At a Heritage Foundation luncheon, one of the GOP's chief proponents of Voter ID laws, former Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund, cheerfully acknowledged that laws requiring individual voters to show a photo ID will be far more effective at suppressing votes by Democrats than Republicans.
When someone is critical of leadership they are often told to vote, and maybe even volunteer for causes that will correct their grievance. This hopefully has the effect of getting people that better represent their views into office. If that fails, well, you tried and democracy is working. What do you do when those in power are actively and successfully working to suppress their opposition's voice? I worry that it could lead to things that aren't allowed in the comments of nice blogs like this.
Republicans are not trying very hard. IHow about "Obama is taking away the troops exclusive right to vote early". Completely true, and the wingnuts won't notice or care about the modifier in the sentence.
Yeah, there's really no point to rolling over and playing dead, is there? Shouldn't it be possible for organizations to get these people together and to the necessary offices?
I'd find the Repubican worry over "election fraud" more convincing if they made these disenfranchisement laws effective AFTER they've stood for election again. With their 2010 sweep, these changes seem waaay too self-serving.
Also, they should indemnify people for all costs to get their ID -- document fees, taxi ride to the registrar's office, postage, etc. The state pays all costs. Otherwise it's a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.
In the litigation between the State of Texas and the USDOJ, one of the fun factoids is that ID is only available from the State DPS, who runs the DMV. The state closed about 90 offices in the last budget. DOJ determined that folks in many rural counties (which are fairly poor in economic status) would be required to travel over 150 miles round trip to get a picture ID. These actions are nothing but voter suppression. And Rick Perry is a goat fucker.
To be fair, there has never been a truly massive, coordinated effort at voter fraud that did not rely in part on absentee voter fraud.
Also, Mitt Romney has never sponsored a child sex-slave ring that was not financed by laundered Bain Capital money.
I say it's a wash.
Some references on Republican voter fraud and, more specifically, voter caging: <a href="http://www.brennancenter.org," target="_blank"> <a href="http://www.brennancenter.org,</a>" target="_blank">www.brennancenter.org,</a></a> June 26, 2007, &quot;Reported Instances of Voter Caging&quot; by Justin Levitt and Andrea Allison <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/tough..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://news.yahoo.com/tough-id-laws-could-block-t...">http://news.yahoo.com/tough... <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/gops-..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://news.yahoo.com/gops-believe-voter-fraud-ep...">http://news.yahoo.com/gops-... <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/ufo-s..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://news.yahoo.com/ufo-sightings-3-615-times-m...">http://news.yahoo.com/ufo-s... <a href="http://www.nationalmemo.com..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://www.nationalmemo.com/voter-rolls-and-rick-...">http://www.nationalmemo.com... <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/05/v-fullstory...">http://www.miamiherald.com/...
Excellent links: <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/el..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/11/5144...">http://thinkprogress.org/el...
including <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/ju..." target="_blank">" rel="nofollow noopener" title="http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/06/06/49576...">http://thinkprogress.org/ju...
That was electoral fraud
When someone is critical of leadership they are often told to vote, and maybe even volunteer for causes that will correct their grievance. This hopefully has the effect of getting people that better represent their views into office. If that fails, well, you tried and democracy is working. What do you do when those in power are actively and successfully working to suppress their opposition's voice? I worry that it could lead to things that aren't allowed in the comments of nice blogs like this.
Here I always thought the tool of choice was tinkering with the counting process. Waal, I done bin eddy-kated.
Republicans are not trying very hard. IHow about &quot;Obama is taking away the troops exclusive right to vote early&quot;. Completely true, and the wingnuts won&#039;t notice or care about the modifier in the sentence.
Yeah, there&#039;s really no point to rolling over and playing dead, is there? Shouldn&#039;t it be possible for organizations to get these people together and to the necessary offices?
I&#039;d find the Repubican worry over &quot;election fraud&quot; more convincing if they made these disenfranchisement laws effective AFTER they&#039;ve stood for election again. With their 2010 sweep, these changes seem waaay too self-serving.
Also, they should indemnify people for all costs to get their ID -- document fees, taxi ride to the registrar&#039;s office, postage, etc. The state pays all costs. Otherwise it&#039;s a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.
Priebus makes me miss Michael Steele. A lot.
they&#039;re not even trying to hide it these days...
In the litigation between the State of Texas and the USDOJ, one of the fun factoids is that ID is only available from the State DPS, who runs the DMV. The state closed about 90 offices in the last budget. DOJ determined that folks in many rural counties (which are fairly poor in economic status) would be required to travel over 150 miles round trip to get a picture ID. These actions are nothing but voter suppression. And Rick Perry is a goat fucker.