Voter Suppression - The Worst Kept Secret in the GOP

Voter suppression has to be the worst kept secret of the elections season. State GOP officials, Republican judges, Republican controlled State Legislatures and a bevy of Republican governors all have their hands in this highly coordinated attack on the very democratic right to vote. It’s mind boggling to think that the poll taxes and southern strategy of the Right has simply morphed from their very open practices of voter suppression of minorities in the 1950’s and 1960’s into what we are seeing across the country today especially in the swing states. One article stated:
A new nationwide analysis of 2,068 alleged election-fraud cases since 2000 shows that while fraud has occurred, the rate is infinitesimal, and in-person voter impersonation on Election Day, which prompted 37 state legislatures to enact or consider tough voter ID laws, is virtually non-existent.

“In an exhaustive public records search, reporters from the investigative reporting project "News21" sent thousands of requests to elections officers in all 50 states, asking for every case of fraudulent activity including registration fraud, absentee ballot fraud, vote buying, false election counts, campaign fraud, casting an ineligible vote, voting twice, voter impersonation fraud and intimidation.
Analysis of the resulting comprehensive News21 election fraud database turned up 10 cases of voter impersonation. With 146 million registered voters in the United States during that time, those 10 cases represent one out of about every 15 million prospective voters.”

10 cases. 10 cases of in-person voter impersonation that might have been deterred by polling place Photo ID restrictions --- restrictions which, according to study after study, could keep as many as 22 million perfectly legal eligible voters from being able to cast their legal vote.

What country are we living in here, Russia? Iran? China? It is fairly telling that the Right-wing extremists in this forum are absolutely fine with these practices and go as far as denying that they even exist.
In addition to requiring photo ID to address a nonexistent problem and at the same time making it harder to obtain that ID in states like Wisconsin, Tennessee and Texas, Republicans have intimidated voter registration groups including high school teachers, they have either tried to or have eliminated same-day registration in states like Maine, Ohio, and North Carolina, curtailed early voting days in states like Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and West Virginia, Republicans in states like Florida and Iowa have either delayed or revoked the rights of former felons from regaining their right to vote after they have paid their debt to society, and finally but not all inclusive, states like Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas have limited the operating hours or closed the state offices where residents can obtain required photo ID. In Ohio, only polling places in Republican dominated counties were open extended hours while democratic dominated counties were not allowed the same longer hours until the Republican in charge finally back down under pressure but still ended the weekend before the election voting.

Several GOP leaders have admitted openly that they actively passed legislation to hand the vote to Romney and that they have had regular conversations about the practice and implementation of voter suppression.

But it is ALL about stopping voter fraud isn’t it!

 

THAT! Is pretty damning evidence. And if you notice, his Republican audience applauds this. These aren't Americans that I recognize. I can't think of anything more Un-American. Shame on you Righties!

 

Getting a voter ID is easy! Sure it is!

 

Not that voter fraud doesn't exist...



It's just that the same people trying to suppress everyone else's vote are the ones committing it.

 

The only comment that needs be made http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24351798/ns/politics/t/supreme-court-upholds-voter-id-law/#.UC6p46MydtA

 

Is this the same Supreme Court that gave us Citizen's United?

 

Hey, that's pretty good! Nine minutes and 54 seconds to get a Voter ID... and about 5 minutes of that was the lady blathering about how homeless people can get IDs. This is even easier than most people realized. I encourage everyone who doesn't have an ID to take 10 minutes out of their day and go get an ID immediately! Thanks for posting that, Joe... now no one has an excuse for not getting an ID!!

 

Yes. It's also the same Supreme Court that ruled Obamacare is a tax.

 

It is also the same court sworn to uphold the constitution and protect your right to speak your mind. Now, if you choose to ignore one rulling, maybe we could ignore a few others! Right?

 

Over here at a polling station you can be asked to produce some form of ID if you go in to vote, this can be a utility bill or bank statement that has your home addy on it along with a voter registration card that is sent to your home, you can of course produce a passport or driving licence. In the US how do they know you are who you say you are?

 

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
This is the exact problem that has to be solved & the only just solution is a picture ID...the same ID one would use at the bank, at the doctor or to gain admittance to an Eric Holder speech.