GOP tactics: Voter suppression
By Jessica Roy / current.com / @CurrentJess
Editor's note: This is the sixth article in our series on GOP tactics. For more information, see our overview of underhanded strategies used by Republicans. Yesterday we looked at their racially motivated criticism of the president. We've taken a closer look at each of these strategies and how the two parties use them differently.
Florida, Texas and many other states are in the process of enacting laws that openly disenfranchise voters. It’s all done under the pretense of preventing voter fraud. In reality, UFO sightings and shark attacks are both more common than voter fraud, which begs the question: Why is preventing it such a huge priority for the GOP? Because it will suppress and disenfranchise students, the elderly and people of color — all groups more likely to vote for President Barack Obama in this election.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott tried to purge roughly 180,000 suspected noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls. More than 60 percent of the people on the list were black or Latino. Through the course of his voter-fraud investigation, by his own admission, they turned up a grand total of 87 people who were registered to vote who should not have been. So 0.048 percent of the people they considered purging. Scott maintains that the purge had honorable intentions.
In 2008, more than 50,000 voters were removed from the rolls in Georgia. Citizens reported that they received letters giving them one week to prove their citizenship if they wanted to vote. Some people reported that their letters arrived just a day or two before the deadline.
Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New Hampshire are among the 26 states with pending voter ID legislation. Critics of these laws say they target the elderly, the disabled and college students. Voter ID laws have been blocked in several states because of the 24th Amendment, which abolished a poll tax. If you have to pay to get an ID in your state and you need an ID to vote, they are asking you to pay to vote, which is unconstitutional.
In 2011, former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential primary candidate Mike Huckabee "joked" about blatant voter suppression on contentious issues:
"Make a list. … Call them and ask them, ‘Are you going to vote on Issue 2 and are you going to vote for it?’ If they say no, well, you just make sure that they don’t go vote. Let the air out of their tires on Election Day. Tell them the election has been moved to a different date. That’s up to you how you creatively get the job done."
And who's behind these voter suppression laws? The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, a conservative group that drafts pro-corporation legislation and sends it to GOP politicians to introduce and approve. The Nation called ALEC a "collaboration between multinational corporations and conservative state legislators."
Cenk Uygur explored ALEC's anti-minority voter suppression efforts on "The Young Turks":
In total, more than 150 voter legislation laws have been introduced in 30 states. Jennifer Granholm has called this activity "treasonous" and took a look at some of the most egregious examples of voter suppression.
Voter suppression is the last line of defense for the GOP. If they can't win an honest election, they'll win a rigged one.
In most of our articles about GOP tactics, we've examined how the parties use them differently. In this election cycle, we've seen no evidence to suggest Democrats are stooping to this level of flagrant disregard for democracy. Republicans are just flat-out trying to deny people their right to vote because they might not vote Republican.
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johnnyTremaine
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I think these crazy shootings are done by 'managed
'manchurian candidates' handled by MOSSAD and their American co conspirators.. The end game is to disarm America so the NWO can take over with a National Police Force or GESTAPO, like the ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCE. Sorry if everything seems to revolve around the Republican Zionists (Illuminati) attempts to force a dictatorship upon America,, but gee don't it ? You tell me that it ain't so, knucklehead,They burned their own Reichstag and blamed it on the jews, as a pretext for slaughter.this is the same old trick. 9-11 was an inside job, and so are these orchestrated killings, designed to deflect attention away from ROMNEY's failing campaign and blame Obama -mainly to dominate the headlines with nonsense like gay marriage and serial killings, all have multiple benefits to distract, divide and conquer the airwaves while the pre election criminal conspiracies flourish behind the scenes, just as they wired the WTC months in advance with nano-thermites,
The people's minds are distracted by this nuanced story.
STICK TO THE CLASS WAR AND THE UPCOMING ELECTION FRAUD BY THE PARTY OF the 1%. Really don't be fooled into wasting any more precious time on this story. FOCUS on the corporate criminals in our congress and their PUPPET MASTERS !
- 10 months ago
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johnnyTremaine
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johnnyTremaine
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All Politicians are Puppets of the rich. Thanks to Jennifer and Eliot, and to Jesse, no wooden heads or sawdust hearts in them. The wool is over America's eyes.
- 10 months ago
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johnnyTremaine
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johnnyTremaine
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READ the recent Forbes magazine edition that names the world's top Billionaires.
Many if not all of them are behind the NEW WORLD ORDER. They are in effect the 'Kings,princes, and barons' of the new capitalist articocracy.
The tyranny of capital and usury has destroyed our democracy and despotic rule is upon us.As in times past, some self important Wall Street Pig's mistress will utter an intolerable epithet, such as; 'LET THEM EAT CAKE " and the guillotines will be rolled out- GAME ON - CLASS WAR ! The mercenaries will defect the billionaires and side with their families and neighbors and 'peers' once the blood starts to flow, and the Fascist Rich will be strung up like Mussolini and his wife.
- 10 months ago
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johnnyTremaine
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johnnyTremaine
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The protocols of the 1% are being implemented. Democracy is terminally ill. Corporate Royalty and Zionist Plutocracy are the engines of government. We are entering an age of MINORITY RULE by a technocratic authoritarian regeime of Billionaires and their private domestic gestapo, the NSA, , CIA, FBI and the American Military Industrial-Congressional Cartel. President Eisenhower warned us in his 1961 farewell speech. 'IKE" warned us that the greatest threat to American freedom and liberty is the conglomerate power of the Military-industrial-energy-congressional-financial sectors conspiring to circumvent or repeal the constitution, as they have done. At the same time that all industry is being de-regulated, more repressive and regressive civil legislation is flourishing. The 'Legislators' are very busy making money writing laws for the corporate interests against the best interests and will of the people. THIS IS TREASON..The NSA drones are next- tear gas bombing the expected mass protests and civil unrest that is inevitable.
- 10 months ago
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johnnyTremaine
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Ken_Levin
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Add a comment (You can paste links too)JIM CROW IS BACK, I’VE SEEN IT
AND WE NEED HELP
-please note, where certain proper nouns are not capitalized.
It is intentional because they do not deserve to be!
- On Friday, my family drove 70 miles to a Texas, Department of Public Safety Office to secure a drivers learning permit for my 18 year old son.
- Why 70 miles when by driving into Houston, for just 17 miles, it will get me too a DPS Office.
- Because now that the Texas legislature has cut funding, thus closing some Houston Offices (there are now 4 in Houston serving 4 million people)-with-{none in Southeast Houston to serve our primarily minority population}, and, also closing the office in Katy (closer to where I live).
- Getting inside a Houston DPS buildings means an outdoors line that takes two to four hours, standing in line outside, in the 95+ degree Texas sun with no protection. As an octogenarian, I am unable to do this.
- So, off we drove to Columbus, Texas to a DPS Office operated by three very nice ladies one of whom told me that this was an unusually busy days. We were in and out, mission accomplished, in exactly two hours.
- Then why am I upset??
- My state, one of the three most right-wing states in the country, has instituted new Voter Repression Laws alledgedly to stop (non-existent) voter fraud and I saw it in action.
- First, how does any Texan, but especially a senior citizen STAND in the sun, heat 95, heat index 106 degrees for 2 to 4 hours without succumbing to the elements? OK, 3 things, carry water, carry an umbrella, and count on the afternoon thunder and lightning storms. Or, find some younger person to drive you long distance to another DPS office.
- OR, better yet, acquiesce to the desire of the tea party members of their texas legislature, and because many old people might vote, trying to protect their life sustaining Social Security and Medicare, and so might tend to vote Democratic, let-em win and just Don’t vote.
- While at the DPS office, I watched person after person turned away for not having the proper paper work and thought to myself, boy I am glad that we went on line and made certain we had everything we needed.
- Now it was my son’s turn. He presented all of the required forms fully filled out in black ink, his birth certificate, his social security card, his college picture ID, his voter registration, and, importantly, his State of Texas, DPS issued, picture ID; overkill? It seems not.
- This pasty white young man who looks like he could belong to The Young Republicans {G_d Forbid}, was asked, Is this all you have? When he asked what else, he was told two other forms of ID showing Texas residency. He was asked, do you have an insurance ID so he pulled out his CHIPS card issued by the State of Texas and was told, sorry, it doesn’t have your address on it.
- He then reminded the lady that she was holding his State of Texas ID issued by this DPS office without which his college would not issue their picture ID but was told that it was not enough and his college ID could no longer acceptable as identification.
- Their Own, Department of Public Safety, Texas State Issued Id Card Is Not Sufficient???
- What popped into my mind was the age old story of the man of color in 1950s Mississippi who, after arriving at his polling place, was asked several civic and constitutional questions. Having answered six in a row correctly, one more than the required five, he was still asked a seventh question. His reply, “Yes I know the answer to that one also, the answer is “Ain’t no Negroes gonna vote in Mississippi!”
- Jim Crow was there and now, it is back and here!
- My 18 year old son, living at home with his parents, needed a couple of utility bills in his name to get his drivers license.
- Luckily, I am married to one of those women whose purses contain everything from Aspirin to Zippers and by coming up with two utility bills and then signing an affidavit that my son, with the same last name, lives in OUR family house, he finally passed muster.
- How many 18 year olds can produce utility bills, BUT, I forgot, young people tend to vote for Democrats and in today’s texas that is a sin.
- JIM CROW !!! UGLY !!! YES ! –
- Where in the hell is our Justice Department?
- I know, they are in court fighting texas!
- Every American who believes in the reason for a United States of America better pray the Justice Department wins!!!!! - 10 months ago
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Ken_Levin
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johnnyTremaine
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The supreme court decision to seal Al Gores loss and hand the presidency to 'W" in 2004 is another example of voter supression. The Global Tyrants have an unlimited source of capital to spend on seizing power and instituting their own brand of totalitarian " freedom" for them on American flocks of sheep.
- 10 months ago
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johnnyTremaine
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silvertongdevil
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Seems to me that anyone who has any sort of identification (and it takes at least two id's to get a check cashed) should have no problem with having and ID checked at a time to vote.
VALID ID IS REQUIRED AT THE FOLLOWING :DMV, Airports, Hospitals, Pharmacy, Banks, Donating Blood, Gunshops, Writing a check, Adoption Agencies, Social Security Offices, Pawn Shops, Jail, Court, and this is a short list. Someone please tell me how it will "disenfranchise" anyone who does not have something to do with any of the above.
It seems to me that the only ones who have a problem proving who they are to vote will be those who are trying to get by with something illegal. - 10 months ago
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silvertongdevil
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Gordon_Shumway
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silvertongdevil:
Complete distortion. First, many of the poor and elderly do not drive or fly and are "unbanked". And it is not the fact that these voter suppression laws require an ID, it's the fact that they are very specific about which ID's they allow. Social Security and University ID's are uniformly NOT accepted. But gun permits ARE uniformly accepted. The only ID I've ever needed at the pharmacy is my insurance card. These are not accepted for voting.
The elderly and poor don't make many adoptions. Not clear what you are rambling on about with pawnshops, courts, and prisons.
People have a right to vote. Even people who are going to vote for candidates you don't want them to vote for.
- 10 months ago
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Gordon_Shumway
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Phil_Hopson
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The Republicans will spend any amount and do most anything to win an any election - state or national. Nothing disturbs me more than how open and blatant their bigotry is, and then how citizens just seem to accept it.
- 10 months ago
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Phil_Hopson
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Gordon_Shumway
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I had not seen the Huckabee quote before. That's at least as good as the PA Republican who said that the voter suppression law there would deliver the state to Romney. There is no shame left for Republicans.
- 10 months ago
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Gordon_Shumway
