In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year Link .... What has happened this year is the most significant setback to voting rights in this country in a century," says Judith Browne-Dianis, who monitors barriers to voting as co-director of the Advancement Project, a civil rights organization based in Washington, D.C. Republicans have long tried to drive Democratic voters away from the polls. "I don't want everybody to vote," the influential conservative activist Paul Weyrich told a gathering of evangelical leaders in 1980. "As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down." But since the 2010 election, thanks to a conservative advocacy group founded by Weyrich, the GOP's effort to disrupt voting rights has been more widespread and effective than ever. In a systematic campaign orchestrated by the American Legislative Exchange Council – and funded in part by David and Charles Koch, the billionaire brothers who bankrolled the Tea Party – 38 states introduced legislation this year designed to impede voters at every step of the electoral process. .... Even at the time, there was no evidence to back up such outlandish claims. A major probe by the Justice Department between 2002 and 2007 failed to prosecute a single person for going to the polls and impersonating an eligible voter, which the anti-fraud laws are supposedly designed to stop. Out of the 300 million votes cast in that period, federal prosecutors convicted only 86 people for voter fraud – and many of the cases involved immigrants and former felons who were simply unaware of their ineligibility. A much-hyped investigation in Wisconsin, meanwhile, led to the prosecution of only .0007 percent of the local electorate for alleged voter fraud ... In Texas, under "emergency" legislation passed by the GOP-dominated legislature and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, a concealed-weapon permit is considered an acceptable ID but a student ID is not. Republicans in Wisconsin, meanwhile, mandated that students can only vote if their IDs include a current address, birth date, signature and two-year expiration date – requirements that no college or university ID in the state currently meets. As a result, 242,000 students in Wisconsin may lack the documentation required to vote next year. "It's like creating a second class of citizens in terms of who gets to vote," says Analiese Eicher, a Dane County board supervisor.
Guilty Pleas in Ohio Voter Fraud - A Warning to States, Parties and Candidates LINK Seems that voter fraud is becoming more and more prevalent in Ohio, with the Bush/Kerry election drawing the ire of the Democrats and the Obama/McCain election drawing from the Republicans. To put is as simply as possible, I don't see why a picture ID requirement to vote is that big of a deal. If you don't have a drivers license, the state can issue you a state ID. You need proof of age to buy a variety of items in Ohio, from alcohol and tobacco to spray paint in some instances. It should be a no-brainer.
What percentage of total votes were fraudulent? How many elections have turned on these mass-scale vote frauds? I agree this is a no-brainer. Voting is not the same as proving age to buy a restricted substance. Voting is NOT a restricted substance, it is a fundament of our society. We should be making it EASIER to vote, not harder. We should want more of the citizenry engaged in our democratic process, not less. Unless you can prove significant harm has been caused by not requiring photo ID (not a few cheated votes, significant harm like multiple fraudulent elections), then there's no reason to change the rules. What's with republicans wanting to use the government to reduce basic American rights like equality, the right to vote, the right to organize, etc?
If you don't make a certain amount of money, then you shouldn't be allowed to vote. This is Amurica man.
3? That's widespread? Glad so much money was spent finding those 3 guys Ironically, was it a government agency that had to have its budget increased to investigate and prosecute them? Voter fraud is statistically non-existent. Meanwhile the Koch boys send out official-looking mail that misdirects democratic voters and fraudulently claims the election is on the wrong day or absentee ballots can wait until after the election - and that is not worth reporting on or prosecuting? Seems it only matters if you can use it as an excuse to stifle "certain people's" voting rights - usually blacks, hispanics, or young folks. Republicans love using their big government to attack individuals and interfere in people's lives.
Hey, come on, show some respect. Stanger found four links for every one person convicted. That should count for something.
That is the irony here - some Republicans don't like government helping out when it comes to welfare, social security, health care and generally helping those in need. They do however fully suport it expanding in it's more 'tyrannical' end - denying the right to vote, siding with banks who robbed the innocent public, arresting people for the colour of their skin, and eliminating free speech (or at least cordoning it into 'zones'). In short, a lot of the right supports tyranny. That is what it wants, and I would not be surprised in the least if many of them are seeking (or at least, if it were proposed, would actively support) an authoritarian dictatorship.
So you don't think there should be any restrictions on providing proof of who you are before you vote? Here are the requirements to vote in the State of Ohio. Register to Vote in Ohio How do I know whether I am qualified to register and to vote in Ohio? You are qualified to register to vote in Ohio if you meet all the following requirements: You are a citizen of the United States. You will be at least 18 years old on or before the day of the general election. You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days immediately before the election in which you want to vote. You are not incarcerated (in prison) for a felony conviction under the laws of this state, another state or the United States. You have not been declared incompetent for voting purposes by a probate court. You have not been permanently disfranchised for violations of the election laws. You are eligible to vote in elections conducted in your voting precinct more than 30 consecutive days after you are properly registered to vote in this state. How can you prove you meet the requirements if you don't have an ID?
The point is that your above statement is false. How is voter fraud "becoming more and more prevalent"? It isn't. This article form the Dispatch runs down the various cases that have popped up recently (the article is from 2008). Small potatoes, and it seems the system catches a lot of them. Other problems seem more due to states not comparing voter lists. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2008/10/30/fraud30.html Finally, I followed the link you provide, and I tried to find the article in the Dispatch the refers to the three convicted Vote Today Ohio staffers. The link to the Dispatch article isn't valid, and I can't find the article by googling "Columbus Dispatch Vote Today Ohio voter fraud." Though that search does bring up a lot of blogs, etc., that say the exact same thing that's said in the piece you link to, word for word. I'm not saying the story is false, just asking to see a valid link go the Dispatch article that reports it. I'm curious what the details were.
Hey stanger, is this you? http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...g_out_burglary_tools_to_criminals.php?ref=fpb registering the poor to vote is like handing out burlary tools to criminals Nice
I'm going to say this once, only once, and let it be. 1) Proof of ID for voting, residency, etc is a conservative talking point that has originated since the immigration acts of the 1920s. 2) The immigration acts of the 1920s and subsequent immigration act since then have been race-oriented in goals. 3) Any person who believes that ID is a good requirement basis for society is propagating the racism of the immigration acts. If you believe ID cards are a good idea, you believe - to an extent - in race-oriented policies.
If you think about it, they are. The overwhelming majority of people who cannot get access to organizations that require ID are minorities. Illegal immigrants cannot get driver's licenses. Inmates (who are disproportionately African-American) cannot get many forms of ID. Racism is not the overt subjugation of one ethnic group by another - it takes many forms. Either you loosen the restrictions on ID cards or you get rid of them altogether, but keeping them in this place favors one ethnic group over another.