House to deny $ to low income housing orgs that register voters

[texpatriot2004]

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=55222

News Conference on House Leadership Plan to Restrict Low-Income Voter Participation as Condition of New Affordable Housing Grant Program

<snip>

A coalition of national organizations concerned with housing, community development, people who are elderly or disabled, child welfare, civil rights, voter participation, and rights of non-profits will hold a news conference to voice opposition to provisions in a compromise on H.R. 1461, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005, reached by the House Leadership. These provisions will disqualify a non-profit organization from receiving grants from the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), created by the legislation to develop new affordable housing for low income people, if the organization has engaged in any voter registration and other non-partisan voter participation work in the 12 months prior to application. Any non-profit organization that does receive a grant to develop affordable housing is also prohibited from engaging in these activities, even using private funds. These restrictions are not imposed on for-profit companies. The legislation is slated to go to the House floor next week.

<snip>

[Hobarticus]

1. Just hang a cross on the door, and line up at the trough...

Two can play at this game.

[wiley]

2. Wonder if this will apply to faith based groups?

Does the House have nothing better to do?

Fvcking Republicans are truly evil.

[IA_Seth]

3. WTF!?

This makes me sick. We suffer from low voter participation in every freaking election and now they want to prohibit non-profits from helping people exercise their rights?

Ugh.

Is there ANY rational reason or cause behind this?

[FormerRepublican]

4. I thought laws discouraging voters from voting were themselves illegal...

I doubt it would pass the constitutional smell test. Of course, that's based on prior decisions without current Bush appointees legislating the Bush agenda from the bench.

I see this as nothing but an attempt to silence voters who oppose the fascists in Congress. Yet another reason to throw them out. They have no respect for the American people whatsoever.

Every day this country is becoming more and more a country I don't want to live in. I feel pity for children, who must live with the future results of this madness.

[mod mom]

8. that was back when we had a constitution and adhered to it. :(

Soon we'll retake our country and rid ourselves of these soulless monsters.

[superconnected]

5. That will teach them for trying to get those poor people to vote

Quit aiding their low income housing organization so it will die.

Plus, if the poor people can't get housing, they can't vote because they won't have an address.

Perfect. It hurts the poor AND stops non-partisan voter registration. Naked-compassionate-conservatism. Oh the inhumanity.

[WCGreen]

26. It's pure partisan shit...

The GOP knows their base doesn't live in public housing...

So they are going to make it difficult for the poor, the elderly and the infirm to register to vote...

A lot of public housing is isolated from voter registration venue...

In the burbs, you can drive to the library or city hall to register...

But if you have to choose between spending a couple of bucks to take the bus and register to vote or having a meal.....

Well.....

[MaineDem]

6. This doesn't make sense

NON-partisan voter registration should be encouraged everywhere!

This is disgraceful!

[superconnected]

7. Bingo. There is nothing but partisan evil at work here.

I bet it's the republicans.

[mod mom]

9. Sent to Countdown, Anderson Cooper and Aaron Brown and asked

them to give this media coverage!

[pinto]

10. This is a sleazy expansion of the "political advocacy" limits placed on

non-political, non-profits in many states. (Non profits are incorporations under State laws).

Here in California a charitable, non-profit is limited on how much it can spend on "political advocacy" - I think it has to be less than 10% of budget...But voter registration is not "political advocacy", unless you only support registration with one particular political party...And, iirc, voting is one of those guaranteed, constitutional rights of every citizen.

There's a good constitutional battle here if the House gets away with this one.

(disclosure background): Every election (local, state or national) I go around and hand out voter registration forms at homeless shelters, food kitchens, senior citizen centers, and other non-profit agencies to encourage folks to find the time, if possible, from day-to-day survival to vote. I also always leave a stack of voter registration forms at each facility, with the admins support. The House proposal could jeopardize those agencies' funding if enacted and enforced.

[Metta]

11. We could us another note nailed to the door.

Will another Martin Luther step forward to save this.

[anotherdrew]

12. this is insane - what a filthy mean spirited bill. Rethugs go to hell

[jwirr]

13. I think someone should challenge this in the courts. Voting

is a basic right.

[Laelth]

22. Yes, but nobody has a right to HUD money.

IMHO, this is perfectly legal. Congress can spend our money as it sees fit. This is standard government coercion. Disgusting, yes, but legal. Write your representatives and demand resistance.

-Laelth

[gracie76]

14. House to deny $ to low income housing orgs that register voters

Jeez, and I just brought in some materials and some voter registration forms to my apartment complex, which is a federally supported "community"...maybe I had better take them all away and tell the management to cancel the November 1 meeting which THEY have scheduled for all us kiddies to talk about our Special Election on November 8 !!??
I thought we were supposed to ENCOURAGE citizen involvement, not punish it. gracie 76

[rucky]

15. !

[0007]

16. Question: If one lives under a bridge with no address can that

person vote?

In other words can homeless persons vote?

[MountainLaurel]

21. Probably not

Hell, you can't get a library card without a photo ID and mailing address (P.O. Boxes aren't allowed).

[oldlady]

32. varies state to state

here, homeless can vote if one registered voter vouches for them & their identity. I have. I've also become a voting registrar the past couple of elections...maybe I should rethink that, since I live/work in HUD housing...hmmm???

[NashVegas]

17. Campaign Fundraising = Good. Encouraging Citizenship = Bad

Will someone please just wake me when Bobby Ewing steps out of the shower?

[allisonthegreat]

18. hold me back...really this is just awful

not only despicable but immoral as well...how do these laws get passed...damn repugs!

[bettyellen]

19. well, in my town the biggest developer of affordable housing "got out his

vote" and swung every election every single time he cared to. and he also ran the local newspaper. and he also got all the variances and huge luxury building contacts he could afford to take on.
every tenant had their door knocked on to go and vote, and was told how to the day of the election- not before, and most of them believed that someone could trace how they voted back to them- and would have repurcussions. it was disturbing- every election, we;d get word how Joe Barry wanted the vote to go, and it did. there were indictments of politicians that helped him, but itwas pretty sad.
of course they'll use it against innocent groups, but i've seen the worst case senario, close up.

[struggle4progress]

20. Cuz people who have houses shouldn't need to vote? eom

[AuntiBush]

23. And the "Disabled?"

Tell that to our returning and Viet Nam injured vets, along w/how many Disabled Americans?

These neo-cons got-to-go!

[Virginian]

24. So the Dems need registration volunteers to go door to door.

People frequently forget to change their voter registration when they move, so now that it will become illegal for the leasing office to include a voter registration form in their welcome packet someone else needs to take over this duty.

[progressivebydesign]

25. But CHURCHES can register voters?

Guess they only want affluent christians to vote.

[SouthernDem2004]

30. Difference is where the money comes from./nt

[HuffleClaw]

27. erm...

i don't understand the justification for this.

[texpatriot2004]

28. There isn't any justification for it. They think they can get away

with it so they will do it.

[cally]

29. It's hard to believe this is constitutional

One more reason * wants Miers on the SC. :argh:

[yellowcanine]

31. Unconstitutional on its face. Violation of free speech protection.