URGENT CALL TO ACTION...LEFT WING GROUP, BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE, IS TRYING TO RIG THE SYSTEM AGAIN BY GOING AROUND THE SUPREME COURTS RULINGS ON VOTING RIGHTS.
LET CONGRESS AND THE SENATE KNOW THIS BILL NEEDS TO BE KILLED. IT IS JUST ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY THE LEFT TO RIG OUR ELECTION PROCESS AND MAKE IT EASIER TO COMMIT VOTER FRAUD!
POST ON THESE LAWMAKERS FACEBOOK, TWITTER, ETC. GET THE WORD OUT AS THE BILL HAS BEEN INTRODUCED BY THE MOST LEFT WING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, JOHN CONYERS AND PATRICK LEAHY AS WELL AS REPUBLICAN JAMES SENSENBRENNER.
Today,
Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), with
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and others, introduced a bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court eliminated its key protections last year.
“From its first days, the
Voting Rights Act united members of both parties. Critically, this
proposal continues that bipartisan approach,” said Brennan Center
President Michael Waldman. “America was founded on the
principle that we all are ‘created equal.’ To fulfill that promise, we
need an election system that works well for everyone, and doesn’t
tolerate discrimination against anyone. This bill is a crucial first
step. We hope it gets stronger as it moves through the legislative
process.”
Under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act,
jurisdictions with a history of discrimination must seek pre-approval
of changes in voting rules that could affect minorities. This process,
known as “preclearance,” blocks discrimination before it occurs. Last
June, the Supreme Court invalidated Section 4 — which determines the
states and localities covered by Section 5 — arguing that current
conditions require a new coverage formula.
Arizona – The Associated Press
spoke to several voters caught up in Arizona’s fight over its
documentary proof of citizenship law, which the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated last year for federal elections.
Kansas – Kansas has a similar problem. More than 19,000 registrations are on hold due to the state’s proof of citizenship requirement. A group of Democratic legislators introduced a bill to fix the problem. Jean Schodorf, a former Republican state senator who had voted for the law, is now demanding an audit
of Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s supervision of the measure. “He
promised that this
law would be simple, easy and seamless to implement,” said Schodorf, who
switched parties and is expected to challenge Kobach as a Democrat.
“We’re in this horrible mess.”
Alabama – State officials last week agreed to provide voter registration opportunities at public assistance agencies. Read more here. Meanwhile, a federal judge used a mechanism in the Voting Rights Act to reinstate federal oversight of voting laws in Evergreen, Alabama.
California –“Conservatives and Tea Partiers” are trying to put voter ID on the ballot this November, according to MSNBC.
Florida – State
election officials will soon start efforts to remove non-citizens from
the voter rolls, but this time election supervisors will have a chance to
opine on the plan. Voting advocates and the Justice Department sued to
halt a purge in 2012 after the supervisors found the lists were riddled
with errors.
Iowa – State Senator Tom Courtney (D) wants to investigate
whether Secretary of State Matt Schultz (R) properly used federal money
to investigate voter fraud charges. But the agency that can conduct an
investigation, the Election Assistance Commission, currently has no
commissioners. Courtney sent a letter last week asking the U.S. Senate’s
Judiciary Committee to confirm the nominees.
Kentucky – A state House committee approved a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to those with past criminal convictions. The bill, which is backed by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R), needs 60 percent of the vote in the House and the Senate to be placed on the ballot this fall.
Mississippi – State Sen. David Blount (D) believes there will be bipartisan support for his bill to offer online voter registration.
North Carolina – The NAACP broadened its lawsuit
challenging North Carolina’s package of restrictive voting laws,
arguing the measures discriminate against Hispanics as well as African
Americans. The group is also asking for access
to Republican lawmakers’ emails to show the bill’s “sponsors knowingly
discriminated against racial minorities.” The state says the emails
should be private because of legislative privilege.
Ohio – The legislature will consider
a series of bills to restrict voting, including a measure to eliminate
Ohio’s “Golden Week,” the one week where a voter can register and cast a
ballot on the same day. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Jon Husted (R)
reached a settlement in which he agreed to use an interstate database to identify ineligible voters on election lists. Advocates worry the program
“makes it too easy to wrongly remove voters from the rolls.”
Media Round-Up
The courts will consider a number of voting rights
issues in 2014. “If judges have to rule whether new restrictions are
inspired by party politics or racial motives, it will be difficult to
predict what they will say,” wrote UC-Irvine Law Professor Rick Hasen at
TPM.
“But the impeding rulings will make a huge difference for minorities
and younger Americans, whose voting rights are very much on the line.”
“If I need ID to buy cough syrup, why shouldn’t I need ID to vote?” Brennan Center Fellow Andrew Cohen breaks down his answer to that flawed question at The Atlantic.
Single-party control of
state governments is leading to radically different approaches on a wide
range of issues, from voting rights to labor contracts to health care, reported Dan Balz of The Washington Post.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony last week from Debo Adegbile,
former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, who was nominated to lead
the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Stanford Law Professor Pam Karlan will oversee the Division’s voting section, which handles the federal government’s voting rights policy.
The Nation’s(COMMUNIST PUBLICATION) John Nichols highlighted the Brennan Center’s recent report, How to Fix the Voting System, as one of his “five reforms to make our politics matter.”
“Online registration is
cost-effective for states, convenient for voters, and secure, because it
reduces the potential for fraud while improving the accuracy of voter
rolls,” according to new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is from the Brennan Center For Justice's website:
Voting Rights Act Bill: Critical First Step to Improve Elections
Today, members of Congress introduced a bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court eliminated key protections last year.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law released the following statement from President Michael Waldman:
“The Supreme Court gutted the core of the Voting Rights Act, removing
a critical protection against discrimination in voting. We applaud
these members of Congress for introducing this bill to help strengthen
the law. Reps. Conyers and Sensenbrenner, as well as Sen. Leahy, have
shown tremendous leadership. From its first days, the Voting Rights Act
united members of both parties. Critically, this proposal continues that
bipartisan approach. Voting rights should not be a partisan issue.
“America was founded on the principle that we all are ‘created
equal.’ To fulfill that promise, we need an election system that works
well for everyone, and doesn’t tolerate discrimination against anyone.
This bill is a crucial first step. We hope it gets stronger as it moves
through the legislative process.
“We also expect the president’s bipartisan voting commission to issue
recommendations soon, which states can adopt quickly to improve
elections. We look forward to working with members of Congress and
election officials across the country to modernize voting and bring our
system into the 21st century. We should assure that only eligible
citizens can vote — but every single eligible citizen can vote.”
The
Brennan Center plays a central, critical role in the drive for a
renewed democracy and justice system. Our goal: To advance a robust
vision of the Constitution as a charter for a thriving democracy. Bold
policy reform must be supported by a long-term effort to shift legal
doctrine. That is why we lead an ambitious new initiative to develop and
articulate a compelling progressive jurisprudence for the 21st century.
The Center also holds numerous public events centered on the Constitution. Created in 1996, our annual Brennan Center Jorde Symposium
sponsors top scholarly discourse and writing from a variety of
perspectives on issues that were central to the legacy of Justice
Brennan. Our Living Constitution Lecture series brings together thinkers and policymakers to further understanding of the Constitution and its role in a changing world.
The Brennan Center forges new doctrines not only in the halls of
academia, but in the active fight for justice. We play the lead legal
role in defending the integrity of our elections, coordinating the legal
strategy to defend voting rights, working with civil rights and voting
rights allies. Through lawsuits, advocacy, and research, we have
protected voting rights for hundreds of thousands of Americans. We also
insist on a fair and impartial judiciary, working hard to protect the
courts from the influx of special interest spending that threatens to
overwhelm judicial selection in the states.
By developing this kind of progressive legal scholarship, the Brennan
Center has real impact in the academy, in legal practice and
jurisprudence, and in the public debate on policy issues.
Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican Attorney General of Virginia, agreed with WMAL radio host Cheri Jacobus Tuesday when she insinuated that President Obama may have illegitimately won the election through lenient voting laws.
Jacobus stated, “He can’t win a state where photo ID is required. So
clearly there’s something going on out there.” In fact, President Obama
won Michigan and Florida, both of which have voter identification laws.
Jacobus’ co-host Brian Wilson claimed to have received several emails from listeners wishing to report voter fraud. He then asked Cuccinelli,
“When you hear these kinds of stories, one wonders, why isn’t there a
way for the Attorney General of the commonwealth of Virginia to get
involved and to look into these matters?”
Cuccinelli told Wilson he was unable to investigate election
violations unless state officials first requested an inquiry, but agreed
that there “ought to be a way” for him to look into these matters.
After Jacobus seemingly became angry with him for not investigating the
voter fraud allegations, Cuccinelli stated, ”Your tone suggests you’re a
little upset with me. You’re preaching to the choir. I’m with you
completely.”
After the interview, Noah Wall, political spokesman for Cuccinnelli, said in an email that Cuccinelli never meant to question the legality of President Barack Obama‘s
campaign: ”There is no question that President Obama legitimately won
re-election. Ken was simply talking about the fact that there were
problems on election day which need to be addressed.”
SOURCE: MEDIATE
CALL THOSE CORRUPT ELECTION OFFICIALS AND LET THEM KNOW WE WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO STEAL THESE ELECTIONS FROM US.
It's time you wake up and look at your own city, county and state officials to see WHO is in charge of your elections.
It's time to make sure there are honest, free and fair elections.
Those on the left have already proven they do not want to play by the rules. They have made it perfectly clear that the 'ends justifies the means' and they have become completely lawless in their tactics.
If you witnessed or suspect fraud in your county, report it.
We must stop this cancer that has spread into our communities and has corrupted our entire election process.
It's time we take this country back!
I am not encouraging any threats of violence or acts that are
against the law. I want everyone to call their Secretary of State, Congressman, Senatorand their governor in their states and let them know they must thoroughlyinvestigate irregularities in these elections.
The people of the United States of America demand to
be heard. We demand 'free and fair elections' and the criminal prosecution of those that have committed or facilitated voter fraud.
Let
them know the corruption is obvious and those who are guilty mustbe exposed and
face the consequences of their crimes through the courts.
At
the bottom of the page is a list of those to contact for every state. Call them and remind
them that those in charge of our elections are not above the law.
Please remember to NOT threaten
or make any perceived threats as that will only serve to hurt our
movement to expose this massive corruption and unveil the truth.
UPDATE: 11/11/12 SHAM OF A RECOUNT ONLY COUNTED LAST 3 DAYS, NOT THE EARLIER VOTING WHICH IS WHERE THE FRAUD TOOK PLACE. WHY WOULD THEY NOT RECOUNT ALL THE VOTES? BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY HAVE MANIPULATED THE RESULTS AND NEED TO KEEP IT HIDDEN FROM US.
Video: Angry crowd reacts to ‘misleading recount’ in Allen West race
Allen West supporters expressed shock in Fort Pierce on Sunday, but
not because the finally tally in St. Lucie County’s Congressional
District 18 race showed West gaining 201 more votes — but because it
was only based on a “cherry picked” partial recount and the supervisor
refused to explain why.
Despite the persistent questions over fairness and accuracy, county
attorneys, the county canvassing board and Elections Supervisor Gertrude
Walker refused to answer questions from the campaigns or the press
throughout the entire exercise. When the machine count was finished,
elections officials announced the total and immediately had a sheriff’s
deputy instruct everyone to leave.
The question everyone wanted answered was, Why did the supervisor
promise to recount all the ballots from early voting and then chose to
only recount three days’ worth of votes?
The three days, according to the West team, did not include the time
period when questions were raised about faulty technology on election
night.
Many on West’s team said they felt the recount was a big show to
make it look as if voting irregularities were addressed. The team is
still trying to gain access to the voting logs from St. Lucie County,
but has been unsuccessful so far.
As election officials in St. Lucie County began recounting only ballots
filed in the final three days of Early Voting, the attorney for U.S.
Rep. Allen West wasted little time calling the process a “sham.”
And
that was before the partial recount lowered the lead of Democrat
Patrick Murphy in the Congressional District 18 contest by 535 votes.
“What’s
going on today is a sham,” Edson said told the Post. “It does nothing
at all to address the concerns we had after being told yesterday they
would be recounting all early votes.”
West has doggedly refused
to concede the race, though he is currently trailing Murphy by 2,442
votes. The Florida Division of Elections website had Murphy's vote total
at 166,890 and West's at 164,448.
By
recounting just the final days of Early Voting, only 16,275 ballots
were run through the tabulators at the St. Lucie County Supervisor of
Elections Office inside the former Orange Blossom Mall in Fort Pierce.
As election officials in St. Lucie County began recounting only ballots
filed in the final three days of Early Voting, the attorney for U.S.
Rep. Allen West wasted little time calling the process a “sham.”
And
that was before the partial recount lowered the lead of Democrat
Patrick Murphy in the Congressional District 18 contest by 535 votes.
“What’s
going on today is a sham,” Edson said told the Post. “It does nothing
at all to address the concerns we had after being told yesterday they
would be recounting all early votes.”
West has doggedly refused
to concede the race, though he is currently trailing Murphy by 2,442
votes. The Florida Division of Elections website had Murphy's vote total
at 166,890 and West's at 164,448.
By
recounting just the final days of Early Voting, only 16,275 ballots
were run through the tabulators at the St. Lucie County Supervisor of
Elections Office inside the former Orange Blossom Mall in Fort Pierce. Edson, who claims being told the problems occurred in the first part of
Early Voting, expected the county to review all 37,379 ballots because
of a problem with tabulating machines reading memory cards.
The
Post reported that Assistant County Attorney Heather Young claimed the
reefed of ballots -- agreed to by the county elections office -- was to
look at all votes cast in the days tabulating equipment had a problem
reading memory cards.
An attorney for Murphy told the Post that West needs to "step aside."
West has claimed possible irregularities in the county election process.
West for Congress has summarized the perceived problems:
“Late
on Election Night, Congressman West led by 1,700 votes. Following the
St. Lucie County supervisor of elections’ decision to recount thousands
of early ballots after a technical glitch, the margin shifted by 4,000.
In order to ensure that votes were not doubled-counted, we have
requested that the St. Lucie supervisor of elections make public the
poll check-in books to ensure the number of ballots cast matches the
number of voters checked-in at the polls."
The state tally is
complete but still unofficial. With only a handful of overseas and
military ballots outstanding, the state count is complete but
unofficial. By law, Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy has won enough
votes to avoid an automatic recount.
Elections officials in St.
Lucie County are looking forward to the re-feed as West has already
sought injunctions to contest the election.
"Frankly, a lot of us
are glad," a St. Lucie elections office worker told Sunshine State News
late Saturday. She was speaking on condition of anonymity. "We want the
spotlight off our county, we want the election over.
"And our
supervisor of elections is a Democrat. We want to show the world nothing
intentional happened here, so I guess you could say that we want
vindication." SOURCE: Sunshine State News To think that Allen West has put his life on the line to defend our freedom and this is the payback he gets.
We all know this election outcome and multitudes of others across this country, including the bogus victory of Obama in the 2012 election are a complete SHAM. The left has been doing this forever and have become emboldened because they have corrupt officials now overseeing these elections that are protecting them and facilitating this massive fraud.
As long as we are silent and allow this to go one, instead of standing up and fighting, we will NEVER have free and fair elections. It's time we stand up and fight. It's time we demand that those who have won elections through fraud be removed immediately and those who facilitate it go to prison. IT'S TIME TO MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ALL YOU KNOW. WE NEED TO MAKE THEIR PHONES RING OFF THE WALL!
Here's who to contact:
Demand an investigation in this county and any others with irregularities that have been reported:
After
what we have seen this November, how is any American ever supposed to
trust the integrity of our elections ever again?
There were over 70,000
reports of voting problems on election day, and there are numerous
eyewitnesses that claim that they saw voting machines change votes for
one candidate to another candidate right in front of their eyes.
In
several of the swing states there were counties where the number of
registered voters exceeded the total voting age population by a very
wide margin.
How in the world does that happen?
Some of the vote totals
that were reported in some of the most important swing states were
completely and totally absurd, and yet we are just supposed to accept
them on blind faith without ever being able to ask any questions.
Of
course the Romney campaign has already totally given up, so it isn't as
if there is any chance that the results of the presidential election
could be overturned anyhow. But if massive election fraud did take place
and nobody is held accountable, what kind of message will that send for
the future?
Will we ever be able to have faith in the integrity of our
elections ever again?
The following are 22 signs that voter fraud is wildly out of control and the election was a sham…
#1 According to the Election Protection Coalition, voters across the United States reported more than 70,000 voting problems by 5 PM Eastern time on election day.
#2 There were 59 voting divisions
in the city of Philadelphia where Mitt Romney did not receive a single
vote. In those voting divisions, the combined vote total was 19,605 for
Barack Obama and 0 for Mitt Romney.
#3 The overall voter turnout rate in Philadelphia was only about 60 percent. But in the areas of Philadelphia where Republican poll watchers were illegally removed, the voter turnout rate was over 90% and Obama received over 99% of the vote. Officials in Philadelphia have already ruled out an investigation.
#4 According to WND,
one poll watcher in Pennsylvania actually claims that he witnessed
voting machine software repeatedly switch votes from Mitt Romney to
Barack Obama…
It was in Upper Macungie Township, near Allentown, Pa., where an
auditor, Robert Ashcroft, was dispatched by Republicans to monitor the
vote on Election Day. He said the software he observed would "change the
selection back to default – to Obama."
He said that happened in about 5 percent to 10 percent of the votes.
He said the changes appeared to have been made by a software program. Ashcroft said the format for computer programming has a default
status, and in this case it appeared to be designating a vote for Obama
each time it went to default.
#7 Prior to the election, voters in the states of Nevada, North Carolina, Texas and Ohio all reported that voting machines were switching their votes for Romney over to Obama.
#8 There were more than 50 precincts in Cuyahoga County, Ohio where Mitt Romney received 2 votes or less.
#9 There were more than 100 precincts in Cuyahoga County, Ohio where Barack Obama received more than 99 times the votes that Mitt Romney did.
#10 Barack Obama also received more than 99% of the vote in a number of very important precincts down in Broward County, Florida.
#11 Wood County, Ohio (which Obama won) has a voting age population of 98,213, but somehow 106,258 voters were registered to vote on election day.
#12 Ten counties in the swing state of Colorado have a voter registration rate of more than 100%.
#13 Barack Obama did not win in a single state that absolutely requires a photo I.D. in order to vote.
#14 In Ohio, two election judges were caught allowing unregistered voters to cast ballots.
#15 Many Ohio voters that showed up at the polls on election day were surprised when they were informed that they had already voted.
#16 In fact, there were reports all over the nation of people being unable to vote because records showed that they had already voted.
#17 According to U.S. Representative Allen West, there were numerous "voting irregularities" in St. Lucie County, Florida on election day…
"The thing that spurred our curiosity in our race was the fact
that at 1 o'clock in the morning on Election Night, all of a sudden
there was a 4,000-vote swing that took me from being ahead to put the
lead into my opponent's hands."
#18 In Wisconsin, there were allegations that Obama voters were actually being bussed in from out of state…
The Democrats stationed a self described "BIG Chicago pro bono
attorney" as one of their two observers at this small polling place. He
remained at the polling place from 7:00 a.m. until well after 8:p.m.
…..A high priced CHICAGO attorney, sitting in a Sheboygan WISCONSIN
polling place, observing wards comprised of 1500 voters? ….
WHY???
Why
would someone from Chicago be observing in Sheboygan Wisconsin? And WHY
at such a small polling place? Finally, isn't it interesting that this
would occur at the VERY polling place in which all of the above
described events ALSO occurred?
AGAIN WHY WOULD A CHICAGO ATTORNEY BE
OBSERVING AN ELECTION POLLING PLACE WITH FEWER THAN 1500 VOTERS IN IT,
IN SHEBOYGAN WISCONSIN? Of all the places where there has been suspected
voting irregularities, and OUTRIGHT FRAUD throughout the ENTIRE United
States, WHY HERE? WHY SHEBOYGAN? WHY THIS SMALL WARD?
This lawyer spent the day running in and out making, and taking
calls, which coincidentally then coincided with influxes of groups of
individuals by the van and bus loads, coming in to register, AND VOTE,
using what appeared to be copied Allient energy bills. These individuals
often did not have photo I.D.'s, could not remember their own addresses
without looking at the paper, and became easily tripped, confused and
annoyed when questioned.
Many of these same individuals, just so happened to be dressed
in/wearing CHICAGO BEARS apparel, and whom openly discussed "catching
busses back to Chicago" with each other, with poll workers, via their
cell phones in the lobby area just outside the polling place, as well as
in the parking lot, both before and AFTER registering and voting.
One woman was dressed head to toe in CHICAGO BEARS apparel including perfectly manicured BEARS fake fingernails!
She complained because registering was taking too long and she had to hurry up to catch her bus back to Chicago.
We have photos of these people in vehicles with plates from
different states, photos of them leaving the polls, and other
irregularities.
#19 Prior to election day, an Obama for America staffer was caught on video trying to help someone register to vote in more than one state.
#21 According to townhall.com,
there was a systematic effort by the Obama campaign to suppress the
military vote because they knew that most military votes would go
against Obama…
Aiding Obama's win was a devious suppression of the conservative vote.
The conservative-leaning military vote has decreased
drastically since 2010 due to the so-called Military Voter Protection
Act that was enacted into law the year before. It has made it so
difficult for overseas military personnel to obtain absentee ballots
that in Virginia and Ohio there has been a 70% decrease in requests for
ballots since 2008. In Virginia, almost 30,000 fewer overseas military
voters requested ballots than in 2008. In Ohio, more than 20,000 fewer
overseas military voters requested ballots. This is significant
considering Obama won in both states by a little over 100,000 votes.
#22 According to the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association, it appears that thousands of military votes from this election will never be counted at all.
So what do you think about all of this?
Do you still believe that elections in America are fair and honest?
Please feel free to post an article with your thoughts below…
Registering Tim Tebow and Tom Brady to Vote in Minnesota
ProjectVeritas.com Investigation. Election officials advise no ID
necessary to register Timothy Tebow and Thomas Brady to vote in
Minnesota. Absentee ballots are discussed, voter registration forms are
given out, and Election officials blow the whistle on potential fraud in
their own state.
Please help support James O'Keefe and brave citizen journalists that continue to shine the light on the massive corruption within the system and the Democrat Party.
What's wrong with showing identification when you vote? That's an egregious civil rights violation if you ask the Obama Administration and liberal groups like the Center for American Progress, and the Advancement Project. So what happens if you show up at the front door of these groups without ID? Find out on this PJTV undercover investigation.
A non-partisan grassroots watchdog group called "True the Vote" has released its report on the 2008 elections in Houston, Texas, in which it found that the process was absolutely buried under an avalanche of coordinated partisan corruption and voter fraud.
From one of the group's founders, Catherine Engelbrecht: “What we saw shocked us. There was no one checking IDs, judges would vote for people that asked for help. It was fraud, and we watched like deer in the headlights... ...The first thing we started to do was look at houses with more than six voters in them [a common red flag for voter fraud]...Vacant lots had several voters registered on them. An eight-bed halfway house had more than 40 voters registered at its address. We then decided to look at who was registering the voters."
Their report, which unsurprisingly found that SEIU was at the center of the voter fraud operation, is now being reviewed by the Texas secretary of state's office and by the Harris County district attorney for possible prosecution.
"Among the findings were that only 1,793 of the 25,000 registrations the group submitted appeared to be valid. The other registrations included one of a woman who registered six times in the same day; registrations of non-citizens; so many applications from one Houston Voters collector in one day that it was deemed to be beyond human capability; and 1,597 registrations that named the same person multiple times, often with different signatures."
So not only did we have armed Black Panthers openly intimidating voters at the polls with impunity during this election, but also a blatantly stolen election in Minnesota and extensive evidence of widespread Democrat attacks on the process in Texas.
Again, welcome to "transparency" and "the change we need."
The six-month election recount that turned former "Saturday Night Live" comedian Al Franken into a U.S. senator may have been decided by convicted felons who voted illegally in Minnesota's Twin Cities.
That's the finding of an 18-month study conducted by Minnesota Majority, a conservative watchdog group, which found that at least 341 convicted felons in largely Democratic Minneapolis-St. Paul voted illegally in the 2008 Senate race between Franken, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent, then-incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman.
The final recount vote in the race, determined six months after Election Day, showed Franken beat Coleman by 312 votes -- fewer votes than the number of felons whose illegal ballots were counted, according to Minnesota Majority's newly released study, which matched publicly available conviction lists with voting records.
Furthermore, the report charges that efforts to get state and federal authorities to act on its findings have been "stonewalled."
"We aren't trying to change the result of the last election. That legally can't be done," said Dan McGrath, Minnesota Majority's executive director. "We are just trying to make sure the integrity of the next election isn't compromised."
He said his group was largely ignored when it turned over a list of hundreds of names to prosecutors in two of the state's largest counties, Ramsey and Hennepin, where fraud seemed to be the greatest.
A spokesman for both county attorneys' offices belittled the information, saying it was "just plain wrong" and full of errors, which prompted the group to go back and start an in-depth look at the records.
"What we did this time is irrefutable," McGrath said. "We took the voting lists and matched them with conviction lists and then went back to the records and found the roster lists, where voters sign in before walking to the voting booth, and matched them by hand.
"The only way we can be wrong is if someone with the same first, middle and last names, same year of birth as the felon, and living in the same community, has voted. And that isn't very likely."
The report said that in Hennepin County, which in includes Minneapolis, 899 suspected felons had been matched on the county's voting records, and the review showed 289 voters were conclusively matched to felon records. The report says only three people in the county have been charged with voter fraud so far.
A representative of the Hennepin County attorney's office, who declined to give her name, said "there was no one in the office today to talk about the charges."
But the report got a far different review in Ramsey County, which contains St. Paul. Phil Carruthers of the Ramsey County attorney's office said his agency had taken the charges "very seriously" and found that the Minnesota Majority "had done a good job in their review."
The report says that in Ramsey, 460 names on voting records were matched with felon lists, and a further review found 52 were conclusive matches.
Carruthers attributed differences in the numbers to Minnesota Majority's lack of access to nonpublic information, such as exact birth dates and other court records. For example, he said, "public records might show a felon was given 10 years probation, but internal records the county attorney has might show that the probation period was cut to five and the felon was eligible to vote."
Carruthers said Ramsey County is still investigating all the names and has asked that 15 investigators be hired to complete the process. "So far we have charged 28 people with felonies, have 17 more under review and have 182 cases still open," he said. "And there is a good chance we may match or even exceed their numbers."
McGrath says the report shows that more still has to be done.
"Prosecutors have to act more swiftly in prosecuting cases from the 2008 election to deter fraud in the future," he said, "and the state has to make sure that existing system, that flags convicted felons so voting officials can challenge them at the ballot, is effective. In 90 percent of the cases we looked at, the felons weren't flagged."
"If the state had done that," he said, "things might be very different today."
Top Union Official Caught on Tape Discussing Voter Fraud
www.theprojectveritas.com Top Official at NJEA (New Jersey Education Association) discussing what he describes as a rigged election in Hudson County, NJ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
June 26, 2010
"The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."~ Joseph Stalin
That quote says it all! The following articles are about voter fraud currently happening in our elections. Voter fraud is becoming the most important aspect of our elections yet little attention seems to be paid towards it. If you think about it, it really won't matter how much money is thrown after a candidate or how qualified a candidate is. What will matter is if the candidate that is declared the winner of an election is the true victor or won because of fraud and intimidation. The left has figured this out (remember ACORN and Project Vote and all the fraud associated with them?) and is in the process of dismantling the election process on a number of fronts.
Why aren't we standing up and demanding that our elected officials and law enforcement prosecute those that are perpetrating fraud and intimidation. In the majority of cases of those convicted, the penalties are so insignificant that it really isn't sending a strong message. We need to demand that our laws be changed and that ANYONE found guilty of voter fraud faces years of prison time as well as a large fine. We must not allow our vote to be silenced by the left!
I will be focusing on several of the manners in which they are setting up elections to be able to win through fraud and intimidation.
Before I get to the ways they intend to steal the elections, let me share a letter with you. This letter is from Department of Justice attorney J. Christian Adams (official blog HERE) who recently resigned because of this administrations refusal to allow the prosecution of armed Black Panthers who openly intimidated voters during the 2008 Election.
Here is a statement from his resignation letter:
"The New Black Panther case was the simplest and most obvious violation of federal law I saw in my Justice Department career. Because of the corrupt nature of the dismissal, statements falsely characterizing the case and, most of all, indefensible orders for the career attorneys not to comply with lawful subpoenas investigating the dismissal, this month I resigned my position as a Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney."
1. VOTER FRAUD AND INTIMIDATION: One of the ways of compromising the system is through intimidation. There were a number of charges of voter intimidation at the polls during the 2008 election. Some of the most striking aren't intimidation of voters for John McCain, but intimidating voters for Hillary Clinton.
Source: Washington Times by J. Christian Adams
Inside the Black Panther Case ~ Anger, Ignorance and Lies
"Based on my firsthand experiences, I believe the dismissal of the Black Panther case was motivated by a lawless hostility toward equal enforcement of the law. Others still within the department share my assessment. The department abetted wrongdoers and abandoned law-abiding citizens victimized by the New Black Panthers. The dismissal raises serious questions about the department's enforcement neutrality in upcoming midterm elections and the subsequent 2012 presidential election.
The assistant attorney general for civil rights, Tom Perez, has testified repeatedly that the "facts and law" did not support this case. That claim is false. If the actions in Philadelphia do not constitute voter intimidation, it is hard to imagine what would, short of an actual outbreak of violence at the polls. Let's all hope this administration has not invited that outcome through the corrupt dismissal.
Most corrupt of all, the lawyers who ordered the dismissal - Loretta King, the Obama-appointed acting head of the Civil Rights Division, and Steve Rosenbaum- did not even read the internal Justice Department memorandums supporting the case and investigation. Just as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. admitted that he did not read the Arizona immigration law before he condemned it, Mr. Rosenbaum admitted that he had not bothered to read the most important department documents detailing the investigative facts and applicable law in the New Black Panther case. Christopher Coates, the former Voting Section chief, was so outraged at this dereliction of responsibility that he actually threw the memos at Mr. Rosenbaum in the meeting where they were discussing the dismissal of the case. The department subsequently removed all of Mr. Coates' responsibilities and sent him to South Carolina."
letter of resignation from a former DOJ Voting Rights Section trial attorney, citing concerns about the lack of prosecution against the New Black Panther Party. J. Christian Adams resignation letter 051910
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY MEGYN KELLY WITH FORMER DOJ ATTORNEY TURNED WHISTLEBLOWER, J. CHRISTIAN ADAMS 6/30/10
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
UPDATE: 7.8.10 BOMBSHELL!!! J CHRISTIAN ADAMS TESTIFIED IN FRONT OF CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION AND EXPOSED MORE CORRUPTION WITHIN THE DOJ.
Lawlessness at the DOJ: Voting Section Told Not To Enforce Purging the Dead or Ineligible from Voting Rolls
UPDATE: 7.8.10~ Julie Fernandes is the person mentioned in the interview that gave the directive to the DOJ to aid and abet voter fraud by not enforcing the laws. Here she is at a conference 10/23/07.
Julie Fernandes, Senior Policy Analyst and Special Counsel, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, discusses implications of proposed voter photo-ID laws
Here's another example of allegations of fraud and intimidation by the Obama camp against the Clinton campaign aids and voters during the 2008 Presidential election in Texas and other states. This documentary, "We Will Not Be Silenced" was made to shine the light on the election fraud and intimidation they witnessed during the election. For some reason "We will not be silenced" has, in fact been silenced. Have you heard of this before? I just happened upon these videos one night when I was searching voter fraud...as of yet, I still don't recall ever seeing anything about this.
2. SECRETARY OF STATE PROJECT Another very important way in which the left plans on stealing elections is through their campaign known as the Secretary of State Project which is funded by George Soros and others. They tout they they have won 11 of 13 elections in key states including Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Oregon, New Mexico, Montana, Nevada, West Virginia and Missouri. We lost only in Michigan and Colorado (and there by a tiny margin).
Read more about the SOS PROJECT at the following sites: Source:Red State
"Some of the most overlooked and ultra important positions in any state are those who run the elections. Those are the County Clerk, Township/City Clerk, and the Secretary of State’s office. It takes the work of these offices and their staffs to run the elections and make sure the process is above board, competent,and with integrity."
"There project is called the Secretary of State Project. It’s goal is to get their type of democrats in charge, and then look the other way when ACORN and PIRG to commit voter fraud rigging the election for the democrats."
The Secretary of State is the chief elections official in each state, so he/she is responsible for the conduct of elections and establishment of election day rules. A position and role mostly unknown by the majority of citizens in this country before the 2000 election.
Someone of great wealth recognized the power of the Secretaries of State. The power to ultimately decide, perhaps by manipulating and interpreting state election law partisanly, to place their chosen candidate into office.
And the name of the person I am referring to is George Soros.
Most everyone has heard his name. Most don’t know his background and don’t care. He stays behind the scenes and pulls the strings. And he didn’t like it much that Katherine Harris put GWB into office. Not his candidate. “I wanted Gore to win, and this will never happen again!
So what can I do about it?”I can create the Secretary of State Project. I can back monetarily and help propel Democratic Secretaries of States into office in the states where I feel they can help my candidate into office."
It has become increasingly clear that Al Franken's win in Minnesota was due to voter fraud. The SOS of Minnesota, Mark Ritchie, is one that was hand picked by the Secretary of State Project. You will find that in states that have elected the SOS Project candidate, charges of voter fraud and irregularities have increased and are sure to increase even more as they gear up to try to steal elections in 2010 and 2012.
Minnesota Majority, a grassroots organization has launched an investigation into the 2008 win of Al Franken. Here's what they have to say regarding election integrity in their state:
"Minnesota Majority is calling for an investigation into evidence of irregularities within Minnesota’s voter rolls. We believe that poor data management practices together with lax and inconsistent verification procedures, has resulted in a voter file rife with errors, making the detection of inaccuracies and abuse very difficult. Despite hurdles that are the result of poor data management, Minnesota Majority has uncovered compelling evidence of suspected problems not being adequately addressed by election officials or law enforcement. Thousands of voter records showing errors, suspected fraudulent votes, inaccuracies, invalid addresses, duplicate entries and possible duplicate votes were forwarded to law enforcement officials in 30 counties for investigation between 2008 and 2009."
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO YOUR SOS IS. MAKE SURE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES ARE INFORMED.
TO CONTACT YOUR SECRETARY OF STATE OR OTHER OFFICIALS, CHECK HERE.
3. MAIL IN BALLOT FRAUD
Absentee ballot fraud coming to a state/town near you. Absentee or mail in ballot fraud is increasingly becoming the most rampant form of voter fraud. In my state, Texas, this has been going on for years in south Texas and is now spreading across the state. It is common knowledge that ACORN and other far left organizations are targeting Texas in order to seat more Democrats and elect Bill White for governor. It is also well known that the left will engage in illegal tactics to win at any cost.
I can't emphasize enough how devastating this can be to an election. Here is a story that just happened in my neighboring city of Fort Worth. As you can see, mail-in ballots were the deciding factor in this election. :
"Charlotte Hogan-Price lost her bid to be the next Justice of the Peace for Precinct 8 to Lisa Woodard. But Woodard's win immediately prompted questions over the results. Usually, the candidate with the most in-person votes ends up winning the election. Hogan-Price won the early vote and election-day vote by 181 votes, or 56 percent to 44 percent. But she lost the race because she trailed in the mail-in vote by a wide margin: 652 to 335, or 66 percent to 33 percent."
"Among the issues in the trial is how more than 60 ballots reached the TarrantCounty Elections Center even though they lacked stamps or had stamps but none of the markings that show it was processed by the postal service.
Hammett argued that the postal service is instructed to prioritize political mail in an election season.
Wyde suggested those ballots were hand-delivered to the Tarrant County Elections Office, which is illegal.
Lydia Thomas, a Forest Hill Councilwoman who worked for the Postal Service for 25 years including seven years in Fort Worth, told the court that the chances of dozens of mail-in ballots being delivered but lacking stamps or postal markings was “slim to none.”
Another issue was mail-in ballots in which the two signatures didn't match."
Mail in ballot fraud has been rampant in South Texas. A watchdog organization, Texas Watchdog, has been following these stories. Check out their video:
Source: Election Journal
Mail in ballot fraud in New Jersey was incentivizedby paying off voters with a prepaid calling card in exchange for an absentee vote. Last year, The New Jersey Attorney General’s Officeindicted Councilman Marty Small and 13 of his campaign workers for election fraud. In an investigative report obtained by the Press of Atlantic City, it has been revealed that investigators had an informant inside of Small’s campaign, Edward Colon Jr. Not only did he provide information to law enforcement authorities, he secretly videotaped meetings and taped telephone conversations.
Crumble: “I just have the people bring the ballot to me and I fill them out. I just did it myself, that way I knew.”
Storr: “Just get the ballot and have them sign it,”
Crumble: “Make sure you don’t let nobody sees (sic) you.”
Storr: “Right, because that’s not … you’re not allowed to do that.”
What is universal voter registration? It means all of the state laws on elections will be overriden by a federal mandate. The feds will tell the states: 'take everyone on every list of welfare that you have, take everyone on every list of unemployed you have, take everyone on every list of property owners, take everyone on every list of driver's license holders and register them to vote regardless of whether they want to be...'
Visit David Horowitz TV for more videos: http://www.davidhorowitztv.com/
John Fund of the Wall Street Journal warns America on the next trick from the Obama administration.
According to Fund, the Democrats aim to pass a Federal mandate to force all states to register everybody to vote-welfare beneficiaries, illegal aliens, convicted felons-everybody.
ACORN will be by-passed, the Federal Government will do their corrupt work for them.
The Dems know that the wider the franchise, the better chance they have in 2010 and 2012. Damn the long term consequences to the country.
UPDATE:In the video, John Fund states that Barney Frank was going to introduce legislation in January to push universal voter registration through. Barney Frank has denied those charges in an article to The Hill.
While, that may be true, it does not mean that Universal Voter Registration is a myth. Quite the contrary. The Brennan Center for Justice, has published a 16 page publication titled Voter Registration "Modernization". (Don't you love how the left use words to make things sound so warm and fuzzy) What this publication should be titled is "How to steal elections through chaos in the election process."
As recently as March of this year, another 14 page publication, Modernizing Voter Registraion: Momentum in the states was published highlighting the step states have taken and continue to take to register voters.
"The past year has seen gathering momentum in the states to modernize the voter registration system. In various ways, states have begun to move toward a system in which voters are automatically and permanently added to the rolls, with fail-safes in case of government mistakes."
While the Brennan Center for Justice uses the phrase "Bi-partisan" throughout their propaganda, you must understand who they really are. You will notice all of the "code" words used to describe this "bi-partisan" organization. Words like "economic justice", "think tank", "living Constitution", "progressive", "democracy", "justice" and "social justice". Do you really believe they are bi-partisan?
On Tuesday (Innauguration day) , all eyes and ears will be turned to the man whose oratorical skills have been compared to Abraham Lincoln’s, Franklin Roosevelt’s and John Kennedy’s. What does Barack Obama need to do in his inaugural address? We asked William Safire and other former presidential speechwriters for their ideas.
Here's what Michael Waldman had to say:
Add a Bit of Militancy
Michael Waldman, former director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton, worked on two inaugural addresses and four State of the Union Addresses. He is author of “My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Presidential Speeches From George Washington to George W. Bush” and the executive director of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
When I was working on Bill Clinton’s first inaugural address in 1993, I taped some rules above my computer screen. “No quoting dead people.” “No reversible raincoat sentences.” (Ask not, etc.) Every one of the rules was broken by the time we were done drafting the address. So I hesitate to give advice to a speaker who has such a clear sense of self and moment.
As we know, few inaugural addresses have been memorable. What made FDR’s inaugural, Lincoln’s, Jefferson’s exceptions? Eloquence yes, but context mattered more. Crisis? Collapse? War? Anxiety? At the very least, Barack Obama has the raw materials for a memorable speech.
“This is also a chance to repudiate a failed governing philosophy.”
He has wielded oratory as a political weapon in a way not seen since Reagan, and he’s shown impressive discipline, fitting the style to the occasion. For his convention speech, the political imperative demanded not a soaring talk, but a meat-and-potatoes list of promises. (A senior Obama campaign staff member told me at the time that “all the Lexington and Concord stuff” got cut for length.) This speech, of course, calls for far more vivid writing, bigger themes and a touch of formality.
Inaugural addresses tend to fall into two categories: those that demand “action now,” as F.D.R. did, or those that seek unity and summon the “better angels of our nature,” as Lincoln’s did. Much suggests he will give a “bring us together” speech. But personally, I crave a bit of militancy and a compelling argument.
Perhaps there’s a generation gap in how such speeches are heard. I suspect younger listeners might find calls for unity the heart of his appeal. But this is also a chance to repudiate a failed governing philosophy.He should consider replying to Reagan, who declared in his first inaugural address, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” With the world listening, what better time to make a forceful argument for activist government? We need the balm of unity, but we also need a passionate president able to take on the chaos now enveloping our economy.
5. AMNESTY
The Obama administration has been holding behind-the-scenes talks to determine whether the Department of Homeland Security can unilaterally grant legal status on a mass basis to illegal immigrants, a former Bush administration official who spoke with at least three people involved in those talks told FoxNews.com. Check out what's going on today with this administration.
The former official said it's unclear what specific avenues the administration is considering, but that one potentially feasible option would be to use either deferred action or parole to legalize at once the millions of immigrants who have overstayed their visas -- not necessarily those who crossed the border illegally. The Department of Homeland Security estimated last year that 10.8 million undocumented residents live in the United States -- the Pew Hispanic Center, which has a similar count, estimated in
2006 that at least 4 million of them overstayed their visas.
BREAKING NEWS: DOJ FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST ARIZONA FOR PROTECTING ITS CITIZENS AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
"Accusing Arizona of trying to "second guess" the federal government, the Justice Department on Tuesday filed a lawsuit challenging the state's immigration policy -- claiming the "invalid" law interferes with federal immigration responsibilities and "must be struck down." Read More: Justice Department Files Suit Against Arizona Immigration Law
To think that our tax dollars and the state of Arizona's tax dollars are having to be used to defend their right to protect their borders and citizens absolutely makes me want to SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. OPERATIVES PLANTED
Democrats have been known to run a third candidate just to take votes away from the opposition candidate. These third candidates are called 'faces.' They're shills. Just a face that's thrown in as a bogus candidate. This is one of the greatest games played in Chicago. Today, the most powerful alderman in Chicago brags about having phony candidates run in certain races to take away votes that would otherwise go to an opponent.
In an article today in American Thinker, a whistleblower warns Sharon Angle to be on guard in her election against Harry Reid in Nevada. His accounting of tactics used to win elections through FRAUD is chilling. Please read this article to get a better understanding about just how evil these people are. To think that our votes are no longer legitimate because fraud and criminal acts are being used to win elections should send chills down your spine!
"You can bet that any third-party candidate in the race between Reid and Angle will be used to take votes away from Angle."
What follows is a non-verbatim account of an interview with Mr. X. His exact language is in quotes. Mr. X was deeply involved in Chicago Machine politics for many years. He has intimate knowledge of those responsible for manipulating the Cook County electoral process toward the outcome intended by the Machine. He eventually went undercover for the FBI and testified in trials that resulted in multiple convictions. He now lives outside Illinois. Mr. X has reason to believe that Nevada GOP Senatorial Candidate Sharron Angle, who is running against Sen. Harry Reid, will face a level of corrupt electioneering practices equal to what he witnessed for many years in Chicago. This is his warning to the Angle Campaign.
Democrats in Congress are pushing for a new law that would allow nearly 4 million people currently banned from voting to cast their ballot, and most of those millions, studies show, will vote Democrat.
And where will these new voters come from? From the ranks of convicted felons. A House subcommittee heard testimony on H.R. 3335, the "Democracy Restoration Act." The bill seeks to override state laws, which vary in how they restrict when convicted felons released from prison can vote.
"Deborah J. Vagins, American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel adds, "Felony disfranchisement laws are rooted in the Jim Crow era and were intended to bar minorities from voting. To this day, they continue to have a disproportionate impact on minority communities. Moreover, revoking the right to vote for millions of citizens is not only undemocratic, it is counterproductive to the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of those released from prison."
This article gives a play by play of the tactics the left will use in order to undermine the next elections. All of the points of this plan are already in the works.
In the wake of the Department of Justice's New Black Panther Party scandal, a second former DOJ attorney has now come forward, blasting the department for failing to protect American soldiers' right to vote.
What's even more alarming, the attorney claims, is that despite congressional mandates passed in 2009 to ensure military personnel overseas can participate in elections, the DOJ's Voting Section is ignoring the new laws and may allow thousands of ballots to slip through the cracks uncounted in November.
M. Eric Eversole is a former litigation attorney for the Voting Section of the U.S. Department of Justice and an advocate for military voters. In an opinion piece in The Washington Times, Eversole explains how soldiers in the field may be disenfranchised in the 2010 election.
"Absentee ballots must be sent to overseas military voters at least 45 days before an election to give those voters sufficient time to receive and return their ballots," Eversole explains. "The Military Postal Service Agency goes one step further and recommends that absentee ballots be sent to war zones 60 days before an election."
But legal complaints, news stories and studies all showed dozens of states failing to give soldiers enough time to vote in the 2008 election – resulting in tens of thousands of soldiers' mailed ballots that arrived too late to be counted, perhaps enough to swing, for example, Minnesota's closely contested election of Democrat Senator Al Franken.
For many Americans, the 2008 presidential election was historic, both in its outcome and the number of citizens who voted, many for the first time. The overall turnout of the votingeligible population was 61.7 percent, the highest turnout since the 1964 presidential election.[1] Local election officials in many states reported high levels of voting by many individuals who have not traditionally participated in the election process. The same, however, cannot be said for America's military members and their votingage dependents ("military voters"). For these voters, especially those serving in dangerous combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2008 presidential election was an embarrassing reminder of the difficulties faced by America's men and women in uniform when they attempt to vote.
Military voters have long been disenfranchised -- both at the state and federal level -- by a voting process that fails to recognize the unique challenges created by a military voter's transitory existence or the delays associated with delivering an absentee ballot to a war zone halfway around the world. Given these soldiers' daily sacrifices and their willingness to defend this nation's freedom, it is incumbent on Americans to remedy this problem and provide U.S. soldiers with the same rights they are being asked to protect. Unless Congress (and the states) finally act to remedy this problem, military personnel will continue to be the largest group of disenfranchised voters in the United States.
Current Law All military personnel and their dependents, as well as overseas citizens, are guaranteed the right to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).[2] President Ronald Reagan designated the Department of Defense (DOD) to administer the statute, and the department organized the Federal Voting Assistance Program office (FVAP) to provide support to UOCAVA voters.[3] Enforcement of the UOCAVA is the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Justice.
In short, the UOCAVA requires all states to "permit absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters to use absentee registration procedures and to vote by absentee ballot in general, special, primary, and runoff elections for Federal office."[4] The UOCAVA does not specify the exact number of days prior to the election that absentee ballots must be mailed to overseas voters. However, since 1988 the Department of Justice has filed 35 civil lawsuits against states and local governments arguing that the statute's guarantee of the right to vote by absentee ballots requires states to mail out such ballots in time to be received and returned by overseas voters.[5] In 1986, Congress found that "[b]ased on surveys of the U.S. Postal Service and of military postal authorities, ballots should be mailed to overseas addresses at least 45 days prior to an election in order to ensure adequate time for a ballot to reach a voter and be returned."[6] The U.S. Election Assistance Commission recommended the same 45day transit time in 2004 when it released a report on the best practices for facilitating voting by overseas citizens covered by the UOCAVA.[7]
Disenfranchised Heroes Despite many states reporting record turnout in 2008, data from the election demonstrates a shockingly low level of participation among military voters.[8] Take, for example, the treatment of military voters in Minnesota. In a state that prides itself on the nation's highest voter participation rate -- 78.2 percent of the eligible population participated in the 2008 presidential election -- only 15.8 percent of Minnesota's 23,346 military members and their votingage dependents were able to cast an absentee ballot in the same election.[9] To make matters worse, even if the military voter in Minnesota cast his or her absentee ballot, that ballot was nearly two times more likely to be rejected by local election officials, as compared to other absentee voters statewide.[10]A vast majority of the rejected military and overseas ballots -- nearly 70 percent -- were rejected because the ballot was returned after the election deadline, whereas only 10 percent of non-military and regular absentee ballots were rejected for being received after the deadline. Ultimately, only 14.5 percent of Minnesota's eligible military voters were able to cast a vote that counted in the 2008 presidential election.
Military personnel move frequently and receive scant assistance from both the military and state voting officials. Consequently, the absentee ballot request rate is extremely low. In the three states with the largest number of military voters -- Florida, Texas, and California (accounting for nearly 40 percent of all military voters) -- data from each state shows that less than a quarter of military voters and their dependents requested an absentee ballot for the 2008 presidential election. Florida had the highest number of requests with 27.8 percent of nearly 324,000 military voters requesting an absentee ballot. Texas was second with 22.9 percent and California was third with 17.8 percent. All told, of the estimated 943,879 military voters in these three states, only 23.4 percent or 220,595 requested an absentee ballot to vote in the 2008 presidential election. The rate of return of those same absentee ballots was even lower. Only 11.3 percent of the eligible military voters in California actually returned their ballots compared to 20.6 percent in Florida and 13.1 percent in Texas.
These low participation rates, however, were not isolated to Florida, Texas, and California. Other states, like Alaska, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, and Pennsylvania -- all of which have significant military populations -- experienced similar levels of disenfranchisement. The number of military voters that requested an absentee ballot in these five states ranged from 18.5 percent in Alaska to 25.2 percent in Pennsylvania. However, the number of military voters that were able to cast and have their absentee ballots counted was much lower, ranging from 11.9 percent in Maryland to 19.1 percent in Pennsylvania. Said another way, nearly 80 to 85 percent of military voters were unable to cast an absentee ballot that counted during the 2008 presidential election and, thus, were likely disenfranchised during the election. This low participation rate is as severe as any in the nation's recent history, including that which resulted in the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to strike down the barriers to registration and turnout that kept black Americans out of the polls.[11]
The state data further shows that a large number of ballots were mailed, but never returned by the absentee military voter or were returned undelivered to local election officials because they had the wrong mailing address. For example, in California, Florida, and Texas, nearly 34.8 percent of the military absentee ballots that were requested were not returned to the local election official or were returned because of an undeliverable address (i.e., the military voter no longer lived at that address). According to a recent study by the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), many of these overseas military ballots may have been lost or significantly delayed by the postal service. The OVF found that nearly 22 percent of respondents to a survey, which included military and overseas voters, never received their requested absentee ballot for the 2008 presidential election.[12] In addition, 10 percent received their absentee ballots less than seven days before the election and 1 percent received their ballots after November 4, 2008. In other words, the 2008 OVF Report found that nearly onethird of its respondents either did not receive their absentee ballot or received it with insufficient time to return it to election officials.
Unfortunately, the 2008 presidential election was not an anomaly. Data collected by the Defense Manpower Data Center and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission showed a similar pattern of disenfranchisement of military voters in the 2006 election. In particular, the Defense Manpower Data Center stated that only 22 percent of active duty military members (which does not include military dependents) voted in the 2006 election.[13] Of that 22 percent, approximately 16 percent attempted to vote by absentee ballot and 7 percent voted in person.[14] This data corresponds with data collected by the Election Assistance Commission, which found that only 16.5 percent of the estimated 6 million eligible military and overseas voters requested an absentee ballot and only 5.5 percent of these ballots were returned and counted.[15] As was the case in 2008, many military and overseas absentee ballots (nearly 70 percent) were not returned by the voter or were returned as undeliverable.[16] The Election Assistance Commission also found that many ballots were rejected because they were received after the deadline for receipt.[17]
"This blog or any content... on my facebook site may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. This material is distributed without profit. This blog does not always agree with certain personal views of the published authors, but I will overlook such views many times in order to gain knowledge from the more important subject matter of the article/op-ed."
Today,
Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), with
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and others, introduced a bill to strengthen the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court eliminated its key protections last year.
Arizona – The Associated Press
spoke to several voters caught up in Arizona’s fight over its
documentary proof of citizenship law, which the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated last year for federal elections.
