[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1938-E1939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF WARREN SLOCUM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JACKIE SPEIER-

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2010

  Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Warren Slocum for his 23 
exceptional years of public service to the residents of San Mateo 
County.
  Warren has demonstrated a commitment to serving the public's interest 
ever since he took office in 1987. He is a graduate of San Diego State 
University, and has studied at both Harvard and Stanford Universities. 
Throughout his career, he has remained deeply committed to enhancing 
democracy through streamlining and bringing greater efficiency to the 
way people vote. He conducted California's first Poll Worker Academy, 
its first Internet Voting Demonstration Project, and founded the 
California Trial Court Training Institute at Stanford University.
  Madam Speaker, Warren Slocum is that rarest of all public officials--
a policy wonk and green eyeshade administrator with a delightful 
personality. For example, he was passionate about helping people vote 
by mail. When others argued that it would be fraught with problems or 
high costs, Warren disputed this assertion through detailed--some would 
argue painfully explicit--discussions of the inner workings of modern 
voting. Warren's bottom line is always the same: The right of people to 
govern must always be supported by secure voting systems that make it 
easier to express the will of the people.
  Madam Speaker, in an era when no one understood butterfly ballots or 
chads, Warren Slocum promoted the sound use of computerized equipment, 
and he also did something innovative--he hired high school workers to 
help run the voting machines. My staff reported a sharp contrast 
between a computerized polling place in Orange County and one in San 
Mateo. In Orange County, one of the baby boomer voters kicked the 
electric plug out of the socket at 7 p.m. on election night and a dozen 
computerized voting machines crashed. The result? 100 baby boomers 
scratching out their ballots on paper because the baby boomer poll 
workers couldn't get the machines up and running again. In San Mateo 
County, by contrast, the teenagers hired by Warren Slocum would simply 
roll their eyes with that, 'What will our parents do next?' look, and 
then reboot the computers. Madam Speaker, sometimes the old lead the 
young by example, but in the world of Warren, the savvy lead us all in 
pursuit of a better democracy, whether the savvy are old or young.
  Warren Slocum is also the co-founder of the Smart Voter Project, a 
revolutionary website that was the first to offer personalized election 
information based on a voter's address. He created efficiencies in the 
valuation of property in his role as the county's tax assessor. He 
actively reduced the assessments of homes when values fell during times 
of economic hardship, and he found highly competent personnel to value 
newly-purchased property and improvements of property in a timely 
manner.

[[Page E1939]]

 The result? Property tax assessments in San Mateo County are fair and 
governments receive a reliable stream of revenue for essential 
services.
  Warren Slocum celebrated the right of all adults to marry, and was a 
leader in ensuring that the courthouse door was open for those who 
wished to formalize their relationships. In San Mateo County, we 
proudly welcome into our hearts all those who Warren's office welcomed 
into its lobby.
  During his tenure, Warren's office has been called the ``Office of 
the People,'' and rightly so. His career of excellence in public 
service has been a living tribute to the mission of delivering smart, 
efficient, and accessible government to the people of California.
  Madam Speaker, Warren Slocum is a remarkable Californian: he's a 
husband, a father, a veteran, an innovator, and a devoted public 
servant. It is indeed fitting that he receives special recognition for 
his retirement as the Chief Elections Officer & Assessor-County Clerk-
Recorder on November 18, 2010.

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