntary.

Basis, Equipment, Recall, Type, Voluntary, Voting

When public access to voting is impaired or when public confidence in voting is diluted, democracy suffers and our freedom is less secure.

Access, Democracy, Freedom, Suffering, Voting

And when people in power can stay in power they do very little to tinker with the apparatus that put them in power.

Apparatus, Littles, People, Stay, Tinker

It's an embarrassment that we don't have a broad enough consensus among political leaders that true reform should take place.

Among, Consensus, Enough, Leader, Political, Reform