Bush Gov't Trying To Keep Poor Voters From Voting

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/stories/56957

Bush Government to Poor Voters: We Don't Want You to Vote

By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted July 17, 2007.

The Justice Department is pressuring 10 states to purge their voter rolls, while states are ignoring laws to help low-income Americans register to vote.

State welfare offices across the country are not offering millions of low-income Americans the opportunity to register to vote when applying for public assistance despite a federal law requiring them to do so, according to an analysis of a recent federal voting registration report and experts who say the Department of Justice and states are to blame.

- snip -

At the same time, the Justice Department's Voting Section, which enforces voting rights and supervises elections in some states, is pressuring 10 states to do more to purge voter rolls -- or remove ineligible voters -- before the 2008 presidential election, according to letters sent to state election officials this spring.

"We conducted an analysis of each state's total voter registration numbers as a percentage of citizen voting age population," wrote John Tanner, the Department of Justice Voting Section chief, in an April 18, 2007, letter to North Carolina's top election official. "We write now to assess the changes in your voter registration list ... and the subsequent removal of persons no longer eligible to vote."

- snip -

Voting Section chief John Tanner did return a telephone call to discuss his office's priorities and accomplishments. On Monday, July 16, the House Judiciary Committee announced it was postponing a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, July 17 "because the Department refused to make Voting Section chief John Tanner available to testify," its press release said.

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[Hubert Flottz]

1. Congress needs to cut the cash to the DOJ!

[deacon]

2. Thats a thought, And, a good one. n/t

[AndyA]

3. Yes, it's so nice to know our Justice Department is looking out for our

best interests. They should rename it, call it the Bush Agenda Department or Republicans First Department.

Congress needs to take steps to remove Gonzo immediately. I am so sick of this wimpy Congress that wipes Bush's butt for him after he uses the rest room.

[flashl]

4. Bushco and DOJ efforts to hide voter suppression should not be a surprise

If anyone remember the election of 2000, Florida, and voter purging or the election of 2004, Ohio, and voters standing in lines up to 9 hours, that was the message: "We Don't Want You to Vote" and We will NOT count YOUR vote.

This group has used EVERY element of the government to further its agenda using the power of various Federal agencies against the citizens of this country.

I remember reading a news story about this administration during an election cycle sending letters from the IRS with its letterhead warning voters of consequences if they didn't vote for Bush!

The DOJs voter fraud campaign that actually functioned as voter suppression campaign is another major story thats been reported but never picked up by the MSM. Even Congress did not appear to understand 'voter caging' when presented to it in testimony. It will be interesting to hear DOJ's reasons for employing 'voter caging'.

And, suggesting that this administration is 'just' targeting the 'poor' is how this group gained power in the 2000 election cycle. Rather than saying they are violating voting laws or usurping the election process is in my opinion THE reason that America miss the significance of what happened in Florida in 2000.

Obviously, many Americans 'didn't care' in 2000 that the 'poor' was being disenfranchised, but they 'cared' and began to pay attention when it was presented as usurping elections.