The Repubs Are Manipulating The Vote
Posted by Michelle Moquin on September 29th, 2014
Good morning!
I know you are politically savvy, and I don’t want to inundate you with talk about how important these midterm elections are, because I know you know this. So between now and election day, I am choosing wisely when it comes to posting writes that bring up this very subject. Writes, that I feel, need to be read.
From Think Progress.
Manipulating The Vote
How Republicans In Three States Are Trying To Change The Game
Conservative legislatures and Secretaries of State across the country have taken draconian steps to limit access to the vote, from voter ID laws, to limits on early voting, and now to manipulating the ballot and registration processes. Each of these actions were done in the name of protecting the integrity of the voting process, while having the actual impact of shutting out certain demographics: communities of color, low-income, young and elderly voters and veterans, among others. Right now the November elections in several states are poised to occur under a cloud of uncertainty and suspicion because of these actions.
Georgia: Blocking Eligible Voters from Registering
Last week, Republican Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp sent a memo saying he had received “numerous complaints about voter applications submitted by the New Georgia Project,” a voter registration effort aimed at increasing turnout by African American voters. This week, after the group challenged Kemp’s claims and said Kemp’s office had held up more than 50,000 voter registration forms for months, Kemp changed his tune.
In audio released by Better Georgia, Secretary Kemp says, “Democrats are working hard, and all these stories about them, you know, registering all these minority voters that are out there and others that are sitting on the sidelines, if they can do that, they can win these elections in November.”
Kemp delaying the processing of more than 50,000 voter registrations could change the outcome of the elections if people are unable to vote. His comments suggest he is fine with that.
Kansas: Manipulating the Ballot to Help the Republican Incumbent
On Thursday, September 18, the Kansas Supreme Court told Secretary of State Kris Kobach to remove the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, Chad Taylor, from the November ballot, per the candidate’s request. Kobach had refused to do so since Sept. 3, when the candidate first made the request, after he learned that a ballot with incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts against Independent Greg Orman showed the independent winning.
Ballots were scheduled to begin being mailed this Saturday in Kansas, but Kobach announced he would tell the Kansas Democratic party to pick a replacement by noon September 26, according to the Kansas City Star. Kobach said his office would “review the legal options if Democrats fail to comply,” and cited a federal law in saying he could delay sending overseas ballots.
Incumbent Republican Senator Pat Roberts is behind in a head-to-head matchup with Greg Orman, as much as six percent. A Roberts loss could threaten the Republicans’ chances of taking over the Senate in the next Congress. Instead of getting out the vote, Kobach tried to rewrite the ballot, reversing course this afternoon and announcing that Kansas will actually start sending out overseas ballots without a Democratic nominee listed.
Wisconsin: Changing the Law at the Last Minute
A week ago, a federal appeals court ruled to reinstate Wisconsin’s voter ID law, requiring voters to show photo identification when they vote. The 2011 law has been challenged in the courts for years, and this ruling was unprecedented in its timing: less than two months before the election. Like the others, the justification for this law was the always elusive voter fraud, when in reality it would serve todisenfranchise roughly nine percent of the state’s voters. In 2010, Governor Scott Walker won by just 124,638 votes, and he appears to be in an even closer race this year.
ACLU’s legal team estimates “the state would have to process and issue 6,000 photo IDs every day between now and November 4 in order to serve all” the impacted residents who don’t have one now. Additionally, several thousand absentee ballots have already been sent to voters and many have been returned, without an ID check.
The immediate concern in Wisconsin is the ability of the state to enforce a major change in election law less than two months before the election. The change impacts 300,000 voters, enough to easily change the outcome of an election that had only 2.1 million voters in 2010.
BOTTOM LINE: Georgia, Kansas and Wisconsin in no way represent the entire picture of voter suppression efforts in states across the country, but the recent events in these states highlight how Republican efforts to cutoff access to the vote have real impacts in elections. In cases like Georgia and Kansas these are clear efforts to change the outcome of elections in favor of their party. Americans deserve better when it comes to their most basic of rights.
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Readers: It is vital that people are able to vote. The repubs are doing all they can to prevent Dems from getting to the polls. We must do all we can to get them there.
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September 29th, 2014 at 11:26 am
This was most certain a write that needed to be read.
September 29th, 2014 at 11:28 am
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September 29th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
Michelle this was a timely post. All of the voter suppression laws are done by republicans. They have their bought and paid for federal judges allow the laws to go into effect for the election knowing a full panel will reverse after the election when it is too late for those disenfranchised to vote. This happened recently in North Carolina.
Last month, a George W. Bush appointee to a federal trial bench in North Carolina allowed the law to go into effect during the 2014 election, the panel of three judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit are now considering whether to affirm or reverse that decision. They heard oral arguments in the case on Thursday.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:02 pm
Democracy’s greatest benefit is the inherent right to vote. Conservatives work feverishly to deny that right, particularly close to elections.
The ‘Greed Over People’ party will do anything to get their way.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:03 pm
I think we ALL know why they don’t want people to vote lol. And it is not because of voter fraud that’s just BS.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:04 pm
I’m white. I’m a Christian and I’m anot American. It’s the last one that counts during voting. Being an American citizen, that’s all that should matter when you vote.
Voter suppression laws are unconstitutional. This is a no brainer. If you are an American citizen, your voting right should not be taken from you.
The rich are trying to steal our buy the election. To them it don’t matter.
As long as they can keep avoiding paying their share of taxes and keep working men and women’s wages low, that’s all they care about. By hook or by crook. It doesn’t matter as long as they keep the people they are able to bribe.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
Republicans know that when more people vote they are less likely to win.
70% of Americans want to raise minimum wage.
88% of Americans want background checks for gun purchases.
80% of Americans support a path to citizenship.
90% of Americans support equal pay for women.
This is how far Republicans are out of touch with Americans.
Republicans are against all of these so how do they continue getting elected? They keep winning because they employ a complex multi-faceted technique that political scientists call CHEATING. Gerrymandering districts, voter ID laws, purging voter polls, shortening the voting period, preventing anyone who has been in prison to vote despite fulfilling their sentence and eliminating same day registration.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:06 pm
North#4, Yes, they do, unfortunately for them, I am educated, I vote consistently, I have a valid drivers license in my state with a photo on it. I agree having a photo ID can be a hardship, especially for the elderly who do not drive anymore and have to get to a DMV to obtain a photo ID.
What isn’t mentioned in the article is that early voting helps the working man, as it can be difficult to get to the appropriate poll place when you work full time at more than one job. Early voting increases the odds that the person who works at more than one job can vote.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:07 pm
Hey north#4, – what planet do you live on ?? Demodorks and Liberal have done everything in their power to deny service members the right to vote. they’ve done it every election. Voter fraud is found to be rampant wherever they win..what do you have against enforcing the laws ??
September 29th, 2014 at 4:08 pm
Craig#5, Liberals hate voter id laws for the same reason that burglars hate alarms. They keep them from committing their favorite crimes.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Gregory#6, All the voter id laws are trying to do is verify that you are a citizen, not keep citizens from voting.
“Being an American citizen, that’s all that should matter when you vote.” That’s all they are trying to verify.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Art#9, prove that , you can’t because no one has been able to ever.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
Lewis#3:
North Carolina is being punished for voting for Obama in ’08, and nearly doing so again in ’12.
And, if you want voters to have a picture ID, fine….provide one free of charge. Otherwise it is just a poll tax.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
The Republican takeover of N.C has been a disaster.They have raised taxes on everyone making less than 84,000 , eliminated 5000 education jobs, currently rank 48 in teachers pay.No wonder they don’t want people to vote.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:13 pm
It’s possible that Democratic judges are driven by politics, just as Republican judges are.
It’s also possible (and likely) that a Democratic judge WON’T be driven by politics, and justice will prevail.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:14 pm
Yeah, Voter Suppression Law… THAT’S what we call it… sheesh, so tired of muckraking rag like ThinkProgress twisting reality so its braindead kool-aid drinking readers can sit around thinking Republicans are just old white racists…
please explain to me why proving you are who you say you are, that you are in fact legal to vote, and that you are voting where you are supposed to be voting… is considered “suppression?”
Hmmmm… maybe if all the dead people that vote every year were voting Republican instead of Democrat, then the libs might actually see the usefulness of the proposed laws.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Art#9, Then why is there voter suppression in Kansas? It’s a Republican state. Is voter fraud the reason the Republican’s keep winning?
September 29th, 2014 at 4:19 pm
Art#9,Stop sipping Faux News tea. Show me any report of this so called massive voter fraud. If it is truly as prevalent as you say there must be reporting on it.
Heres what i found with a simple google search http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/.
What it boils down to is the republican party is losing its grip on power and is trying desperately to hold on. What is funny is this will ultimately be their downfall as a national party and relegate them to regional and eventually oblivion….
September 29th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Hey Art. Where have you been getting your news regarding election fraud? Fox News? Actually, you might want to get the facts rather than making stuff up.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Art#9, can you cite some evidence? Thought not.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Ignorant, uneducated, illegal minorities should not vote, Pinocchio HUSSEIN Obama.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:23 pm
You liberals are full of CRAP. No one is “working feverishly” to deny ANY right. Just more democrat rhetoric. What is wrong with requiring an ID, my 88 year old mother has an ID, absolutely anyone WHO IS HERE LEGALLY can get one.
What is wrong with requiring people to vote in their precinct, it is after all WHERE THEY LIVE. No, the only ones who claim that these restrict or deny rights are those who are hellbent on committing voter fraud. Democrat = Un-American to the core.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:24 pm
Art, I was on active duty for 23 years and I never missed a single vote, I always filed for an absentee ballot. The one time it was tricky was when I was in Iraq in 2003, and the mail system was so slow that I didn’t get the ballot until a month before the election, but I made sure that I filled it out and it went out 2 days later to the APO in Baghdad.
When it got to the right place I am not sure, but I got back 6 months later and went to the board of elections, and there it was, my vote was counted. So you’re spewing BULL
September 29th, 2014 at 4:25 pm
You dont have to prove who you are in Colorado or Illinios ,and you can register and vote on the same day.
September 29th, 2014 at 4:29 pm
North#4, you are correct. You forgot to add you consider it your inherent right to vote illegally with illegal aliens and multiple votes. Nevermind mind using Obama’s private army, the Niggrer Panthers to intimidate people at the poles.
You people are against voter ID because it’s one more thing that requires accountability and flies in the face of laziness and lies.
September 29th, 2014 at 6:53 pm
Wow, David#25, if you could support your accusations with facts to back them up, you wouldn’t have to be so virulent. Just state the facts.
But since you have no facts to back up your claims of wide spread voter fraud you have to resort to racist diatribes.
Oh, and please tell us how closing polls early and eliminating early voting prevents voter fraud.