The Republican Party Doesn't Want You To Vote
(Unless you're planning on voting for their candidates)
Incendiary, but I've been hearing enough about this that I need to shed some light on what's been happening.
I) Keeping you from Voting
Some background:
The Help America Vote Act of 2002 was created largely in response to the bruhaha surrounding the voting irregularities (especially in Florida) surrounding the 2000 election. One of its provisions was that each state maintain a voter registration database (where before these were maintained at the local level), and that it be regularly updated in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act.
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 mostly outlines ways to make it easier for people to register to vote, such as when applying for social services, or more commonly at the time they apply at the DMV for a driver's license -- subsequently nicknaming it the "Motor Voter Act". However, it also outlines provisions for which someone may be purged from the voter rolls. These include being "convicted of a disqualifying crime or adjudged mentally incapacitated", but only where State law allows. The biggest point, however, is that none of these purging actions may be taken under this act (regardless of state) within 90 days of a federal election.
What's been happening is that the Republican Party in many states has been pushing for harsher enforcement of the voter roll purging provisions of the Help America Vote Act (and by extension the NVRA) on the basis that organizations like ACORN (dedicated to helping low-income people vote) have been either maliciously filing false registrations, or failing to provide proper supervision for individual employess submitting falsified registrations -- although the McCain campaign especially has been intimating the former.
This runs up against two problems:
1) ACORN and organizations like it are required to turn in all registrations in several states, even if they have been flagged as "problem" registrations. The purpose is to prevent such organizations from selecting only the registrations that they wish to pass along, effectively disenfranchising anyone else who partook in their system. Being deputized by the state, they must act in good faith. For those states which require this, there are systems in place for checking invalid or falsified registrations. Conclusion: an organization acting in bad faith (or sloppily managed) will not be able to game the system in this way.
2) An invalid registration does not equal Voter fraud. In order for there to be voter fraud, someone has to vote under the identity of a falsified or improper registration that passed these checks and made it into the registration system. The problem exists, but it is far overblown.
(Now, the good part)
Feeling this wasn't enough, prominent members of the Republican Party have been challenging their states to more harshly enforce the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
One of the most visible examples has been in Ohio. Jennifer Brunner, the (Democratic) Secretary of State, was sued by the Ohio Republican Party who wanted her to purge voter rolls for anyone that could not be verified through DMV or Social Security records (200,000 people) -- or at the very least force them to cast a provisional ballot until their status could be verified. Brunner has called this push illegal, because:
1) the voter database was never intended to be used as the key requirement for voter eligibility;
2) purging voters because of a database mismatch is illegal (according to Ohio's bipartisan elections board requirements);
3) the board and individual voters are protected against such purges because the NVRA prohibits disqualifying any voter within ninety days of a Federal election.
The Ohio Republican Party apparently doesn't care about that. However, the US Supreme Court does, and sided with Brunner -- overriding an earlier ruling by (I think) the Ohio Supreme Court. The lower court had previously ordered Brunner to implement a system to conduct the cross-database check by Friday, October 17th.
Something similar has been happening right here in Wisconsin. The effort is being spearheaded by J.B. Van Hollen -- the Wisconsin State Attorney General and co-chair of John McCain's campaign in Wisconsin. After the Republican Party's initial request to check voter rolls was shot down, he launched a request for a cross-check of our voter registrations in September -- also within ninety days of a Federal Election.
Do these guys just not read the laws they're supposed to defend and enforce? And the Attorney General, no less! If it was just about doing his job, it should have come up months ago when any accusations of partisanship could have been largely avoided, and certainly not after his party had already been denied a review.
(Side Note: Wisconsin had earlier tapped Accenture to develop a state-wide computerized voter registration system, but ended the agreement last year. Savvy stalkers readers of this blog will note that I worked for Accenture for a year, albeit under the Learning Services division)
II) Scaring you into voting for their candidate(s)
The McCain campaign has been sending absentee ballots to voters through direct mail (including to registered Democrats). The biggest problem with these is that they include a return envelope to the City Clerk... but often for the wrong city. Whether this is just an error or maliciousness, it will have the same poor effect. I urge you: DO NOT cast an absentee ballot -- especially if it was sent to you unsolicited.
But the more damning charge I heard over the radio: apparently some of these ballots sent by the McCain campaign include a message to "stop evil", with a dark picture of a man's eye, eyebrow, and nose. Obama? Random "ter-rist"? Another attempt to conflate the two?
Dispicable, is more like it.
Here's another blog with a comprehensive list of states where this is occurring, and which errors the ballots contain which may prevent you from voting.
VOTE!
So, Wisconsin Voters, I want to tell you two things:
Don't be intimidated at the polls if someone questions your eligibility. Wisconsin has same-day voter registration, so at the very worst you should be able to re-register right there. Unless you're a felon currently serving time, there is almost no way you can be denied the right to vote in this state. Just make sure to have a utility bill (or something similar) to prove your residence. DO NOT accept casting a provisional ballot.
Similarly, DO NOT CAST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT. Both Presidential campaigns are pushing for this, but you really shouldn't do it unless you're actually going to be absent. It's not illegal, it's just that your vote probably won't be counted unless the election is close -- just like the provisional ballots. Make your vote count!
~Sean
Incendiary, but I've been hearing enough about this that I need to shed some light on what's been happening.
I) Keeping you from Voting
Some background:
The Help America Vote Act of 2002 was created largely in response to the bruhaha surrounding the voting irregularities (especially in Florida) surrounding the 2000 election. One of its provisions was that each state maintain a voter registration database (where before these were maintained at the local level), and that it be regularly updated in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act.
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 mostly outlines ways to make it easier for people to register to vote, such as when applying for social services, or more commonly at the time they apply at the DMV for a driver's license -- subsequently nicknaming it the "Motor Voter Act". However, it also outlines provisions for which someone may be purged from the voter rolls. These include being "convicted of a disqualifying crime or adjudged mentally incapacitated", but only where State law allows. The biggest point, however, is that none of these purging actions may be taken under this act (regardless of state) within 90 days of a federal election.
What's been happening is that the Republican Party in many states has been pushing for harsher enforcement of the voter roll purging provisions of the Help America Vote Act (and by extension the NVRA) on the basis that organizations like ACORN (dedicated to helping low-income people vote) have been either maliciously filing false registrations, or failing to provide proper supervision for individual employess submitting falsified registrations -- although the McCain campaign especially has been intimating the former.
This runs up against two problems:
1) ACORN and organizations like it are required to turn in all registrations in several states, even if they have been flagged as "problem" registrations. The purpose is to prevent such organizations from selecting only the registrations that they wish to pass along, effectively disenfranchising anyone else who partook in their system. Being deputized by the state, they must act in good faith. For those states which require this, there are systems in place for checking invalid or falsified registrations. Conclusion: an organization acting in bad faith (or sloppily managed) will not be able to game the system in this way.
2) An invalid registration does not equal Voter fraud. In order for there to be voter fraud, someone has to vote under the identity of a falsified or improper registration that passed these checks and made it into the registration system. The problem exists, but it is far overblown.
(Now, the good part)
Feeling this wasn't enough, prominent members of the Republican Party have been challenging their states to more harshly enforce the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
One of the most visible examples has been in Ohio. Jennifer Brunner, the (Democratic) Secretary of State, was sued by the Ohio Republican Party who wanted her to purge voter rolls for anyone that could not be verified through DMV or Social Security records (200,000 people) -- or at the very least force them to cast a provisional ballot until their status could be verified. Brunner has called this push illegal, because:
1) the voter database was never intended to be used as the key requirement for voter eligibility;
2) purging voters because of a database mismatch is illegal (according to Ohio's bipartisan elections board requirements);
3) the board and individual voters are protected against such purges because the NVRA prohibits disqualifying any voter within ninety days of a Federal election.
The Ohio Republican Party apparently doesn't care about that. However, the US Supreme Court does, and sided with Brunner -- overriding an earlier ruling by (I think) the Ohio Supreme Court. The lower court had previously ordered Brunner to implement a system to conduct the cross-database check by Friday, October 17th.
Something similar has been happening right here in Wisconsin. The effort is being spearheaded by J.B. Van Hollen -- the Wisconsin State Attorney General and co-chair of John McCain's campaign in Wisconsin. After the Republican Party's initial request to check voter rolls was shot down, he launched a request for a cross-check of our voter registrations in September -- also within ninety days of a Federal Election.
Do these guys just not read the laws they're supposed to defend and enforce? And the Attorney General, no less! If it was just about doing his job, it should have come up months ago when any accusations of partisanship could have been largely avoided, and certainly not after his party had already been denied a review.
(Side Note: Wisconsin had earlier tapped Accenture to develop a state-wide computerized voter registration system, but ended the agreement last year. Savvy stalkers readers of this blog will note that I worked for Accenture for a year, albeit under the Learning Services division)
II) Scaring you into voting for their candidate(s)
The McCain campaign has been sending absentee ballots to voters through direct mail (including to registered Democrats). The biggest problem with these is that they include a return envelope to the City Clerk... but often for the wrong city. Whether this is just an error or maliciousness, it will have the same poor effect. I urge you: DO NOT cast an absentee ballot -- especially if it was sent to you unsolicited.
But the more damning charge I heard over the radio: apparently some of these ballots sent by the McCain campaign include a message to "stop evil", with a dark picture of a man's eye, eyebrow, and nose. Obama? Random "ter-rist"? Another attempt to conflate the two?
Dispicable, is more like it.
Here's another blog with a comprehensive list of states where this is occurring, and which errors the ballots contain which may prevent you from voting.
VOTE!
So, Wisconsin Voters, I want to tell you two things:
Don't be intimidated at the polls if someone questions your eligibility. Wisconsin has same-day voter registration, so at the very worst you should be able to re-register right there. Unless you're a felon currently serving time, there is almost no way you can be denied the right to vote in this state. Just make sure to have a utility bill (or something similar) to prove your residence. DO NOT accept casting a provisional ballot.
Similarly, DO NOT CAST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT. Both Presidential campaigns are pushing for this, but you really shouldn't do it unless you're actually going to be absent. It's not illegal, it's just that your vote probably won't be counted unless the election is close -- just like the provisional ballots. Make your vote count!
~Sean