Ohio GOP lawmakers keep blocking the vote

[OzarkDem]

Doing Blackwell's bidding in the Ohio General Assembly



COLUMBUS - A legislative committee yesterday refused along party lines to kill rules written by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's office that have added fuel to allegations the GOP gubernatorial candidate is trying to suppress voter registration.

"They're making it harder, harder, harder to register," said Senate Minority Leader C.J. Prentiss (D., Cleveland). Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of trying to make political hay against Mr. Blackwell during an election year for writing rules based on a law passed by the General Assembly.


...

Groups such as the League of Women Voters of Ohio contend failure of the rules to define "compensation" will have a "chilling effect" on volunteer efforts. They argue volunteers will fear that accepting transportation, soft drinks, T-shirts, or some other undefined compensation might make them guilty of election falsification, a fifth-degree felony punishable by six to 18 months in prison.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060627/NEWS09/606270389

[Kolesar]

1. The exchange was played on public radio this morning & it was nasty

Prentiss objected strongly when the gops claimed that the Dems were trying to turn this into a campaign issue against Blackwell. I think that is poor on the gops part, because it makes people start asking "is this a campaign issue about Blackwell?". Blackwell already has low approval numbers and is struggling vs. Strickland.

[OzarkDem]

4. He's going to have to steal a lot of votes

Strickland is so far ahead of him.

On the downside, we now have the whispering campaigns starting up again. They're so ludicrous only the most cretinous right wingers would believe them.

Rove is busy in Ohio. He and the GOP are still stirring up a lot of dissension in the state and are still trying to turn Dems against each other.

[Botany]

2. Bottom Line Republicans in Ohio know they are cheating.

They also know that with a fair vote they will be swept from office
at the State level, congressional level, senatorial level, and at the Governor's
office.

Hence HB 3 and this crap.

[zbdent]

3. Gee, a guy running for elected office running the election dept.

Now where's the possibility of anything untoward there???

:sarcasm:

[OhioBlue]

5. Blackwell is on re-run

He will keep doing things that skirt the law to favor low Democratic turnout. He is unethical, unpatriotic and incompetent.

This is bizzaro world. I cannot believe that the MSM, et. al. have not pushed the issue harder on his "repress the vote" policies. Election fraud may be hard to "PROVE" but, his "chicanery" is so "in your face". He even admitted that the "marriage amendment" in 2004 was nothing more than an attempt to draw Conservatives to the polls, more likely to vote for *. It is despicable to play with the Ohio Constitution in an attempt to "GOTV" for conservatives.

[OzarkDem]

6. They've become blatant in their dirty tricks

It seems Blackwell and the Ohio GOP have given up any pretense of legitimacy or good government. The sad thing is, they know the Ohio news media will cover for them, especially the Plain Dealer. IIRC, the Pee Dee's coverage implied these rules were justified and legal.

[OhioBlue]

7. that's the sad thing...

the media buys into the Republican talking points... "no law was broken".... "no proof of this"...

can we just focus on what is ethical and appropriate for a second? The Republicans in power have been in a pay-to-play, back scratching, find the legal way to an unethical goal.. mindset for way too long.

of course, there have been a few that have been caught in crossing the line and more and more are trickling in... but the focus should go to the Republican Power atmosphere as a whole.

[Kolesar]

8. The Akron Beacon Journal is now owned by a Canadian

That could only be good. At least we won't have a creep like Plain Dealer publisher Makaskee slanting the news to the gops.

[OhioBlue]

9. Jennifer Brunner

this is one of the reasons it is so important for Ohio and the Country to get Jennifer Brunner (D) elected as Secretary of State for Ohio. She will return respect and integrity into the voting process. This is good for Ohio and for the Country because we will have and ethical, competent and fair Secretary of State to oversee Ohio's election process.

[Monkeyman]

10. Veterans and Military Families for Peace

Are planing a march in Ohio about the vote no more small towns of 350 people voting 3500 time like in 04