More voter suppression

[Partha]

To date, the Kansas GOP has identified and caged more voters in the last 11 months than the previous two years!

- statement of the leader of the Kansas GOP. Forget the fact that caging is illegal, he's proud to admit it.

http://bluetiderising.blogspot.com/2007 ... voter.html

[Embar Angylwrath]

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2006/ ... 35000.html

Didn't see you raise much (any) of a fuss about the ACORN scandal.

[Partha]

One is a private company, the other is a political party. Surely you can tell a difference.

EDIT: Dammit, I KNEW I knew that name from somewhere.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/1214-09.htm

Further, criminal investigations responding to allegations of voter fraud recently ended in Colorado, Wisconsin, Florida, and Ohio after finding no evidence of wrongdoing by ACORN or any pervasive voter fraud. In Wisconsin, U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic, a Republican appointed by President Bush in 2004, concluded, “We don’t see a massive conspiracy to alter the election in Milwaukee, one way or another.” In Ohio, a year-long federal, state, and local investigation ended with no federal indictments. “Our investigation is closed. No one was charged…the federal investigation is closed,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Edwards in Cleveland.

http://www.democracynow.org/2007/4/4/headlines

U.S. Attorney Fired After Failing to Indict ACORN for Voter Fraud

There are new developments in the scandal over the Bush administration’s firing of eight U.S. Attorneys. One of the dismissed prosecutors has revealed that he was pressured by Republican officials to target the advocacy group ACORN for voter fraud. ACORN was working on a voter registration drive in low-income and largely minority neighborhoods in New Mexico. David Iglesias told Newsweek that he found no case worth bringing against ACORN. But that apparently did not please the White House. Last week Attorney General Alberto Gonzales" ex-chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson testified that during the run-up to the mid-term election White House adviser Karl Rove complained that Iglesias and two other U.S. Attorneys had not done enough to prosecute so-called voter fraud.

Yes, let's talk about that, shall we?

[Embar Angylwrath]

Sure, lets talk about it.

Iglesias was asked in 2004 by Republican officials to investigate voter fraud. Young teenage boys had received voter registration cards in the mail, indicating someone had forged their signatures and birthdates. Iglesias failed to bring criminal charges against the liberal group responsible, Association of Community Associations for Reform Now (ACORN). ACORN has a reputation as the group most responsible today for voter fraud. When Iglesias found a woman working for ACORN who had falsified the applications, he said that she wasn't prosecutable because she had only done it for money, not political reasons. That isn't a valid excuse, and provides an easy way for ACORN to get around voter fraud laws by claiming that its employees were not politically motivated.

http://www.american-partisan.com/cols/2 ... 1/0326.htm

There, we've traded partisan links.

Now...

I read your article. Nowhere does it explain what pressure was applied (if any). Was it a request? Several requests? Threat to his children? What? If it was a request, or even repeated requests.. so what? Do you think its unusual for politiical partisans and politicians to put forth their respective agenda to US attorneys? If you think that, you're pretty naive.

[Klast Brell]

Oh for fuck's sake are we back on this again?

Dick Tracy and Marry Poppins are not going to vote. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... /410190343 Made up names on the rolls are not going to affect who is elected. On the other hand. Removing people with the right to vote from the rolls because their name is similar to a felon in another state http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dy ... -2001May30 will absolutely affect the outcome of an election. As will rejecting registrations because the wrong thickness of paper was used for the registration. Or knowingly providing an insufficient number of voting booths to a precinct.

There is a huge difference between putting a fictitious name on the rolls who will never vote, and denying the vote to someone who has the right to vote.

[Flunkie]

What would affect the election even more is to require voters to be US citizens. *GASP*

[Jarochai Alabaster]

We could just require US citizens to vote. Doesn't Australia do that?

[Ddrak]

We could just require US citizens to vote. Doesn't Australia do that?

Yes. Changes the whole election process a lot - you no longer have the "get out the vote" campaigns because everyone has to vote anyway. Don't know if it's better or worse really - just changes it.

Dd

[Mukik]

what happens if you dont vote?

[Embar Angylwrath]

There are some very fat and happy salties.

[Ddrak]

what happens if you dont vote?

You get a fine.

http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/backgrounders ... Voting.pdf

Dd

[Finglefinn]

That wouldn't work in the US. Too many apathetic Americans. The fines would go uncollected. We have enough trouble getting every 18 year old male to sign up for Selective Service.

[Ddrak]

That wouldn't work in the US. Too many apathetic Americans. The fines would go uncollected. We have enough trouble getting every 18 year old male to sign up for Selective Service.

Aussies are just as apathetic really, but not paying a fine ends up with court costs on your plate as well, followed by garnishing of wages which really isn't pretty. It's also illegal to not enroll to vote, which (as far as I know) they cross-check with driver's licenses and tax returns so there's not any easy way out of it.

Given the choice of wandering down to a polling booth one Saturday every 2-3 years or paying a small fine, most people just go and vote.

Dd