The last time I received my ‘Daily Voting News’ from John Gideon was April 23rd. John, a friend of Why Tuesday? who Barnett and I met at the Claim Democracy election reform conference in Washington D.C., passed away this week after a sudden illness. The photo above is of me and John at the conference in November 2007. Brad Friedman has details on Gideon’s passing.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen issued the following statement upon being informed of the news:

John Gideon was a tireless advocate who contributed greatly to the election integrity movement. President John Kennedy noted that “true democracy… will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor, and ultimately recognize right.” John Gideon was courageously devoted to his democracy, and his strong voice will be echoed in the continued work of thousands of others. My deepest condolences go out to John’s family and his entire circle of friends.

His updates about the world of elections and election reform frequently made it onto this blog, and his dedication to making sure the United States voting system was the best it could be rubbed off on all of us here.