If Ohio keeps in place its new restrictions on early voting in counties that lean Democratic, one state lawmaker says it will be as if "Jim Crow has been resurrected in this country."
In Cleveland, Columbus, and Akron, all predominantly Democratic, early voting hours on weekdays will be limited to 8am to 5pm after Republican election commissioners and GOP Secretary of State Jon Husted teamed up to block Democratic efforts to expand the hours. By contrast, GOP commissioners in Republican counties, along with their Democratic counterparts, supported extended hours—meaning voting hours will be extended in only those counties.
This comes on top of a successful GOP effort to scrap the last three days of early voting statewide, a period when almost 100,000 people voted last time around.
Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner (D) said on The Ed Show Thursday that "people are outraged," adding that "no one should have to beg to vote, and that is exactly what is happening in Ohio in the predominantly urban areas."
"It is absolutely shameful that Jim Crow has been resurrected in this country," Turner continued, "particularly in the state of Ohio. He has packed his bags and he has moved north. He is in Ohio, he's in Pennsylvania, he's making repeat performances in Florida."
The restrictions are expected to disproportionately affect African-American voters, who tend to turn out in high numbers for early voting, as well as working class voters in general, who can find it difficult to get to the polls on Election Day.
Republicans in the state have said that they cut the hours to save money. But Ari Berman of The Nation said that line doesn't hold up.
"It's funny that the Republicans are saying they don't have the money to extend early voting, when they spent millions and millions and millions of dollars on unnecessary and costly voter ID laws."
"The Democrats were willing to pick up the tab in these counties to pay for early voting," Berman added, "and Republicans didn't even give them the option to have early voting."
Minutes later on The Rachel Maddow Show, the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne put what Republicans are doing in perspective.
"This is much bigger than a partisan story," Dionne said. "We passed a great law in our country in 1965 called the Voting Rights Act. And the Voting Rights Act was designed to tear down illegitimate barriers to voting in our country, particularly for African-Americans. What's happening this election year—Ohio is an excellent example—is, I think, the most fundamental attack on the right to vote in the country since the Voting Rights Act was passed."
Editor's Note, 10:21 pm: This post originally reported that Republican county commissioners supported the cuts to voting hours. In fact, it was Republican election commissioners.
Leave a Comment:
You will never find voter fraud if you never look for it. In Minnesota, we had a state employee convicted of idenity theft that used her fake ID to vote in the 2008 election. The kicker is that she worked for the Secretary of State's office. Apparently, her job was to authenticate documents.
Our Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie, has time after time been confronted with allegation of voter fraud in Minnesota, but he never investigates it. Now he has an employee in his own Department being procecuted for doing it. Do you think he might investigate it now? Do you think he might cross reference the 24,000 fake Minnesota drivers licenses that were just uncovered to see if those people may have used them to vote in past elections? Probably not.
Franken was elected by less than 1000 votes and was the Senator that allowed a Supermajority in the Senate. Our Governor Dayton was elected by about 7000 votes. Don't you think that deserves an investigation?
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/19039429/state-worker-accused-of-drivers-license-social-security-fraud
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21094458
You will never find voter fraud if you don't look for it.
This is about voter suppression. Ohio has expanded voting in Republican districts and is putting more restrictions on Democratic areas. This is an outrage.
@Bagger,
So, do you think voter fraud doesn't exist? Or, do you think that nobody bothers to investigate it? Sorry, Bagger, but it's all tied in, voter suppression and voter fraud. The Left calls it voter suppression, the Right calls it voter fraud.
So, your position is that it is worth it, to suppress millions of voters and, at the least, to force undo additional expense, so long as we block, say, 1,000 people who actually went to all of the trouble to commit fraud, but did actually take the time to vote for somebody? Is this the same logic that is in Ryan's tax plan? Granted, it's apples and oranges, but, they are, in these cases, both rotten fruit.
President Bush had a 5 year investigation into Voter Fraud and they found 86 cases, upon prosecutors and other investigating the 86 cases they found most were human error - plain and simple misunderstanding. No rampart Voter Fraud.
Pennsylvania had to admit in the court documents there is no Voter Fraud and they did not expect Voter Fraud in 2012. Let us not forget: At a Republican State Committee meeting Turzai listed the biggest accomplishments of the Republican-led legislature1, stating: "Pro-Second Amendment? The Castle Doctrine, it's done.
First pro-life legislation — abortion facility regulations — in 22 years, done.
Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of
Pennsylvania, done."
The fraud being conducted is by Republicans: The Detroit Free Press reports:-
Don Yowchuang 33, of Farmington Hills, was charged with 10 counts of election law forgery, a five-year felony; one count of conspiracy to commit a legal act in an illegal manner, a 5-year felony, and six counts of falsely signing a nominating petition, all misdemeanors.
-Paul Seewald, 47, of Livonia, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a legal act in an illegal manner, nine counts of falsely signing a nominating petition.
-Mary Melissa Turnbull, 58, of Howell, district representative: one count of conspiracy to commit a legal act in an illegal manner, and one count of falsely signing a nominating petition.
-Lorianne O’Brady, former scheduler, 52, of Livonia, charged with five counts of falsely signing a nominating petition.
Well then, drill baby, this is a prime example of republican voter fraud. Like it or not. call it what you will. Just let me hear you say that the fraud is shameless and wrong. And even as a republican you won,t stand for it.
Just another classic example of a party that will do ANYTHING, including cheating to advance their agenda on the american ppl.
Ohio has expanded voting in Republican districts and is putting more restrictions on Democratic areas. This is an outrage.
That is not true what so ever.
There is such thing as republican or democratic districts.
That would mean only democrats live in this part of the state/town and only republicans live in this part of the state/town.
Voting districts are based on population not the number of people in a political party.
The leftwingnut propaganda machine is running on over time with this line of total Bull$hit.
Right there is no such thing as republican districts except for districts that the GOP gerrymandered to ensure the the district would tend to vote GOP easy to do when people register as republicans. In other news from delusional land, 9 out of 10 tea bagged republicans trolling on Ed's blog are lying re reg's and their posts are not meant to be factual.
Voting districts are based on population not the number of people in a political party
You had better go back to your "civics" classes and learn how voting districts are drawn up.
And you had better take civics class as civics class teaches you about Gerrymandering and how it works. Poor cow man just shows how ignorant he is of how the system works and how the GOP have been using the system against we the people.
Any proof what so ever? nope didn't think so.
Made up BS.
There are no classes in this country in public schools that are called "Civics".
Civics classes are for people who want to become USA citizens.
Well yes I do have proof but why don't you get off your lazy tea bagged republican ass and research it yourself for once. I will even give you a starting point, try Moon Bats district.
so ho- it's all a lie anout voter supression in OHIO when this is plasterd all over the news and on the internet. come on guy, give us a break and open your mind.
You know, civics used to be taught in public schools. It got dropped during the Reagan years when government educational stipends to the states were reduced so drastically. I think we're beginning to understand the reason behind that - people who are ignorant of the way their government functions make it a lot easier for that government to take advantage of them.
Hey! I found some voting fraud!
Did Mitt Romney Commit Voter Fraud In Massachusetts in 2010?
Michael Kelley|April 20, 2012|
This question has been asked before, but it takes on new significance now that Romney has all but clinched the Republican presidential nomination and Stratfor emails accuse Barack Obama's 2008 campaign of stuffing ballot boxes.
The issue arises from the ballot Romney cast for Republican Scott Brown in January 2010 in the special election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.
The former Massachusetts governor did not own property in the state in 2010 and registered to vote from an address in the unfinished basement of an 8,000 square-foot Belmont mansion owned by his son Tagg.
Last June GOP political consultant Fred Karger filed a complaint with Massachusetts state election officials alleging that Romney voted in several elections without residing in the state.
Karger spoke with members of the Mormon Temple and Meetinghouse in Belmont — where the Romney's attended weekly church services when they lived there — and one told Karger that she "hadn’t seen the Romneys since 2008."
The Romneys' former realtor told Krugar that they moved to California and allegedly Ann Romney told him the same when he saw her at a conference in Las Vegas where Romney was speaking.
The Romneys bought a $12.5 million home in La Jolla, Calif., in May 2008 and sold their home in Belmont in April 2009 (for $3.5 million). In May 2009 the Romneys began describing their $10 million estate in New Hampshire as their primary residence (presumably to prepare for the 2012 election).
President Obama has disclosed his 2012 state tax return (from Illinois) whereas Romney has not (from ?).
From Mother Jones:
Residency issues have plagued Mitt Romney in the past. When he campaigned for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, he ran into trouble because he had switched his residency to Utah three years earlier when he moved to Park City to take over the struggling Salt Lake Olympic operation. The move technically made him ineligible to run for office in Massachusetts, which requires seven years of continuous state residency before a candidate is eligible to run. After a lot of legal wrangling and paying back taxes, he was finally allowed on the ballot.
According to Massachusetts law, a residence for voter registration purposes as “where a person dwells and which is the center of his domestic, social, and civil life” and anyone found guilty of committing voter fraud faces up to five years in jail and a $10,000 fine.
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-04-20/politics/31371937_1_ann-romney-massachusetts-governor-residency
@TheRealChris,
We're talking about 'TheRealVoter' fraud. Minnesota has recently discovered that they had 24,000 illegal drivers licenses issued. So far, at least one was traced back to the Secretary of State's office. An employee was using that illegal ID to commit welfare fraud and used that ID to vote in 2008. Her job with the Secretary of State was to authenticate documents.
Doesn't this deserve and investigation about the other 24,000 illegal licesnses in the state? In Minnesota, I guess not. There is no voter fraud happenin in Minnesota.
Republicans are just too stupid to live.
I am 65 and have been a republican all my life.
Kind of puts holes in your ridicules statement now doesn't.
I didn't make a 'ridicules' statement. Check your dictionary. Kind of proves my point, nevertheless.
cow man thinks hiding under his bed clutching an AK-47 is living.
Oh gee a type-o... But none the less your statement that republicans are to stupid to live is ridiculous.
I do not have a AK-47. The only people that still use AK-47's are the people who are to poor to buy modern machines guns.
Furthermore most AK-47's are junk as they have not been manufactured sense 1959.
Right you know about as much about the AK-47 as you do about Gerrymandering, nothing.
When did the discussion turn to guns, when it is about Gerrymandering, and voter suppression?
Who knows it true history? Republicans do, they invented it, and tried to make it look fair and legal.
Liberals, expanding their vocabulary one word at a time.
1st was teabagger, then gomer, now the new word "Gerrymandering".
Congressional districts are based on population, not the political party.
Let me give a new word to put in your war chest: "Facts".
You must have climbed from under a rock, if you don't think that is part of our vocabulary.
You arn't teaching anyone anything but yourself. I bet you had to go and look it up.
Facts is another word you need to look up
along with truth and Gomer.....she is in the Bible.
Prostitute: You may find her there in the Dictionary!
Got that right C L.
The liberals on this blog think the AK-47 is the last word in weapons.
Give me a M-14, better yet M1 Garand, or full auto, Bren Mk1.
But not some worn out AK-47 that have the rifling's shoot out of the barrel.
typos, posted before It got proofed....."aren't"
ho-lee-cow, gerrymandering may be a new word to you, but it's been around since the 1700s. And yea - Repugnicants are past masters at it. It's just another way they've used to be sure they get re-elected.
Voting sure doesn't work for them.
DrillBaby,
Are you saying that voter fraud only happens in Decomcratic areas? I live in Ohio, and my husband and I both have worked as poll workers in recent elections. Neither of us have seen or heard of any voter fraud. According to the map shown on MSNBC, we live in a blue county, although our county voted for John Kaisch and Bob Latta, both Republicans. An investigation by the Cincinnati Enquirer showed that many of the problems regarding voting in Ohio are caused by errors, both by the voter and also by the poll workers. What I got out of the article was that the county Board of Elections need to do a better job of training their poll workers. No where in the lengthy article was there anything about voter fraud. By the way, the Enquirer tends to be right leaning.
It was extremely strange to see not one but two corrections to this article based on my twitter bitching. You've successfully charmed me.
Are you on the right blog?
You tell me.
No, we are lefties mostly here, but you are funny in your snarky way.
I have no reason to believe who you pass yourself off to be.
We know the Ohio problem for top to bottom. How in each red district the left, voted with the right to make sure everyone in that district had the longest times to place votes. Yet when it came to the blue, the red voted against them, not with them and in the event there was a tie. Which of course it was. The reigning righty also voted against the left. Leaving all the blue districts with less hours to vote. We do know how this works. Suppression is so obvious.
twin to canadian liberal?
mom, don't forget in some parts of ohio the repukes get to vote later in days and on weekends while the dem's only get one day and that's 9-5 and this was on all NEWS CHANNELS THIS IS A FACT FOR ALL YOU RIGHT-WING NUTS TRYING TO CHEAT AND STEAL ELECTIONS JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE THE BLACK MAN IN OFFICE.
You did mean to say Fake noise did you Not? And who is calling who names, you don't your post can prove you do the same. You were talking about republicans when you made this statement?
You are so respectful!
Shut up, asswipe.
I hope those disenfranchised by this Un-American activity, and by that I mean "All Freedom-Loving Americans" who are having their votes diluted by these measures, demonstrate in the "favored" districts, with a message of "If We Can't Vote, You Won't Too".
Remember, the whole world is watching.
We may need a country to come and step in to guarantee a free and open democratic election in this country!
Carter's election watch might help. But it can't stop voter supression.
Looks like the hanging chad from Bush vs Gore is back! Blocking anyone from voting or allowing there votes to be counted is fraud. The Supreme Court should come back from recess and immediately put a stop this absurd outrageous violation of the Constitution. Every one of the GOP should loose their elected office for violating the Constitution, if they are supporting this. The polls should be open for everyone for the exactly the same number of hours no matter what party or demographic is casting their ballot.
The Justice Department needs to file federal lawsuits against all these states even if state wide litigation is going on. We can not tolerate GOP voter suppression period. The DOJ has been aggressive to fight these GOP voters attempts at suppression but they must file lawsuits that will force an injunction against these voter suppression attempts by the GOP. Jim Crow can not be tolerated in the 21st century. I hope Eric Holder is all over Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other states that are trying to suppress the vote.
Many poor people, minorities, the elderly, college students, and others do not have driver's licenses nor is getting to a state office for a valid ID something they can easily do. Some states may have as many as 10% of their adult populations without a state driver's license or a car. Many poor people in urban area do not own cars and take public transportation to work or school.
The other issue is that voter fraud is not a problem in America. What the problem are Republicans afraid of losing elections because their positions are not very popular with a majority of many groups in our society like the poor, Seniors, college students, and minorities. The GOP is trying to suppress the vote which in this day and age is nothing short of profane in a country that calls itself a democracy.
Now the Reps in Ohio have OK'd hours for voting in Rep leaning counties to be pretty much anytime they want to vote, but did they do that for Dem leaning counties? Nooo, they can only vote in very small window of opportunity. Now THAT is something the DOJ ought to crack down on! The Republican rats will try anything and everything to stack the deck in their favor.
If Ohio's state AG doesn't find the discrepancy in early voting hours in Blue counties vs. Red counties, and the partisan machinations used unconstitutional, then that AG should resign in shame. In any case, if Ohio's AG doesn't act then AG Holder certainly should.
Not only will that discrepancy give Romney an unjustifiable edge in Ohio's popular vote, it will also give all Republican candidates in state-wide races, i.e., Congressional races and any relevant State offices, where the GOP candidate has Democratic Party opposition the same unjustifiable edge. The only difference between the Presidential race and the other races is that the Electoral College delegates are the determining factor for President instead of the popular vote.
To break down the extent of the disenfranchisement, the following list.
If you live in one of the counties that decides not to implement extended hours for early voting, you can vote:
In person absentee voting at your county's early voting location, 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday (regular BOE office hours, can depend on county) between Tuesday, October 2 and Friday, November 2 (ends at 6pm on the last Friday). (193 hours total)
In person voting on Election day (Tuesday November 6) 6:30am to 7:30pm at the polling place for your specific precinct. (13 hours total)
No-fault mail absentee ballot, postmarked between 12am Tuesday October 2 and 12am Tuesday November 6. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Costs $0.90 for two stamps, one to mail in the application and one to mail in the ballot, and you never have to leave your house. Or, you can drop it off in person at the BOE (during regular office hours) for free. Absentee ballot applications will be sent to EVERY registered voter in EVERY county in the state. Twice. (840 hours total)
I will personally mail you a dollar if you legitimately can't afford postage and can't make it to the BOE during 193 hours of office hours or to your polling place on 13 hours of election day (note: I will not actually do this).
If you can afford stamps and you didn't take the time to mail TWO things during the 35 FULL DAYS in which you can vote absentee WITH NO EXCUSE NECESSARY, well, you didn't really want to vote then did you.
Also, the applications will first be mailed to everyone at the beginning of September, and you can print one out or go pick one up from the board of elections right now. That gives you an additional 1-2 months to get the application in. If the BOE receives the application before Oct 2, they will mail your ballot out to you on Oct 2 when the first ones go out. If they receive it after that, they mail ballots out usually one business day after the application is received.
There is a new feature on the SoS website (and an easy URL: www.myohiovote.com ) that allows you to change your registered address to your current address without mailing applications or signing signatures or showing photo ID or anything. You can do this right now to make sure your absentee ballot reaches you where you are, not where you were when you initially registered in 2008 because you were excited about Obama.
This information has been brought to you both as a public service announcement and as a demonstration that Ohio's elections officials have gone to great pains to make it extremely easy for you to vote.
@PAW They have gone to great pains, yes, great pains to make it as difficult as possible for Democratic districts to vote. Your snarky remarks are just that-remarks that don't change the reality of what sleazy Republican officials are up to in Ohio.
You are a condescending POS.
My mind boggles at the amount of cognitive dissonance it must have taken to read my interesting and informative if mildly sarcastic presentation of the actual facts of Ohio's voting opportunities and come back with a flat denial of the facts of the matter, a baseless assertion to the contrary and an ad hominem attack.
Kudos. This and the 6 upvotes it received answer Thankful-Mom's question from up the thread: I am not on the right blog.
Incidentally, if you did any research you'd know that my "snarky remarks" are a reasonably full and faithful summary of the facts. It seemed like nobody here knew how Ohio's elections actually function, but I mistook ignorance for a desire to be informed. You'd rather not know so you can rant against sleazy republicans without a basic grasp of the issue encumbering your rhetorical flourishes. Have fun with that.
Just a simple explanation.....about the suppression methods of the right:
They are underway, if there is time left to file one. That is why republicans wait as long as they can to start their deceitful business. They know then that time will be on their side. Makes you proud doesn't it, waving you repug flag. Democrats don't stoop to breitbart's level.
I know exactly what happened. The only factual objection I have to your summary is that Husted only gets a vote if the board ties, otherwise he just confirms their result.
I took all of this into account in my above summary, which only applies to those counties that restricted early voting. The point was that even the "suppressed" counties still have 206 available hours to vote in-person and 840 in which to vote by mail.
Incidentally, the whole conspiracy theory rests on this being consistently applied across all of the counties, with all Republican counties getting extended hours and all Democratic counties not. Butler County is the largest Republican leaning county, so you'd think it would be prime territory for early voting for Republican benefit. It does not have extended voting hours. I'm sure if you were to actually look and see which counties have which hours it would be all over the place, which is appropriate given that these county boards of election operate autonomously and the members are usually local political leaders, not shills for their national party. Some counties haven't even set their hours yet because they have almost two months before early voting starts. How then does this article allege a massive conspiracy? Intellectual dishonesty and pandering (to you guys).
It's Ok, though. You guys can keep ranting and venting in defiance of reality. I'm done researching this for your benefit. It's hard enough to inform people who don't want to learn, but @!$%# trying to inform people who actually get mad when you give them information.
Ha. A profanity filter. Adorable.
Jim Greer, Former Florida Republican Chairman, Says Party Officials Discussed Suppressing Black Vote
The Huffington Post | By Gene Demby Posted: 07/27/2012 3:08 pm Updated: 07/28/2012 8:24 am
In a lawsuit filed against the Republican Party in Florida, former chairman Jim Greer said that party officials discussed ways in which they could prevent blacks from voting, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Greer alleged that party officials, some of whom he called "whack-a-do's," discussed suppressing the black vote in a December 2009 meeting.
"I was upset because the political consultants and staff were talking about voter suppression and keeping blacks from voting. It had been one of those days,'' he said. Greer also said that the party wanted to oust former governor Charlie Crist, a Republican, in part because Crist appointed a liberal black judge to the state's Supreme Court.
Greer, however, has an axe to grind: he is facing corruption charges on six felonies,including money laundering and grand theft stemming from allegations that he ran a shell company that improperly funneled party money to him.
Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, a Republican, has endorsed a voter I.D. law in the state, as well as a purge that its supporters say is meant to keep non-citizens from illegally casting a ballot. But critics say that voter fraud almost never happens, that disproportionate numbers of the people purged are Democrats or Hispanics who are legally eligible to vote, and that the purge does not leave them sufficient time to re-register in the event that they were accidentally kicked off the voter rolls.
Earlier this week, Crist said that Rick Scott, who succeeded him as governor, called the state's voter I.D. laws and its controversial voter purge "unconscionable."
“The concern really is on sort of a closing the door on democracy,” Crist told MSNBC on Wednesday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/27/jim-greer-suppress-black-vote_n_1710700.html
Haha! Jim Greer also said Charlie Crist came on to him and regularly had gay affairs in office. Greer is desperately reaching for anything to get attention since all his threats of "inside secrets" to get his old colleagues to defend him were empty air. The fact that Jim Greer is saying this actually makes the whole thing less credible.
And yet, no source.
Sorry, I forgot people are incapable of finding information for themselves. I googled. Here is the result.
Exactly what I thought.
Mail in ballots are by far the best way to do deal with this problem. Washington and Oregon have made voting by mail easy and highly efficient. We need to move rapidly to voting by mail all across the country. Standing in line for hours, as was the case in Ohio in 2004, is absurd. Voting by mail allows for long registration times, and it gives people plenty of time to vote. Colorado had voting by mail and its by far the best way to go. More people participate in the electoral process. Why Ohio has not moved to this already is beyond my comprehension. Voting by mail is much harder to manipulate and the public has at least a month to send in their ballots or longer. If there is a need for a recount paper ballots are there for the immediately recount by election officials. We should have a national campaign to make voting by mail a national process in all 50 states including Washington DC and all U.S. territories. A certain number of polling places could be kept open and special provisions could be made to for the elderly or people in hospitals etc. But overall voting by mail is good for democracy and bad for people who want to manipulate the electoral system because it is virtually impossible. Tampering with the mail for instance is a federal crime and people often drop their ballots off at a local government office or city office. Voting by mail works very well. Democrats should push for this for all national elections. Republicans could join in too.
Ohio has moved to this. They have a robust system described magnificently by the handsome gentleman posting directly above you.
So you support suppression and un-fair, underhanded practice in voting?
Is that the way they do it in Worcesterdhire and Canada, save the republic, sir re-reg?
REX, you are so right about oregon and washington. I live in washington and we have been voting by mail in ballots for a couple of years now and we do not have problems like the other states do right now.
Why yes I have canadian, it's from the REPUKES AND THEIR FOLLOWERS.
Policy Brief on the Truth About “Voter Fraud”
ANALYSIS
[PDF]
Summary
* Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare.
* Many vivid anecdotes of purported voter fraud have been proven false or do not demonstrate fraud.
* Voter fraud is often conflated with other forms of election misconduct.
* Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a particular policy agenda.
* Claims of voter fraud should be carefully tested before they become the basis for action.
Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare. Most citizens who take the time to vote offer their legitimate signatures and sworn oaths with the gravitas that this hard-won civic right deserves. Even for the few who view voting merely as a means to an end, however, voter fraud is a singularly foolish way to attempt to win an election. Each act of voter fraud risks five years in prison and a $10,000 fine - but yields at most one incremental vote. The single vote is simply not worth the price.
Because voter fraud is essentially irrational, it is not surprising that no credible evidence suggests a voter fraud epidemic. There is no documented wave or trend of individuals voting multiple times, voting as someone else, or voting despite knowing that they are ineligible. Indeed, evidence from the microscopically scrutinized 2004 gubernatorial election in Washington State actually reveals just the opposite: though voter fraud does happen, it happens approximately 0.0009% of the time. The similarly closely-analyzed 2004 election in Ohio revealed a voter fraud rate of 0.00004%. National Weather Service data shows that Americans are struck and killed by lightning about as often.
Many of the inaccurate claims result from lists of voters compared to other lists - of deceased individuals, persons with felony convictions, voters in other states, etc. These attempts to match information often yield predictable errors. In Florida in 2000, a list of purged voters later became notorious when it was discovered that the “matching” process captured eligible voters with names similar to - but decidedly different from - the names of persons with felony convictions, sometimes in other states entirely. A 2005 attempt to identify supposed double voters in New Jersey mistakenly accused people with similar names but whose middle names or suffixes were clearly different, such as “J.T. Kearns, Jr.” and “J.T. Kearns, Sr.,” of being the same person.
Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a particular policy agenda. Voter fraud is most often invoked as a substantial problem in order to justify particular election policies. Chief among these is the proposal that individuals be required to show photo ID in order to vote - a policy that disenfranchises up to 10% of eligible citizens. But the only misconduct that photo ID addresses is the kind of voter fraud that happens as infrequently as death by lightning. Therefore, it suits those who prefer photo ID as a policy to lump as much misconduct in with “voter fraud” as possible, to create the impression that the problem is far more significant than it actually is. Moreover, to the extent photo ID is suggested as a solution to the perception that voter fraud occurs, it behooves those who prefer photo ID to reinforce the unsubstantiated perception that voter fraud exists.
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/policy_brief_on_the_truth_about_voter_fraud/
California has mail-in voting for every election! I and the family love it. :)
SUPPRESSION OF VOTERS..
Something is going on with our voting rights, doesn't make a difference who is behind it, if they are messing with your "LEGAL" right to vote.. they should be arrested and jailed. If one county can stay open in a state, then all counties deserve same treatment. Stop the game playing with the only voice we have in Washington..... OUR VOTE!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/dec/28/republicans-voter-rights-suppression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caging_(voter_suppression)
http://www.aclu.org/voter-suppression-america
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/voter-suppression-and-political-polls/
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/killing-a-fly-with-a-bazooka/
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/voting-rights-alabama-2012-7136764
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/voting-rights-watch-2012/#
http://99problems.org/2012/05/interactive-map-voter-suppression-efforts-nationwide/...... (it seems the states having this problem are all red states...maybe a conspiracy?)
http://hotair.com/archives/2012/08/03/obama-democrats-suing-to-block-military-voting-in-ohio/
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/08/romney-says-obama-lawsuit-blocks-ohio-military-voters/
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/06/641891/why-does-mitt-romney-want-to-restrict-voting-rights-for-more-than-900000-ohio-veterans/?mobile=nc
I know a guy (same guy as harry reid) and he told me that if you bold your posts it means it's the turth.
Let me test that.
Obama lies about the economy.
What cow man we already knew you lied, you are a re reg posting on Ed' blog who got banned.
Your vocabulary is incredible.
You have yet to disprove anything I have posted.
Name calling and innuendos are your stock & trade.
Yep something I learned from your posts cow man. Funny how you don't like your own tactics used on you and being the true tea bagged republican you are you whine like a little school girl.
Post some facts there dude.
Like the fact city's in the state of CA are going bankrupt.
The fact of over 8% unemployment for over 41 months.
The fact of over 41 million people on food stamps.
The fact over 12 million people out of work.
The fact obamas policies have failed.
The fact there are fewer companies today than when obama took office.
The fact there are fewer banks today than when obama took office.
The fact there are fewer people working today than when obama took office.
The fact obama care is shipping jobs off shore.
The fact there are fewer home owners today than when obama took office.
The fact personal wealth is less today than when obama took office.
Hurry now and prove all that to be wrong.
Excellent points cow man, always great to see whom shutdown with facts and he does not have ability to use witty and or snarky comebacks like that fine Gentleman Prescott Archibald Worcestershire
Or his other head, canadian libirty, aka save the republic. Are the same people pulling your strings?
oh my GOD canadian liberty. wher do you come up with these "facts"? that is so not true.
It can only be a fact if it is on the ed show.
That is how these ed show bloggers think.
If ed say's it's the truth, by god it is.
What ever you do, don't prove these liberals wrong.
They get all mad, then the name calling starts, they do their best to get you baned.
It's a one-way street with these people.
They care less about the facts, and spend all their time proliferating their propaganda.
You watch after the Ronmey win, these people will fade like a cheap lawn chair.
Hey, cow head!
How can you post as a fact the opinion that the President's policies have failed?
If you want to be taken seriously, why don't you post some links to the statements you claim are "facts" so those of us who are interested can rebut them? PS - links from Faux News, freerepublic, drudge.com, and WND are not factual. You'll have to do better.
Thanks for demonstrating the Republican mindset towards democracy.
Tom - You are right, something is going on with our voting rights. Republican leaders in Washington and in various states are violating their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. They are violating the law - literally. This attack on the bill of rights has been going on since Richard Nixon. These extremist leaders are actually traitors if they are not going to uphold the law. Also, they have to be reminded that they are not above the law, we have no one in this country who is above the law, but the Rich seem to think that the law does not apply to them. Also, a lot of the current political ads are in fact slander, with no amount of truth in them.
Looks like the liberals are already getting their excuses ready for the losses ahead.
Looks like mikey lives in a fairy tale world. Tell Cinderella I said 'hey'. Teabaggers lying, cheating to win, it's the only way they can. Right?
Every thing is big in Texas.
And job growth in the longhorn state is up big time.
Taxes a Republican state right john?
Got the F-1 cars coming this fall.
Yes, the fact is if we liberals don't
speak out
the republicans will just
continue
to operate in all the dishonest acts they
can come up with.
Citizens united, MONEY PACS full of false information, and the ugliest of all is to
suppress the vote
And the really shameful part
is you are so proud of yourselves
when you are your most DEVIOUS!
nope, that would be the repukes crying already. they have nothing else left but to cry,whine and snivel. see you in november when OBAMA WINS ALONG WITH THE OTHER GOOD EDM'S.
That is the point Billie,
They are not facts.
He post no sources
just made them up in his head
and hopes
if he post them here we liberals will
fall for the lies!
That is what they do,
and pretty soon
they start
believing
their own lies.
This all a line of BUll$hit. next dude has the golden gate bridge behind him.
In Florida the early voting is going just fine, no one is keeping anyone from voting.
What the left wants, is on Sunday people like Jesse Jackson can tell people who to vote for people Al Sharpton telling people who to vote for.
Then they can leave chruch cross the street and vote.
So you these racist preachers are telling Americas who to vote for.
this is your bigoted bush-it!
Just proves what you so obviously are........How about all those evangelical congregations I see on TV domonating the net work and those that don't who tell their congregation, that voting anyway but the republican way will take them straight to hell. They are taught that from conception......and then they can go out anywhere in the city they want to and vote as they are told......only a bigot and a racist would pick out the "BLACK" churches and decide they were playing unfairly. So who is the racist here??????
Jim Crow is not hiding here.......with Ho, he is right out in the open for all to see.
WOW, you have more excuses than carter has little pills.
Al drunk-most-of-the-time Sharpton is a raciest. He doesn't like the Jews, white people, or paying his taxes.
Proved my point again!
oh mom you can't fix stupid here with these bigots and haters. my suggestion is to not try. it's not good for our blood pressure. YES, HO I CALLED YOU STUPID BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING YOU POST IS TO TRY AND KEEP ARGEUMENTS GOING THAT YOU CAN NOT WIN. ENJOY YOUR HATEFUL LIFE.
What point would that be?
The fact sharpton is a drunk raciest.
Have you ever seen him in person? Well I have, his a sawed off mad at the world drunk, that hides behind the bible to to vent his hate.
He does not like Jews, or white people, or paying taxes.
A real eeeeffffffing hero.
still spreading racism and hate and slander will get you no where ho. i think it's you who dislikes JEWS, WHITE PEOPLE, BLACK PEOPLE, BROWN EPOPLE AND I COULD GO ON AND ON HERE, BUT I THINK YOU GET THE DRIFT.
Hey HO - looks like you're one of them RASCIESTS too....just like your brother Al.
HO - I love when you conservatives get on these sights...it shows everyone how ignorant and pathetic you people really are. You conservatives are truly miserable, disgusting, hate filled creatures.
For one thing all my liberals friends, I'm an African American Male.
That's right a "black dude".
And I'm a card toting Republican in fact just got my Republican National Committee Platinum Member Card in the mail yesterday.
So remember what your mother told you about"assuming" things?
Cow head - no voter suppression in Florida? You must live somewhere else!
I see I still have to learn how to add links. Sorry for the double post.
Let me get this straight:
1957: President Eisenhower federalizes the Arkansas National Guard, sends 1,000 troops to Little Rock...so that some African American children can walk safely to school.
2012: Ohio politicians conspire to violate the 14th Amendment* less than 100 days before a national Presidential election, in partisan ways that can quite possibly swing the entire result and, for thousands of legally registered voters, suppress their Constitutional right to cast a ballot. Washington appears surprised, paralyzed, self-doubting, and silent.
Our President took an oath to protect and defend our Constitution. This is a crisis that has to be dealt with decisively, and NOW. Obama should already be directing the Pentagon to make contingency plans, should judicial efforts prove too slow or unworkable, to federalize the Ohio National Guard and order them to keep the polls open for early voting across Ohio, at identical hours, so that all legal votes can be cast and counted honestly in this election.
Afterwards, a thorough investigation can find and hold publicly accountable the officials who organized this criminal conspiracy to violate civil rights. But the sanctity of the election and the ballot must be preserved at all costs.
If we want to continue to have a democracy in this country, the people and our leaders must have the will to put their lives on the line and fight for it.
*The amendment that guarantees equal protection under the law. Federal and state courts have clearly ruled that unequal access to voting across a state is unconstitutional.
All I can say is, the republi@!$%#s are running scared, because they know they have been beat and all they can do is cheat!!
Heaven forbid you tread on my right to bear arms, but it is ok to trample on my right to vote!! By the way, they can tell if a county or district leans blue or red when you vote in the primary because you vote straight ticket! Eventually, with the war on women, they will remove the 19th amendment, too!
If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain
Winston Churchill another Great Leader not a Liberal
Ha, having trouble typing, laughing so hard. Perhaps Churchill didn't foresee what the conservatives in the US would become? Actually, the Republican Party of 2012 is a sad parody of the Republican party of old. What did Susan Eisenhower say today?
Winston Churchill, really? Different time, different circumstances, seems Churchil had very strong principles, character and courage. I doubt seriously he would favor trying to suppress the ability for people to vote! Nice little saying, though! But your screen name is appropriate!
I love the ED Show and Nina Turner is an AWESOME lady!!
I wish she was our Senator, I wish ALL senators were clones of Nina Turner, she is such an honest, outspoken, ethical, honest (did I say honest?) forthright, terrific lady!!!