Lose Your House, Lose Your Vote

[gehayi]

In case you needed another reason to hate the Republicans this year, check this out from the Michigan Messenger:

Michigan Republicans plan to foreclose African American voters

Excerpts:

The chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state, is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block

Comments

[sp23]

Perhaps those people who are no longer living in that district should register to vote where they are now living. You know, like the law states.

[gehayi]

As the article states, people often live in foreclosed housing during the gap between the property being foreclosed on and finding somewhere else to live.

[sp23]

Then if they're still living there, their vote may be challenged, but the challenge will be overturned. On the other hand, people who have moved merely need to re-register so they can vote in the proper precincts.

[gehayi]

If the Town (or City) Clerks in Michigan are anything like the ones around here, they already send address cards around every few months to renew voter registration and to confirm voter registration. Moreover, both the clerks and the political parties have a couple of months to check and make sure that registered voters in certain key districts are indeed properly registered. I don't see the point of planning to do things this way, especially if the challenges can be overturned--save to call into question a large number of non-GOP votes. And that is reminding me of the CHADs and the alleged mechanical problems and viruses with the voting machines. It's just too damned convenient that once again in an election year, there's a problem in key states that involves Democratic votes.

[sp23]

Well. where I live they *don't* verify voter registration every few months, nor did they when I lived in California many years ago. And again, if the people who are challenged are no longer residents of that county, they they are not eligible to vote there. It may indeed be "mean spirited", but I don't doubt that if these were largely Republican voters, the Democrats would try the same thing. It's going to be a bitterly fought election.

[rwday]

They don't in Virginia either, nor did they do it in Ohio when I lived there, though that was 10 years ago, so things may have changed. I don't trust either side not to game the system, frankly. The stakes are just too high.

And Happy Birthday, gehayi!

[gehayi]

I don't trust either side not to game the system, frankly. The stakes are just too high.

The one thing you can count on any politician to be is a crook. (And if that sounds like I'm not enamored of any side in this election, you're right.)

Thanks, rwday!

[lovefromgirl]

It's your birthday? Good gods, woman, here's a special hug for you!

[gehayi]

Whether it is a valid way of dealing with voter registration I could not say, though I believe that there are simpler and more efficient ways of confirming a person's place of residence. Without evidence that the people in question have moved from that county--only that their address has been foreclosed upon--it still seems like a very convenient way of challenging the opposition's votes on the day proper.

I don't care which party does it; it's odious no matter who's responsible.