New Voting Laws 2012 - Charles P. Pierce on Brennan Report. JIM CROW CAN BE FOR ALL OF US /// The Brennan report, which points to more than 5 million eligible voters will find it more difficult to vote in 2012, should unite people on the right and left who realize that they're getting played by the true centers of power in this country — that we can vote the bastards out. Back in 2000, when the Supreme Court stepped in and foozled a presidential election to achieve the outcome that some of its members desired — oh, don't bother to deny it — the dismissal du jour was to tell grumpy liberals to "Get over it! " This was so successful that not a single Democratic senator was willing to stand up with John Lewis and contest the election, and if you won't stand up with John Lewis on an issue of voting rights, then you'd have rolled dice for the robe on Golgotha.
The problem, of course, was that a lot of the forces demanding that people "get over" 2000 were far from getting over it themselves. How hard is it really? Wait. Whoa. This Hans von Spakovsky? Activists Work to Repeal Ohio Law Restricting Early Voting. Clocking Out: Paycheck to Paycheck Edition. Robert Greenwald: RT @greenhousenyt Big Mone... Hidden Money Is Driving Redistricting - Politics. It's the issue too boring to tweet about, the dry-as-a-bowl-of-sand public policy matter that could bring even the liveliest dinner conversation down to a drone of sighs. The decennial process of redrawing the nation's Congressional districts. You mean you haven't been following it all summer? Turns out you should be. ProPublica is out this morning with the first installment of a broad investigation of the hidden powers – financial and otherwise – that seek to influence redistricting committees in states across the country.
It's not the first time that the issue of how the lines are drawn has led to anger and scandal. The best sign that the game is high-stakes may be its secrecy. The national Democratic and Republican parties are also working to limit disclosures about fundraising for redistricting. The participants are phantoms, existing on paper for the purposes of swaying decisions about the makeup of Congressional districts, but performing little other work. Elections. Home > Elections and Voting Register Voting is our civic duty, and it's something we do to show our country and children that we are proud to be American.
Click here to register Respond Unfair voting laws are being passed by politicians who are trying to manipulate the system for their own benefit because they don't like what the voters have to say. Learn more Reform The health of our democracy and our right to vote requires decisive action now to ensure that all Americans can truly participate in our elections. Read more... Bullies at the Ballot Box: Protecting the Freedom to Vote Against Wrongful Challenges and Intimidation: Common Cause and Demos have analyzed laws in 10 key states governing voter intimidation and organized efforts to block Americans from voting. Counting Votes 2012: A State by State Look at Election Preparedness: It is highly likely that voting systems will fail in multiple places across the country on Election Day.
Got ID? DOJ: Rick Perry's Texas Redistricting Plan Purposefully Discriminated Against Minorities. The Justice Department said late Friday that based on their preliminary investigation, a congressional redistricting map signed into law by Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry appears to have been "adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to Congress. " DOJ's Civil Rights Division is specifically contesting the changes made to Texas Districts 23 and 27, which they say would not provide Hispanic citizens with the ability to elect candidates of their choice. They say they need more information on the congressional plan to determine what the purpose of the redistricting plan was for sure.
DOJ said that no matter the purpose of the congressional plan, it would have a discriminatory effect on voters. More background on the case here. The filing is embedded below. The Hidden Hands in Redistricting: Corporations and Other Powerful Interests. The number of these purportedly independent redistricting groups is rising, but their ties remain murky. Contributions to such groups are not limited by campaign finance laws, and most states allow them to take unlimited amounts of money without disclosing the source. Today’s story is the first chapter in an in-depth examination of how powerful players are turning to increasingly sophisticated tools and techniques to game the redistricting process, with voters ultimately losing. For special interests, there’s a huge potential payoff from investing in such efforts. “Reshaping a map is very powerful” for donors, said Spencer Kimball, a political consultant who is executive director of Boston-based Fair Districts Mass.
“It’s a big opportunity to have influence at the state level and the congressional level not one race at a time but for 10 years.” But it’s not cheap, and that’s where corporations and other outside interests come in. Robinson also said the lack of disclosure has benefits. Rep. Report documents confusion at polls during recalls. Preserving Cabrini-Green's images In the sharp sun of an April afternoon, Nate Lanthrum walks through the remains of Cabrini-Green giving away what he has taken. He looks out of place, a white guy carrying a $1,500 Nikon D700 camera, but the residents are used to him by now and greet... Blackhawks thrilled to have Brent Seabrook back Starting with Game 6 Sunday, Brent Seabrook's timeout will be over and the defenseman will be back on the ice — so long as he promises to play nice.
The Blackhawks have done pretty well in Seabrook's absence, winning all three games the NHL... NFL draft preview: Defensive ends As the NFL draft nears — it takes place May 8-10 — we're taking an 11-day, position-by-position look at what's out there and what the Bears need. In May 1974, Tribune delivered 2 Watergate bombshells Obama denounces racist comments reportedly made by NBA owner Cubs can't take advantage of Brewers' injuries Northwestern women win at Wrigley Blackhawks thrilled to have Brent Seabrook back. Wisconsin Worker Fired for Email on Free Voter IDs. Protesting Chris Larson's firing A Wisconsin worker was fired Thursday for reminding fellow workers that photo IDs required for voting are free under Wisconsin law.
A man identifying himself as Chris Larson called into "Sly in the Morning," a popular Madison radio program on WTDY-AM, and said he had been fired and escorted out of his workplace earlier in the day for sending out an email to remind employees to tell the public that they can obtain a state license for free. Larson said he worked for the Department of Safety and Professional Services, which is under Secretary Dave Ross. The man was reacting to recent news stories that the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles may be hiding the fact that the IDs, which are newly required for voting in Wisconsin, are free.
Hours after his dismissal, a small crowd gathered in front of his place of employment to protest his firing. Don't Ask Don't Tell = Poll Tax Don't Ask -- Don't Tell = Poll Tax Problem solved? Walker Voter ID Bill. Lindsey Graham Backs Federal Voter ID Law, Calls Restrictions 'The Future Of The Country' "I think what South Carolina did makes eminent sense to me," Graham said at a hearing on state voting laws chaired by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). Durbin called the incidence of voter fraud in America minimal and said reported fraud "is often anecdotal, unsubstantiated and contrived. " Graham disagreed. "You will see more of this, Mr. Chairman, not less," Graham continued in his opening statement. Graham even raised the Sept. 11 attacks to justify restrictions on voter access.
"All the highjackers had -- five or six -- had fake drivers licenses, so I think sanctifying the voting process in a way that makes sense, in a way that makes sure we're electing people based on registered voters, is a goal that we should all be concerned about," Graham said. He insisted that his support for voter ID measures wasn't for partisan means. "I have no desire to supress people from voting," Graham said.
Wis. Election Officials: Waukesha County Clerk Failed To Follow Election Laws -- But Did Not Tamper With Court Race. The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in the state, has released its report on the controversial April election for state Supreme Court -- where vote-counting problems in Waukesha County resulted in the announced discovery of un-tabulated votes, putting incumbent conservative Justice David Prosser ahead in the state Supreme Court race against his liberal-backed opponent JoAnne Kloppenburg. The report finds probable cause to believe that Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus (R) violated the laws and procedures for administering the count -- but that her actions were not willful, criminal misconduct. Notably, the report concludes that Nickolaus could not have possibly manipulated vote totals, as some members of the public came to believe -- because the City of Brookfield, the center of the vote-counting controversy, had in fact independently reported its correct vote totals to local media sources on election night.
How Southern Republicans Aim to Make White Democrats Extinct. Russ Baker talks with RT about the reasons for Western intervention in the Middle East. Diebold voting machines hacked with $10 in parts | Raw Replay. Study: New Voting Restrictions May Affect More than Five Million. Please Contact: Jeanine Plant-Chirlin | jeanine.plant-chirlin [at] nyu.edu, w. 646.292.8322, m. 646.265.7721 Andrew Goldston | andrew.goldston [at] nyu.edu, w. 646.292.8372, m. 917.720.7895 New York – New voting laws could make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012, according to the first comprehensive study of the laws’ impact. Widespread voting cutbacks could have a significant electoral impact in next year’s hard-fought races, the study concludes.
“This is the most significant cutback in voting rights in decades. Voting Law Changes in 2012 analyzes the 19 laws and two executive actions that passed in fourteen states this year, as well as more than 100 bills that were introduced but did not pass (some may still pass). The states that have already cut back on voting rights will provide 171 electoral votes in 2012—63 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency. Among the changes in 2011: Photo ID laws. Congress Investigates GOP War on Voting | Rolling Stone Politics | RS Politics Daily | Rolling Stone Writers and Editors on Political News. New Evidence of ALEC Connections in All Successful Voter ID Legislation.
By Tobin Van Ostern | September 8, 2011 at 9:58 pm Research conducted by Campus Progress reveals that every single one of the five states that recently passed Voter ID legislation had American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) members as co-sponsors of the legislation. ALEC is a DC-based non-profit organization that brings together state legislators and corporations to promote conservative policies. The claimed intent of these restrictive Voter ID laws, explained here, is to prevent voter impersonation fraud. However, there are barely any cases of such fraud. Instead, these laws make it harder for young people, people of color, low-income people, the disabled, and older Americans to vote.
Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin have all passed Voter ID requirements this cycle, joining Georgia and Indiana, which had already passed such restrictions. In Texas, one of the co-sponsors was the former National Chairman of ALEC’s Board of Directors, Rep. Could Hactivist Choose Lady GaGa for next President of the United States. As Hactivists out a cop in New York for brutally macing peaceful protestors on Wall Street, many people are wondering if they could also hack our next election? And now the government wants to know if it's possible. A team of computer science and security experts working within the Department of Energy say they’ve hacked into a Diebold electronic voting machine and were able to change voting results without leaving a trace behind.
And they were able to do it using only $26 of equipment and what they claim is just an 8th grade understanding of science. The Vulnerable Assessment Team – as they are called – that performed the hack said, “this is a national security issue.” And according to investigative reporter Brad Friedman – this is, “one of the most disturbing e-voting machine hacks to date.” So it’s no longer about who gets the most votes in our democracy – but which side can hack the vote. 96-Year-Old African-American Woman Denied Voter ID Says Her Experience Now Is Worse Than Jim Crow. By Ian Millhiser on October 7, 2011 at 12:19 pm "96-Year-Old African-American Woman Denied Voter ID Says Her Experience Now Is Worse Than Jim Crow" Earlier this week, the state of Tennessee denied Dorothy Cooper, a 96 year-old African-American, the voter ID she is now required to produce in order to vote at her polling place — citing her inability to produce her marriage certificate.
Cooper voted in every election but one since she became eligible to vote, including many elections during the Jim Crow Era. Indeed, in an interview yesterday with MSNBC’s Al Sharpton, Cooper explained that Tennessee’s new voter suppression law did more to keep her from voting than anything she experienced during Jim Crow: SHARPTON: Even during Jim Crow days you didn’t have any problems voting in Tennessee? Watch it: Earlier this year, former President Bill Clinton described the recent round of state anti-voter laws as the most determined disenfranchisement effort since Jim Crow.
"We are the 99%," but the 1% Buy Elections, Reports Show. As the "Occupy" protests spread across the country with the slogan "we are the ninety-nine percent," two reports released this week demonstrate how the top one percent are playing an increasingly outsized role in American elections. The New Yorker reports on a conservative multimillionaire's successful efforts to buy North Carolina's elections, and a report from campaign finance reform groups describe how an elite group of donors have laundered unlimited contributions to presidential campaigns.
Much of this influence was made possible by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, and anger over corporate influence in politics is helping fuel the populist uprisings in Manhattan, D.C., and around the country. Dimestore Donor Dominates North Carolina Elections "The Republican agenda in North Carolina is really Art Pope's agenda. He sets it, he funds it, and he directs the efforts to achieve it. The candidates are just fronting for him.
Ninety-Nine Percent: Money Out of Politics. League of Education Voters. For Redistricting, Texas Counts Prisoners Where They Sleep. U.S. Court Blocks Texas Electoral Maps Approved by Rick Perry. Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- A federal court put on hold electoral maps approved by Texas Governor Rick Perry for congressional and state assembly districts, saying they weren’t approved by the U.S. under the Voting Rights Act. The order signed yesterday by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio blocks the redistricting plans for the Texas House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives. Garcia is part of a three-judge panel that has weighed evidence on the redistricting plan in a case filed by groups claiming the new maps put Latino candidates at a disadvantage. A different three-judge panel in Washington is also reviewing the Texas redistricting plan. “Today’s injunction is important in that it preserves our opportunity to implement a court-ordered map should the pre- clearance process in Washington be delayed to the point where it takes us past the election filing deadlines,” Joaquin G.
Restatement Only The Texas case is Perez v. Project Vote Smart - American Government, Elections, Candidates and Voting. NEW Proof of Waukesha Election Fraud. Local voter ID? Ed Miliband plans to dilute voting power of unions | Politics. The GOP War on Voting | Rolling Stone Politics. Redistricting -- Intertribal Council presentations, competitiveness and urgency. AIRC Update: 'Tell me who you are and who you represent' What The Justice Department Can Actually Do About Voter ID Laws.
Voter ID Under Fire At Progressive Conference; Obama Calls Restrictions A 'Big Mistake' The GOP War on Voting | Politics News. Austin news, sports, weather, Longhorns, business | Statesman.com. Free For All. The Real Cost of Voter Id Laws. Montana Supreme Court looks at campaign finance for political spending. The truth about voter suppression - Ed Kilgore. Early voting states issue warning on primary dates. Maine Elections Chief Uses GOP List To Intimidate Student Voters And Encourage Them To Re-Register In Another State. 96-Year-Old Chattanooga Woman Denied Voting ID. Ari Berman on the GOP War on Voting | Julian Brookes. 7G16-VOTER_ID_ACT_Exposed. Sen. Dick Durbin: Koch brothers spearheading voter suppression effort | Raw Replay. Diebold voting machines can be hacked by remote control. Conservative Columnist: Poor People Shouldn’t Vote. Ari Berman breaks down the "GOP War on Voting"
Shorewood.patch. Arizona Democratic Party: Statement on AZGOP coordinated attack on independent redistricting commission. New State Laws Are Limiting Access for Voters. What We’re Reading Today: Voter Suppression. Nebraska GOP Backs Mini-Electoral College Rigging Plan. Tea party backs ACLU lawsuit against Florida voting law. Rep. Lewis: Voter ID ‘A Poll Tax by Another Name’
Republicans rewriting state election laws in ways that could hurt Democrat.