Wisconsin New Suppression Laws 9-5 No Weekends
restricts early voting to ONE WEEK and ONLY during the hours of 7:30 AM - 5 PM (that'll show those folks who try to vote before or after work).
That wasn't enough for Republicans, though. Their brand new shiny voter suppression bill removes ALL weekend voting (their limitation to 1 weekend from 3 in 2011 wasn't restrictive enough to prevent electoral wins by Tammy Baldwin and Barack Obama in 2012) and restricts early voting to ONE WEEK and ONLY during the hours of 7:30 AM - 5 PM (that'll show those folks who try to vote before or after work).
Not only that, but anyone without that ID needs to sign an affidavit that they're indigent and their "vote" is not guaranteed to be counted. A person who doesn't have the time to go during work hours to get that ID, has no transportation to a DMV for that ID, or who can't obtain the documents necessary for the ID will have to declare their indigent and possibly get their vote tossed if they aren't.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/16/1256111/-Rachel-Maddow-Nails-How-Utterly-Nutty-Wis-GOP-Has-Become
Here’s a slick little two-step from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in 2010 Scott Walker decided to Screw Voters Early!
So one of his ideas was to pass a voter ID law to help suppress the vote in future years. Responding to the virtually non-existent scourge of voter fraud, the bill disenfranchises low-income voters and the elderly who don’t have a picture ID like a driver’s license.
Of course, Republicans could say, these voters need to merely go to any DMV and obtain a picture ID there. Simple, elegant and secure, right? Except Walker is closing down a bunch of DMV’s:
Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is working on finalizing a plan to close as many as 10 offices where people can obtain driver’s licenses in order to expand hours elsewhere and come into compliance with new requirements that voters show photo IDs at the polls.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/07/25/wisconsin-walker-shuts-down-dmv-offices-in-democratic-areas-after-passing-voter-id-law/
Voter Suppression, Again, in Minnesota This Time
I never cease to be amazed–in a really bad way–at the lengths to which Republican lawmakers will go to cut down the number of people who get to vote (preferably, of course, people who might vote Democratic).
The Justice Department has been fighting discriminatory voter ID requirements and other ballot-blocking measures around the country, with some success. Some courts have been doing their job too by striking down some of these laws.
So the Minnesota Republicans who form that state’s Senate majority decided to take another route–amend the state’s constitution to make it harder for people to vote.
The Senate voted 35-29 today for a proposed amendment that would require all voters at the polls to show a photo ID, stiffen eligibility requirements for registration and limit acceptable ID forms to “government issued” ones. (That last measure makes it harder for students; their college ID would not be valid.)
http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/voter-suppression-again-in-minnesota-this-time/
Kasich OHIO “New Improved Voter Suppression”
Republicans are now looking to turn the clock back a decade.
Tuesday, the state legislature will hold hearings on four new GOP-backed measures that, taken as a whole, will make voting much harder in the Buckeye State, especially for racial minorities, students, and the poor:
One bill would reduce the number of voting machines that counties must have on hand, almost inevitably leading to longer wait times at the polls.
A second would attack the state’s successful absentee ballot program. Last year, Secretary of State Jon Husted mailed absentee ballots to every registered voter, and nearly 1.3 million Ohioans cast one.
But the new bill would dramatically limit the period when absentee ballots can be sent, and bar counties from sending them, instead allowing only the secretary of state, with approval from lawmakers, to do so.
A third measure would cut early voting by six days and end same-day registration, when voters can register and vote on the same day. Voting rights advocates say they expect additional drastic cuts to the early voting period.
And a fourth would reduce from 10 to three the number of days given to voters casting a provisional ballot to return with the information needed to make their vote count.
The clear combined effect would be not just to reduce opportunities for voting. It would also be to significantly increase the number of voters showing up on Election Day, while reducing the number of machines made available to them. The obvious likely result: longer lines at the polls, deterring some voters from casting a ballot.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ohio-gop-looks-turn-clock-back-voting
Bush Packed Supreme Court GOP-Screw Voters
Since the high court’s ruling on June 25, four of the other 15 states covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act — Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia — are in position to move forward on tightening voting laws.
In Alabama and Mississippi, voters will have to present a photo-identification card at the 2014 primary polls under laws that are now being implemented, but were previously being held until cleared by Washington officials. Both states plan to issue photo IDs to voters who don’t have them.
http://swampland.time.com/2013/07/05/states-eye-voting-obstacles-in-wake-of-high-court-ruling/
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