Republicans are against voting

[Ðiego]

Republicans v ACORN has become a perennial early October antagonism, and tensions this year are particularly acute, with Republicans from the McCain campaign all the way down to House Republicans accusing the left-leaning community organizing group of a national conspiracy to flood secretaries of state with fraudulent voter registrations.

It's true, as Ben Smith notes, that Bugs Bunny and other imaginary voters can't imaginably show up at polling precincts and vote, but Republican complaints, to the extent that they are legitimate, are different. It's the rush of voter registrations at the end of the cycle, a rush which leaves election supervisors in the untenable position of having to very quickly decide whether applications are valid or not. Often, bad applications get through. Critics of ACORN wonder: why are fraudulent applications submitted in the first place? It's the system; you pay people to turn in as many voter registration cards as possible, you invite people who want more money to submit false forms. Critics also wonder: why aren't more people -- read the media -- covering this? After all, incidences of fraud are rampant, with official investigations launched in 12 states. Now -- "rampant" might not be the best adjective. Voter registration cards aren't the property of ACORN or any other group, and ACORN is required by law to turn in every completed form -- even if they're obviously fraudulent. ACORN insists it has procedures in place to flag these forms, but you can't blame supervisors of elections from throwing up their hands when they come in.

Even some Democratic groups are wary, not because they think ACORN's doing bad work, but because the sheer size of ACORN's operation lends itself to individuals who can easily game the system, and because the focus on ACORN increases the scrutiny of their own work. It's clear that there's extraordinary interest in this election, and huge amounts of new voters are entering the system, and, sorry Republicans, they're not...Republicans. These October protests seem like a logical place for conservative activists to hold and nurture their grievances about the political environment. Call it galling, for example, that ACORN's voter reg. projects are nominally non-partisan, when, in point of fact, the places they go and the things they do seem to help Democrats disproportionately. Galling, but conservative groups can set up voter reg. organizations like this if they want.

After the jump, read an internal memo from ACORN's directors, Bertha Lewis and Steve Kest, to its political allies, where the claim that ACORN has become a right-wing bogeyman is advanced.

Get informed.


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[Nicobie]

Originally Posted by Ðiego

Get informed.


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Yes, I'd advise U to do that.

As normal, you have your head tight up inside U're arse.

[malvachat]

Originally Posted by Nicobie

Yes, I'd advise U to do that.

As normal, you have your head tight up inside U're arse.

I thinks elections bring out the worst in you Nic.
Say Three Hail Marys and go to the corner for an hour.

[JackSpratts]

nic isn't political so he's not offering ideas or solutions. he simply will not tolerate criticism of the united states, especially from furinerz. remember poor miss_silver? she learned the hard way. but it's nothing personal. he just loves his country so much.

when barack is running america nic will be just as tough on president obama's critics. won't you nic?

you'll see.

[multi]

Judge Stephen J. Murphy:GOP's voter purge a 'violation of federal law'


The American Civil Liberties Union is trumpeting a judge's decision in Michigan which brings to a halt the practice of eliminating voters from rolls if their mailing address is found to be invalid.

Recently, the GOP chairman in Macomb County, Michigan, detailed a plan to use a list of foreclosed homes to challenge voters. His pronouncement drew an immediate backlash, with predictions that the plan would "backfire."

It has.

The suit, filed by ACLU national and ACLU of Michigan, along with the Advancement Project, aimed to protect voters whose registration cards were returned to government offices by post as 'undeliverable.' Judge Stephen J. Murphy of the U.S. District Court of Michigan's Eastern District concluded that the program of eliminating these voters from rolls is in violation of federal law.

The voter purge program, better known to elections integrity experts as 'voter caging,' is a long-storied GOP tactic employed against minority, student and low-income voters. In September, the Obama campaign filed a lawsuit in Michigan challenging the illegal tactic.

"You essentially send a first-class letter to a hoursehold where you suspect that that person no longer lives there but where they're still registered to vote," explained Allen Raymond, a convicted GOP elections fraudster who spent time in prison after the discovery of a phone-jamming scheme during the 2002 elections. "That letter comes back. ... Somebody [at the local polling place] then challenges that vote if that person comes in to vote."

"This is a very significant ruling for Michigan voters," said Matthew Lund, the ACLU cooperating attorney and a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP who argued the case, in a release. "The court recognized – and repeated several times – that the state of Michigan is conducting unlawful voter purges that clearly violate the National Voter Registration Act. Michigan voters who were removed from the voting rolls for no reason other than failure to receive their ID card in the mail will now be allowed to vote in November.”

"More than 1,400 voters in that category have been disqualified so far in 2008," reports the Associated Press. "The judge says it's unclear how many cancellations actually are wrong but it's a violation of federal law. Murphy says those people shouldn't be prevented from voting if they can produce more proof of residency at the polls."

"This program has a very detrimental impact in minority, low-income and student communities across Michigan," claims an ACLU advisory. "These communities tend to be more transient and to live in multi-family housing."

“This is a major victory for Michigan voters and the integrity of our democratic process,” said Meredith Bell-Platts, staff counsel with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, in a release. “Today’s decision brings us one step closer to restoring confidence in a electoral system that has been poisoned by illegal disfranchisement policies. As a result of the judge’s decision, fewer Michigan voters will be illegally purged and wrongly disfranchised – and that’s good for everyone.”

[Ðiego]

When it comes to voting, the Republicans only have one talking point: ACORN

Acorn registers voters. Sometimes the registrars have targets or 'quotas' to fill to show they are making the effort. Sometimes those registering new voters are either lazy, greedy, or a combo of the two. They have been caught submitting erroneous registrations, multiple registrations, even sitting in a library making shit up. That is all wrong, sure enough, and sometimes fraud, but it means little/nothing to the election. To actually vote you have to prove who you are, so unless someone shows up saying they are 'Mickey Mouse', and can prove it, they ain't votin'.

But the Republicans love this stuff and can really get their teeth into it, especially if it drives their voter suppression efforts, and it certainly play to that meme. They LOVE to try to link Obama directly with Acorn and to demonetize him and the Democratic party for any involvement with the group.

Involvement with Acorn is, in their view, un-American.

Okay then, fair is fair I suppose, even when it isn't, so have at this bastard openly supporting Acorn and other commie groups like Unite Here, SEIU, and PAW no less!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ9wy2MI1NI

McCain '08!


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[multi]

I think if one more of their accusations gets turned back on them McCain is going to blow a gasket