Bullet points of the mess
In no particular order, here's a bunch of stuff that caught my eye today:
GOP Voter Suppression in Ohio - The details about "Caging" and what the Republicans have planned to do, and are doing, are coming into view.
Judge Rebuffs GOP Effort to Contest Voters in Ohio - The GOP loses it's sneak attack on 35,000 voters in Ohio.
Civil Rights Coalition Demands That Republican National Committee End Voter Suppression Efforts - Voter suppression battles heat up. The nation's oldest civil rights organization urges the GOP to stop the madness.
A gun smokes in Minnesota - the Rathergate guys seem to think that we are on our way to "massive premeditated vote fraud" in Minnesota because, heavens to murgatroid, ACT is sending volunteers to go to the polls to vouch for neighbors. Earth to Powerline: vouching for someone you know is legal.
Resident says confusion cost her tickets to Republican rally - A reader emailed me this gem. This highlights the difference between the two parties more than any thing else this election. If I knew nothing about the Republican Party but this: They require a signed pledge to go hear the President. I would never, ever vote them. It's offensive to everything America stands for. I can't believe good republicans put up with it instead of just walking the hell out. It's a disgrace.
F.B.I. Investigating Contracts With Halliburton - Halliburton tricks or treats with the government. Gets treats AND plays tricks.
E-MAIL FROM THE GEORGEWBUSH.ORG "CATCH-ALL" MAILBOX - This is a really fascinating tale of satire gone totally real. Remember when Cheney mistakenly referred debate watchers to the wrong factcheck website? Well, Republicans have been sending sensitive emails by accident to the wrong George Bush website. In the process, they reveal their plans to "cage."
posted by Chris Dykstra @ 6:06 AM |
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26 Comments:
The Republican war against same-day registration continues.
More to the point, it's legal to vouch for someone you personally know to live in the precinct. For example, if you picked them up at their house and drove them to the poll. Which ACT and K/E/DFL will be doing.
Heh. Hey Chuck, do the Powerline guys wear tinfoil hats when they're on the radio, too?
The Republicans are becoming quite adept in their transference skills...
I'm glad you posted about Power Line's "voter fraud" red flag. It's a time-honored tradition in Minnesota: If you need someone to vouch for you at the polls, just ask someone in line! I've never done it, but Lori has. Is it so different to have a volunteer in your district acting as your voucher, and/or helping you find a voucher?
Granted, the vouch system is vulnerable to fraud. Power Line has previously posted about proposed legislation to limit the number of people you can vouch for, which might not be a bad idea. I think the spirit of the vouch system is neighbors helping neighbors, rather than allowing an organizer vouch for an unlimited number of people.
Nevertheless, the ACT effort is simply trying to make sure anyone who wants to legally same-day register is able to do so. Given Kiffmeyer's "It's too late to vote" signs posted at Minnesota's 200 driver's license bureaus, I'm glad someone is trying to help voters rather than impede them.
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I'm a little link-happy today.
Internets Vets for Truth - All the video you need to see in one place.
Has U.S. overdosed on Bush's script? - Appeals to the media consumer in me.
The sign said " it was to late to registar" Not vote. See we have laws in this state and this country that we expect even the poor and downtroden to follow. You all post lies putting down the republicans when you are no better or worse. You all cry the president is dividing america, the more I read you garbage the more I wonder who is truly dividing America. I can't wait untill April when the supreme court finally decides who are president is then all you left and right wingers can F'off.
Gop suppresses votes.
DFL engages in ballot stuffing.
The end result is the same.
There needs to be some actual reform. I like the same day registration, but not the "vouch" for residence. I think you could do this in a way that doesn't suppress turnout.
I like the idea of a poll tax on everyone voting age, that is reimbursed if you do vote.
Oops, my bad - the signs said "Too late to register." Which was, of course, false.
See we have laws in this state and this country that we expect even the poor and downtroden to follow. What are you talking about, exactly? We shouldn't be posting signs saying it's too late to register to vote. What does that have to do with our laws and the poor and downtrodden? Or are you referring to Minnesota's legal voucher system?
You all post lies putting down the republicans when you are no better or worse.I'll grant you this - voter fraud and shenanigans can happen in both of the major parties, and we need to make sure it doesn't. We don't post lies here to my knowledge - again, what are you talking about?
You all cry the president is dividing america, the more I read you garbage the more I wonder who is truly dividing America.If by "garbage" you mean news reports showing (a) Organized GOP efforts to disenfranchise some Americans from voting, and (b) Americans wanting to see the President of the United States and being rudely kicked out because someone with a Kerry sticker gave them a ride -- well, you must not live in the same America I live in, and you must not want America to be a land of equal opportunity.
"DFL engages in ballot stuffing."
Prove it.
This is false. Neither same day registration nor vouching is "ballot stuffing": they are they law of Minnesota and good people from both (or neither) party use them.
Minnesota has some of the cleanest elections in the country -- that is until Secretary Kiffmeyer got into office.
This just in!
Fraters Libertas hopes us "Easily manipulated, conspiracy-believing, ennui-ridden Uptown types" will be too hip to vote. Very funny. Don't count on it, son.
Incidentally, I used to refer to chain-smoking, all-black-wearing, ennui-ridden Uptown types too. When I was 19, living in Fridley, wearing a U of M sweatshirt, and utterly naive. But, unlike the Fraters guys, I grew up and left the suburbs.
Chuck, your right, I made a blanket statement out of total frustration over this mess. I assumed ( because thats all I've heard lately ) That the poor and downtroden are the ones that are being disenfrachised from voting. The 35,000 voters in Ohio, from what I understand are regisrations that were returned to sender because these people weren't at the addresses they were sent to. I would think that would raise a red flag and need to be investigated. But instead it's the repub's trying to stop people from voting. I support GW and on Wed if JK is the president I will support him.
Whew. Yes, these are tense and frustrating times. How did we get to a place where the president will only be supported by half the people?
I'm also worried about what may happen at the polls. Taking Lori to work this morning, I said I don't want any partisan people on either side "monitoring" the polls. Basically I want to go vote and not be bothered by anyone, or have people standing around with clipboards or watching me. You know? I'm also worried that tensions will be high, things could happen. At the same time, lots of people are concerned that we have a fair election and that people who want to vote can - and that translates to more people monitoring the polls.
"We will be creating name badges that include your Ward and Precinct information for each of the thousands of volunteers that day to make it easier to find a volunteer to vouch for a voter at the polls."
If you're only going to vouch for somebody you know, then why do you need name badges? Clearly this is a way for complete strangers to vouch for an unregistered voter (or is your tinfoil hat on too tight).
Per Minnesota Election Law
Election Day Registration
If you are not able to pre-register, you can register on Election Day. To do so, you must provide election judges at your polling location with certain acceptable forms of identification to prove your eligibility, such as:
Witness/Voucher: Oath of a pre-registered voter in the precinct or a voter who registers in the precinct on Election Day with one of the other authorized I.D. types. (Vouched for cannot vouch)
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To vouch for somebody is to take an "oath" that the person is legally eligible to vote in that precinct. Unless you know the person, you can not legally (or morally) vouch for them.
Oy. Nowhere does it say you have to KNOW the person you're vouching for!
Listen. I can recognize quite a few people in my neighborhood, especially people that were in my caucus, at my bus stop, etc. Do I know their names? Of course not. Regardless of that, Minnesotans know if they end up at the poll after work needing to register on the spot -- look around, find a familiar face. Or, find a friendly face to vouch for you. This is what good neighborly folks have been doing for years and years.
You're acting like this is some foreign insidious development - MY GOD! STRANGERS VOUCHING FOR STRANGERS! It's perfectly legal, and perfectly Minnesotan.
I might add: Nobody's forcing you to vouch for a stranger. If you don't think it's moral, don't do it. Trust no one, if you must live by those rules.
As for me, I'll use my best judgement. If I've at least seen the person around, I'm happy to be the friendly face in line. I don't want anyone turned away from the polls because nobody will vouch for them.
One year I couldn't sufficiently prove I lived where I lived after moving. I was so incensed that I couldn't vote before the polls closed. I was too mad and too shy to ask anyone to vouch for me. I don't want that to happen to anyone.
When you vouch for a person you are giving an oath as to a person's identity and eligibiliy to vote in that precinct. You should know their name, and where they live at least.
Would they accept a driver's license that didn't have a name on it?
I don't want to stop eligible voters from voting either, but I also don't want people to illegally vote, or to vote multiple times. Either case is an example of voter suppression, because an illegal vote will suppress my legal vote.
Anon #1: Why do you keep twisting the words of the law?
6.5.5 “Vouching” for residency (Oath of a Voter Registered in the Precinct)
If the voter doesn’t have any authorized proof of identity, the voter can still vote by having someone who is registered in the same precinct “vouch” for his or her residence. In this case, the registered voter signs an oath attesting to the new registrant’s residence in the precinct. You don't have to know their name or exact address. Period.As to whether you "should" know those things? Like I said, that's your call. Use your best judgement. Let's use common sense here, people.
Anon #2: Agreed. I am in favor of limiting the number of people someone can vouch for to prevent abuse or fraud.
"In Minnesota the Bush campaign has come into the possession of the following email from ACT to its Minnesota volunteers..."
Yes, and you, too could receive that e-mail if you subscribed to ACT's list! If ACT was planning widespread voter fraud, do you think they'd spread the word through a list that any Schmoe can sign up for? This isn't a smoking gun, this is the nerds from Powerline looking for something to get their panties in a bunch about.
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"We will be creating name badges that include your Ward and Precinct information for each of the thousands of volunteers that day to make it easier to find a volunteer to vouch for a voter at the polls."
Call it a hunch, but could it be, perhaps, that ACT needs nametags so that other ACT members can find volunteers to vouch for people in District X, Ward Y.
i.e.:
ACT Geek 1: Who's from District X, Ward Y? George here has no ID and needs to vote.
ACT Geek 2: Um. Joe Schmoe, Jane Doe, etc.
Jane lives in George's building and they both recognize each other. Jane vouches for George, George votes... for Bush...
Of course consipracy theories are much more fun! Actually I think the only thing smoking is the bong that the Powerline guys are huddled around.
Except that the email states the the volunteers (with the name badges) will be doing the vouching.
Likely scenario....
"I don't have any I.D. can I still vote?"
"sure... just find somebody with a nametag, and they'll vouch for you, no questions asked"
Yeah, it sounds like the ACT volunteer would be doing the vouching. Which again is legal, because they'll live in the same district. But I would also assume the ACT volunteer wouldn't be as discerning as your average neighborly-type, if at all. I was thinking "It would be better if all the ACT volunteer did was connect unregistered Person A with voucher-volunteer B." But how is that any different? I could just as well hang out and put on a name tag and vouch people too.
The law also has this provision:
Challengers (“poll watchers”) cannot vouch for a voter. What's the definition of a "poll watcher"?
"Except that the email states the the volunteers (with the name badges) will be doing the vouching."
Once again... I don't think it's terribly strange to think that the nametags are for ACT volunteers to identify each other and where they are from so that if a potential voter needs someone to vouch for them, there may be a person who knows that person who is working as a volunteer.
Of course all of this relies on honesty, something that I tend to think that the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans strive for. I don't think that the goal of a group such as ACT is to cheat and until the Powerline folks come up with something a little more solid than a volunteer e-mail, I think they're reaching for straws.
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...and what Chuck just said...
"The 35,000 voters in Ohio, from what I understand are regisrations that were returned to sender because these people weren't at the addresses they were sent to."
Bull. Shit.
What happened was voters refused to accept registered mail from the Republican Party of Ohio. I mean, what lifelong Democrat would want to go down to the post office and wait in line for a piece of mail from the Republican Party?
When the registered mail bounced back to the OH GOP, They had some lifelong volunteers challenge the voter's registration based on that.
Some of the voters challenged this, and a judge threw out the whole scam. You can read it right in the links from this very blog post.
The Role of Challengers in Minnesota Elections
Perhaps I should do a blog post on this.
For those of you worried about partisan "challengers" hanging over voters with a clipboard, breathing down their neck, do not worry.
This is illegal in Minnesota.
The way it works is that a challenger can only bring up their challenge to the election judge. He cannot confront the voter, cannot even talk to the voter. The election judge assesses the situation and then, if necessary, passes on the challenge to the voter.
However, the voter can swear an oath they are to be eligible to vote.
Here's what my friend who went to election judge training wrote about it in an email:
I went to my election judge's training last night. I
learned there are a lot of misconceptions about how
challenges work in MN. First, there are no legally
recognized "poll watchers" in MN. Challengers must
register with the chair judge at the polls; they may
only challenge on very narrow grounds, e.g., wrong
address, etc. They are not allowed to speak directly
to voters. If a voter is challenged, he or she can
always say an oath swearing that s/he is a resident of
the precinct or whatever. There is no requirement to
fight a challenge with any paperwork or written proof;
it's a verbal process entirely. Even if I showed up at
the polls and the courts said I was a convicted felon,
still serving my probation, I could swear an oath that
I was not a felon (or that my probation had ended) and
the judge would have to let me vote. Of course, lying
to a judge is a punishable offense. But the point is
that the benefit of the doubt is always given to the
voter, not the courts or the Post Office or any other
government agency or citizen. The reason is simple:
denying somebody the right to vote on election day is
irrevocable, and the penalties for voting illegally
are thought to be deterrent enough against fraud.
Thank you for bringing up the one salient fact inexplicably missing from the conversation about the GOP's Ohio mailing: It wasn't just mail. It was registered mail.
That clearly represents an organizational focus and intent that goes far beyond casual discovery. It's an investment in entrapment.
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