Block the Vote: New York Times Editorial

[kpete]

May 30, 2006

Block the Vote
by New York Times Editorial, submitted by Debbie Nuss, LWV

May 30, 2006

In a country that spends so much time extolling the glories of democracy,
it's amazing how many elected officials go out of their way to discourage
voting. States are adopting rules that make it hard, and financially
perilous, for nonpartisan groups to register new voters. They have adopted
new rules for maintaining voter rolls that are likely to throw off many
eligible voters, and they are imposing unnecessarily tough ID requirements.

Florida recently reached a new low when it actually bullied the League of
Women Voters into stopping its voter registration efforts in the state. The
Legislature did this by adopting a law that seems intended to scare away
anyone who wants to run a voter registration drive. Since registration
drives are particularly important for bringing poor people, minority groups
and less educated voters into the process, the law appears to be designed to
keep such people from voting.

It imposes fines of $250 for every voter registration form that a group
files more than 10 days after it is collected, and $5,000 for every form
that is not submitted - even if it is because of events beyond anyone's
control, like a hurricane. The Florida League of Women Voters, which is
suing to block the new rules, has decided it cannot afford to keep
registering new voters in the state as it has done for 67 years. If a
volunteer lost just 16 forms in a flood, or handed in a stack of forms a day
late, the group's entire annual budget could be put at risk.

In Washington, a new law prevents people from voting if the secretary of
state fails to match the information on their registration form with
government databases. There are many reasons that names, Social Security
numbers and other data may not match, including typing mistakes. The state
is supposed to contact people whose data does not match, but the process is
too tilted against voters.

more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/30/opinion/30tue1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[babylonsister]

1. This editorial sure doesn't go far enough, does it?

What about the machines that can be manipulated? Sigh.
Well, at least some issues are being addressed.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. blocking the vote is easier

And more right here from "Block the Vote"

Congress is considering a terrible voter ID requirement as part of the immigration reform bill. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, introduced an amendment to require all voters to present a federally mandated photo ID. Even people who have been voting for years would need to get a new ID to vote in 2008. Millions of people without drivers' licenses, including many elderly people and city residents, might fail to do so, and be ineligible to vote. The amendment has been blocked so far, but voting-rights advocates worry that it could reappear.

These three techniques — discouraging registration drives, purging eligible voters and imposing unreasonable ID requirements — keep showing up. Colorado recently imposed criminal penalties on volunteers who slip up in registration drives. Georgia, one of several states to adopt harsh new voter ID laws, had its law struck down by a federal court.

Protecting the integrity of voting is important, but many of these rules seem motivated by a partisan desire to suppress the vote, and particular kinds of voters, rather than to make sure that those who are entitled to vote — and only those who are entitled — do so. The right to vote is fundamental, and Congress and state legislatures should not pass laws that put an unnecessary burden on it. If they do, courts should strike them down.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/30/opinion/30tue1.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

As the electronic voting issue is dealt with, another form of disenfranchisement
becomes popular.

[n2doc]

3. Its always the pukes with these schemes

It is always the 'pukes who push for ID cards to vote -keeping some from voting
It is always the 'pukes who push for traceless electronic voting- manipulating and losing legitimate votes
It is always the 'pukes who push for "purging" the voter rolls- keeping even more from voting through "mistakes"

Time to ask the 'pukes "Why do you hate democracy?"

We know the answer...

[LSK]

4. K&R - voter suppression is a huge problem

[Wilms]

5. K&R n/t

[Ms. Toad]

6. I seem to recall a scandal last fall

resulting from right wing nuts collecting voter registrations from everyone and then tossing the Dmocratic registration forms. The Dems thought they were registered until it was too late to remedy when they showed up on election day.

Don't you think it would be a good idea to have a law with some teeth to go after the deliberate registration fraud?

Granted there should be some exceptions for circumstances beyond the collector's control - but a law with teeth provides us more protection IMHO.