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Top Arizona Republican Accused of Using Voter Database to Stalk Woman

Submitted by MacRonin on December 17, 2009 - 12:01pm
  • Arizona
  • Arizona Republican Party
  • Brett Mecum
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  • Dawn Teo
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Dawn Teo: Top Arizona Republican Accused of Using Voter Database to Stalk Woman: Via Huffington Post.

PHOENIX, AZ -- More misconduct has been alleged against Arizona Republican Party executive director Brett Mecum, who is now the subject of a criminal complaint alleging he used the Republican's voter database to stalk a young female graduate student.

The affidavit, filed last month with the local sheriff's office, alleges that Mecum "is using Voter Vault to stalk." Voter Vault is used by the Republican Party to micro-target the party's message and to canvas specific demographics. The complainant was celebrating her acceptance into an East Coast graduate school on August 29 at her home when Mecum showed up uninvited. She reveals details about Voter Volt in her sworn affidavit:

I did not invite Brett Mecum. He is rather creepy and intimidating around women. I did not want to expose my guests to that kind of individual. I was shocked to see him show up at my party. He had never been to my house, and I had never told him where I lived. I asked him how he found my address, and he responded "I looked it up on Voter Vault, I called a staffer to look it up for me there."

Other local women are alleging that Mecum's behavior from the night described above fits an ugly pattern. According to the sworn affidavit, the young woman whose doorstep Mecum showed up on felt threatened:

[Mecum] alluded to power, connections, and authority as a result of his position as Executive Director of the Arizona Republican Party. I have also seen what malicious things he has done to others and do not want to be subjected to similar retaliatory actions.

According to the affidavit, the complainant only came forward because she "would be helping other women by stopping this behavior." She went on to say, "I am concerned for my safety and the safety of other women who have either been or might be stalked by him using Voter Vault. Like me, they were likely threatened by him if they report his harassment and are afraid to come forward"

For months, I have been speaking with local Republican women who approached me with disturbing stories of unwanted sexual advances, persistent harassment, and intimidation by Mecum and some of Mecum's friends. Each complaint was eerily similar; the most common complaint alleged that Mecum "doesn't know how to take no for an answer." None of the women were willing to speak on the record. Some were afraid of Mecum. Others were afraid of hurting the party. Each, for her own reasons, was afraid to speak out. In fact, the only woman who feels safe enough to file a formal complaint against Mecum did so as she was moving out of state.

Republican National Committee Treasurer Randy Pullen has also been called out for his inaction. A number of women in the Republican Party say that Pullen refused to even meet with them to discuss allegations of sexual harassment.

[...]

Pullen said later in his statement, "He used Voter Vault. The Republican National Committee owns Voter Vault....It's a private list. We own the list. We can do what we want with the list, quite frankly.(Emphasis added)

Read Original Article:(Via Huffington Post.)

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